At the end of her clinical training as a hemo-oncologist specializing in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, Katy Rezvani, MD, PhD, realized that she had this love of immunology and looking after patients who undergo stem cell transplantation, especially allogeneic stem cell transplantation—taking a graft from one healthy donor and giving it to another person. She knew that much of that curative effect is driven by the immune system, so she began to ask the question: can you isolate that robust anti-leukemia immune response from all the side effects that come with doing a stem cell transplantation?

That question launched Rezvani into a successful career in understanding and developing allogeneic immune cell therapies. In this episode, Rezvani tells me why she’s so captivated by one particular immune cell—NK cells—for cell therapies. We discuss how NK cells compare to T cells and the different ways they are being engineered to treat cancer and other diseases with accessible and affordable cell therapies.

Rezvani is a Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center and, most recently, was dubbed the vice president & head of the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation. Rezvani also holds the inaugural Melvyn N. Klein Family Endowed Directorship for the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Are we close to curing diseases like ALS and Alzheimer's?" In recent years, several academic and industry endeavors have given reason to be hopeful. Toby Ferguson, MD, PhD, is the Chief Medical Officer at Voyager Therapeutics, which develops genetic medicines and delivery tools to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this episode, Ferguson explains the current state of therapeutics for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, challenges in delivering genetic medicines and other therapeutics to the nervous system, and Voyager's approach to overcoming the BBB.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first episode of 2025, I spoke with Tomi Pastinen, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine at Children's Mercy Kansas City (CMKC), one of the best pediatric hospitals in the United States. Dr. Pastinen has pioneered genomics for mass diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients at large medical centers, a fundamental capability necessary for precision medicine. With Dr. Pastinen at the helm, CMKC became the first pediatric hospital in Missouri to offer in-house pharmacogenetic testing with a test called Kiddose and the first in the country to use a genomic sequencing approach that reads not 4 but 5 different nucleotides in the clinical setting. In addition to discussing the clinical upside of incorporating genomic testing into a pediatric hospital setting, we also discuss some challenges that arise from a genetically characterized diagnosis to actual treatment—such as what happens when a child is diagnosed by identifying a disease-causing variant for which no existing treatment exists—as well as the world beyond well-defined inherited diseases to more complex disorders, including autism.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most remarkable patient stories of the 21st century has been that of Emily Whitehead—the first pediatric patient to receive chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy. Emily's parents have been along her side every step of the way, which is not something everyone can say. However, in the process, her father, Tom Whitehead, became incredibly moved by the experience with Emily and everything he saw. He decided to devote much of his time to helping families and patients who find themselves in Emily's shoes. Today, Tom is doing that through the Emily Whitehead Foundation.

In this candid and emotional episode of Behind the Breakthroughs, Tom Whitehead shares intimate details of his journey by Emily’s side up to and through her treatment with CAR T, which occurred through a combination of serendipity and persistence. Tom also discusses in depth the challenges that patients and families face in dire medical situations, especially when it involves research-as-care. 

This is the 2024 finale for Behind the Breakthroughs, and we will release our next episode on January 8, 2025.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harry Clifford, PhD, Digital Biology Lead at NVIDIA, discusses how the computer manufacturing and AI computing leader is building a technology platform to address data bottlenecks in drug development and healthcare to advance precision medicine.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Severino, MD, discusses the approaches for developing "genome writers" at Tessera Therapeutics, where he joined as CEO in 2022, and the advantages of performing in vivo genome editing over ex vivo approaches. Severino explains where the company is in utilizing its genome writing platform to perform edits in vivo on its journey toward the clinic.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This special edition episode for the upcoming Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) annual meeting in Vancouver, Jane Gibson, PhD, opens up the dialogue about how the evolving field of molecular pathology is taking on major challenges, including how the FDA’s ruling on laboratory developed tests (LDTs) is affecting clinical labs. Dr. Gibson is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Central Florida, Editor-in-chief of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, and President Elect of AMP.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helen Sabzevari, PhD, President and CEO of Precigen, discusses the barriers to implementing cell and gene therapies that impede the accessibility and implementation of these precision medicines. Dr. Sabzevari also explains how key cell and gene therapy platforms and tools can provide safety measures, such as guardrails to cellular toxicity, and address cost by offering “off-the-shelf” efficient gene delivery vectors that can be used on-site, cutting out centralized manufacturing.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luca Quagliata, PhD, global head of medical affairs for clinical NGS and oncology at Thermo Fisher Scientific, shares how his career has been intertwined with precision medicine, beginning with his time as a student in Italy during the early 2000s. Quagliata examines the significance of genomic profiling within the cancer care continuum, outlining the essential steps and touchpoints necessary to ensure the accessibility of personalized oncology treatment for all individuals.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the premiere episode of Behind the Breakthroughs, Geoff Oxnard, MD, VP of Clinical Development at Lilly and a Thoracic Oncologist at Boston Medical Center, shares his journey in precision medicine, beginning with his introduction to genetic testing as a Medical Oncology Fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and as an academic researcher.

Dr. Oxnard discusses how differences in impact and reach influenced his decision to move from academia to industry. He also explains how the adoption of precision testing in the United States is influenced by perspective rather than accessibility. This episode also covers flexible enrollment in clinical trials, adapting to patient perspectives on clinical research as care, the current state of precision medicine, particularly precision oncology, in the United States and elsewhere, and more.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD

Music provided by Artem Hramushkin

Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.