Learning With Lowell

440,000 Deaths, Preventable Medical Errors, Building Scalpel the biotech Startup, and Yesh the CEO and Founder. About Yesh CEO and Founder: “I am a generalist who builds technologies that improve healthcare. Trained as a dentist, I have over five years of interdisciplinary experience in healthcare and technology (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Computer Vision). I previously built a startup (Open Simulation) to provide low-cost surgical simulation using Augmented Reality. In my PhD, I designed and evaluated one of the first immersive virtual reality training tools for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. I can understand healthcare challenges from a clinical point of view […]

Bioinformatic Lean Startup Blue Ridge Bioinformatics, Founders Matthew and Matt Discuss Bioinformatics, Their Startup Journey, and How to Run Lean

London based bioinformatics service provider. When implemented successfully, bioinformatics can be used to identify new market opportunities and streamline existing R&D saving both valuable time and resources. Our goal is to provide easy and cost-effective access to this growing field for new to medium size biotech and bioscience based companies. Source

Click here for the quick text interview we had:

Quick Text Interview with Matthew, CEO, and Matt, CTO, of Blue Ridge Bioinformatics

Website

Contact email: [email protected]

Hyperlinked Timestamped Show Notes

[ 01:30 ] What fuels them to keep working in bioscience, who they love to work with, and a bit of their origin story.

[ 03:00 ] Their Response to "That's weird" in what they were working on (i.e Malaria resistance).

[ 05:00 ] Have they found and converted people to building a startup.

[ 06:40 ] If they ever feel anxious or that they just never feel good enough, and how they get over it.

[ 08:40 ] Where their ambition is leading them.

[ 10:55 ] Where/how they developed the name of Blue Ridge Bioinformatics.

[ 12:45 ] BRB service offering/s.

[ 13:10 ] What their unique skill sets are, and what value they both bring to the team.

[ 15:40 ] What the key characteristics/skills are of people who they love to work with.

[ 17:50 ] Who is still missing from their dream team, and who they'd like to hear from.

[ 19:50 ] How they learned the business side of things (i.e. Igem).

[ 22:20 ] Their thoughts on building something even if it's not a business.

[ 23:15 ] What they think the key characteristics of success are.

[ 25:20 ] We discuss time and product management strategies.

[ 27:10 ] We discuss how to move forward, use failures, and thoughts on being efficient.

[ 28:35 ] What they have learned during their journey.

[ 32:20 ] The key places where you can follow their journey.

Machine Learning, Antibodies, and Drug discovery.

Antiverse is building a world-first computational antibody drug discovery platform. We combine in-house lab expertise with state of the art machine learning to predict antibody-antigen binding and provide antibody drug candidates in one day. Source

Click here for the quick text interview we had:

Quick Text Interview with Murat Co-Founder of Antiverse An AI Antibody Drug Discovery Platform

Website

Contact info: [email protected]

"Antiverse: Leveraging AI to Achieve Antibody Drug Discovery in One Day

BETTER MEDICINES FASTER

Antiverse is building a world-first computational antibody drug discovery platform to predict antibody-antigen binding and provide antibody drug candidates in one day.

A combination of state of the art machine learning and cell-free protein synthesis is used to predict antibodies that bind to a given antigen target with high affinity. The resulting software can then take antigen taget sequence, provided by the customer, and do a high-throughput screening of all possibilities of antibody sequences to detect the sequence that will produce a high-affinity antibody for the target. The customer will be provided with the sequence in a single day, thus reducing the time typically required for antibody therapeutics discovery by 3 to 18 months." Source

The Team (see more on their website)

Murat Tunaboylu has a BSc in Electrical Engineering and twelve years of experience as a software engineer. He also has extensive experience in labware automation and will be automating the lab work and creating the software that customers will use. Linked in Profile

Rowina has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge in cell-free protein synthesis and will be using this cutting-edge technique for the high-throughput generation of antibody fragments. She previously worked as a protein synthesis scientist for drug development for the contract research organisation Domainex. Linkedin Profile 

Ben Holland has an MEng in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and experience in mathematical modelling, especially neural networks, and will use the generated data to train the machine learning system. Linkedin Profile 

Hyperlinked Timestamped Show Notes

[ 01:00 ] What is unique about what they are developing, Murat's background, and the amazing improvements they are working to create in decreasing drug discovery time

[ 03:40 ] His origin story of getting into biotech, and what drives him to work long hours to create something from nothing.

[ 05:35 ] The key skills that his co-founders bring to the team.

[ 05:55 ] How the machine learning works, and how difficult it is to understand.

[ 08:30 ] If the technology ever replaces humans and digitizes the entire process of drug development.

[ 09:40 ] How long from today it will take them to have the finished product that they are developing.

[ 12:00 ] Key people, skills, and resources they need to help develop Antiverse.

