Insane Ambition

Harry Al-Wassiti is a visionary bioengineer. More than 14 years after leaving war-torn Iraq, he is now spearheading Australia's mRNA therapeutic program.

Harry believed in mRNA therapeutics well before they became mainstream via the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. In 2019, he published a Medium article advocating for mRNA-based therapeutics just months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But new medicines are useless without the ability to build them affordably and at scale.

There is this essential marriage of innovation and manufacturing, “We’re developing amazing medicines, but their deployment hinges on solving manufacturing issues.”

For a country that too often outsources its most complex manufacturing processes to China and the US, we need someone like Harry in Australia to be thinking about the machine that builds the machine. After all, having mRNA manufacturing facilities within our borders is a national security issue.

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Neurons are fundamental to biological systems and critical to human function. Can we teach neurons to perform computational intelligence tasks? Will our human abilities be enhanced in the near future?

Tune in to discover how Hon Weng Chong, Founder of Cortical Labs, went from medical doctor to biotech entrepreneur building DishBrain, the $10 million innovation that fuses brain cells with computers. Together, we'll explore the exciting possibilities of human neurons and artificial neural networks collaborating to solve society's toughest challenges.

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We've been through the years of COVID19 and the debates about the safety and efficacy of medicines and vaccines. There is no doubt that biotech companies like Pfizer, Bayer and CSL have shaped our world.

Join us as we speak to Andrew Nash, Chief Scientific Officer of CSL Limited, Australia’s largest biotech company. Together we explore what led him to dedicate his life to science, and why he believes biotechnology will change our future.

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Decades before technologies like ChatGPT and LLMs gained widespread attention, Eduard Hovy decided to undertake a PhD in AI and Computer Science at Yale University.

More than just 40,000 lines of code… what if he could build something that could resemble a form of intelligence?

Join us in conversation with Prof Eduard Hovy, the Executive Director of Melbourne Connect and Professor at the University of Melbourne. Eduard is now dedicated to bridging the gap between university research and real-world commercialisation.

In this episode, Eduard shares profound insights garnered over decades of navigating the AI and NLP landscape, well before technologies like ChatGPT gained widespread popularity, and how the enduring interest and enthusiasm keep him at the forefront of innovation.

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Do you trust the government? Have you ever questioned your influence on decision-making, or wondered how to make your voice heard more?

Eddie Kowalski, researcher and founder of OurVoice, asked the same questions and is now at the forefront of redefining the landscape of democracy. In this episode, Eddie reveals the challenges of elevating political and civic engagement, and how he believes technology can help ensure that every voice carries weight.

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