[ 13:10 ] How certain he is in what they are trying to develop coming into the world.

[ 14:05 ] What is unique about what they are developing that gives them a competitive edge.

[ 16:50 ] What partnerships they're looking for.

[ 17:35 ] What made him think now is the best time to build Antiverse, and what key things helped him along the way.

[ 20:10 ] We start a discussion about having three directors over having a CEO, COO, or CTO. Really great space ship analogy here.

[ 23:35 ] Who the first patch of customers he expects to have will be.

[ 24:25 ] What he is a nerd about, and if he ever goes missing, what we should think the reason is. Also, we talk about a unique way to raise funds based on a hobby of his.

[ 26:06 ] With unlimited resources, what he and Antiverse would do.

[ 26:55 ] Key people that inspire him. Also, we talk about Jurassic Goats.

[ 27:55 ] Key mentors for him,

Wood Nanotechnology for Energy, Transparent Wood, Super Thermally Insulating Nanowood, Transparent Boats, Advanced Energy Materials Expert, Advanced Functional Materials Expert, and High Performance Thermoelectrics

"Tian Li, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering, has been named to Forbes' prestigious "30 Under 30 2018: Energy" list in recognition for her contributions to what the magazine describes as the "remarkable scientific breakthrough" of transparent wood.

Li and a research team led by Clark School Associate Professor Liangbing Hu removed the molecule in wood that makes it rigid and dark in color (lignin), and replaced it with epoxy, which reinforces the wood's channels—making it stronger and colorless. This new "transparent wood" material, which is a highly efficient insulator and more biodegradable than plastic, could eventually replace glass in building materials and optical equipment.

"Dr. Li has been extremely innovative in inventing wood-based emerging technologies, including in the application of transparent wood in energy-efficient buildings that is better than glass" said Hu.

Li received her bachelor's degree in engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. She completed her Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at UMD in 2015, and has also published several recent papers on solar-cell technology.

This is the seventh year that Forbes has issued their "30 Under 30" list to acknowledge the top talent in 20 different industries.

WATCH to learn more about transparent wood:" Source

Hyperlinked Timestamped Show Notes

[ 01:02 ] She explains the amazing projects she is working on and is passionate about (i.e Wood, Steam, Solar, Insulation, C02 storage, sustainability etc). This is a big meaty section that gives a great explanation of the benefits of what she has developed.

[ 07:21 ] We talk about the idea of making a transparent boat as an example of a use for her technology. We also get into how her tech is comparatively easy to scale up, and the key components of the process of removing the pigment of wood to make it see-through.

[ 10:30 ] The current limitations she is working through.

[ 11:00 ] How transparent wood would be great used as a cup or storage device.

[ 11:30 ] Who all is a part of the team and their back story.

[ 12:30 ] Talking about how transparent wood would be great for solar cells, and how it improves effectiveness of energy generation.

[ 15:15 ] She explains how she wants to become a professor out in the Bay Area. (People at Stanford and Berkley should contact her).

[ 16:00 ] We talk about her concerns for getting a job as a professor, such as the competitiveness.

[ 17:05 ] We talk about her goal to develop her own lab.

[ 17:40 ] She explains the importance of her transparent wood being able to hold up to 3000k vs the industry best of about 1400k. This is a great infusion of science. Also, a fun story of her research in Italy.

[ 21:40 ] We start talking about the idea of making a transparent wood forest, and the concerns we would have to overcome to do that.  We also talk about organisms in nature that remove pigment from trees, and how those organisms helped in developing the technology.

[ 25:15 ] She explains how the process is universal for every species of wood.

[ 26:10 ] The work on making wood hazy transparent and then making the wood as clear as glass, and the benefits of either.

[ 27:15 ] We talk about the other advanced applications of the nanowood and transparent wood (i.e. Wearable devices).

[ 28:40 ] Key ways to learn more (i.e group website, her website, or google scholar).

Antimicrobial Resistance, how she got started, what she is passionate about, examples of work she and others have done to curb resistance, advice/suggestions, and more are all things you'll find in this episode!

Linkedin Profile 

Twitter

Work History

Research Associate

The Ohio State University

Policy Analyst

Keep Antibiotics Working Coalition

Food Safety Research and Policy Associate

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Director of Research and Education

STOP Foodborne Illness

Independent Contractor

Vermont Department of Health

 

Post Episode Content

Food labeling website, Consumer's Union: https://www.consumerreports.org/overuse-of-antibiotics/what-no-antibiotic-claims-really-mean/

Maryn McKenna's book, Big Chicken: https://marynmckenna.com/books/big-chicken/  also has a link on the page to her Ted talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/maryn_mckenna_what_do_we_do_when_antibiotics_don_t_work_any_more

Purdue's decision: https://www.perduefarms.com/news/statements/antibiotics-position-statement/

Keep Antibiotics Working non-profit Coalition: https://www.keepantibioticsworking.org/

Alternatives to Antibiotics: http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2017/07/alternatives-to-antibiotics-in-animal-agriculture

OIE: http://www.oie.int/en/

An "okay" definition of competitive exclusion: https://www.britannica.com/science/principle-of-competitive-exclusion

Americorps: https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps or Americorps VISTA: https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorpsvista

Idealist: https://www.idealist.org

Hyperlinked Timestamped Show Notes

Lux Capital Scientist in Residence, what that is like, how he evaluates startups, the big things he focuses on, and his thoughts on being a generalist over being a specialist are just some of the topics we cover in this episode!

Important links

Personal Website

Lux Capital about page

Linkedin Page

All of his writing at Wired

All of his writing at The Atlantic 

All of his writing on Medium

Crunchbase

Biography 

All of the below can be seen on his website here as well as how to contact him and join his newsletter. 

"Samuel Arbesman is a complexity scientist, whose work focuses on the nature of scientific and technological change. He is currently Scientist in Residence at Lux Capital, a venture capital firm investing in emerging science and technology ventures. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Boulder and Research Fellow at the Long Now Foundation.

Arbesman’s training is in complexity science, computational biology, and applied mathematics. His scientific research has been cited widely and has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. His essays about science, mathematics, and technology have appeared in such places as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Wired, where he was previously a contributing writer, and he has been featured in The Best Writing on Mathematics 2010. Arbesman is the author of two award-winning books, Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension (Current/Penguin, 2016) and The Half-Life of Facts (Current/Penguin, 2012).

Previously, Arbesman was a Senior Scholar at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a Research Fellow in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. He completed a PhD in computational biology at Cornell University in 2008, and earned a BA in computer science and biology at Brandeis University in 2004.

Books

Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension

A QI Book of the Year and Scientific American Recommended Book

Why did the New York Stock Exchange suspend trading without warning on July 8, 2015? Why did certain Toyota vehicles accelerate uncontrollably against the will of their drivers? Why does the programming inside our airplanes occasionally surprise its creators?

After a thorough analysis by the top experts, the answers still elude us.

You don’t understand the software running your car or your iPhone. But here’s a secret: neither do the geniuses at Apple or the Ph.D.’s at Toyota—not perfectly, anyway. No one, not lawyers, doctors, accountants, or policy makers, fully grasps the rules governing your tax return, your retirement account, or your hospital’s medical machinery. The same technological advances that have simplified our lives have made the systems governing our lives incomprehensible, unpredictable, and overcomplicated.

In Overcomplicated, complexity scientist Samuel Arbesman offers a fresh, insightful field guide to living with complex technologies that defy human comprehension. As technology grows more complex, Arbesman argues, its behavior mimics the vagaries of the natural world more than it conforms to a mathematical model. If we are to survive and thrive in this new age, we must abandon our need for governing principles and rules and accept the chaos. By embracing and observing the freak accidents and flukes that disrupt our lives, we can gain valuable clues about how our algorithms really work. What’s more, we will become better thinkers, scientists, and innovators as a result.

Lucid and energizing, this book is a vital new analysis of the world heralded as “modern” for anyone who wants to live wisely.

Vox said that "It presents a new way to think about the world that makes seemingly impossible problems approachable" and Clive Thompson, author of Smarter Than You Think, said this:

Astrobiologist, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Research Scientist, climate change, solar system exploration.

His non linear path to finding his way to Astrobiology, the projects he is working on, discussion on planets and moons, and his love of sharing science are just some of the topics we will cover in this episode.

 

Biography:

"Welcome! As an astrobiologist, my research broadly investigates how the rock record can preserve properties of an ancient atmosphere, and how the rocks can create or contribute to an atmosphere; a discipline I like to call "Atmospheric Geology". Atmospheric gases and/or gases released in water-rock reactions are fundamental in metabolic processes, and so I enjoy thinking about the role life has in modulating the concentration of gases (atmospheric or not), and how the concentration of those gases modulate biological "lifestyle" (survival, maintenance, growth). As examples, I investigate how ancient raindrop craters can record atmospheric density, how gas bubbles trapped as amygdales in ancient lava flows can record atmospheric pressure, and how channel morphology can be an indicator of flow sustainability (the latter in the context of Mars). I'm also very interested in the topographic evolution of Mars. At Ames, I focus on the latter part of this interest: how rocks can create or contribute to an atmosphere. Specifically, I am investigating the connection between geology, geochemistry, and microbiology in serpentinizing systems, through a combination of field, laboratory and theoretical studies. Deep-sea exploration has been a growing interest of mine, overprinted on the space exploration passion that has fueled my career. To that end, I have been involved with research cruises on-board the R/V Atlantis, and have explored the sea-floor both robotically (ROV Jason), and physically (DSV Alvin)." Source

About Sanjoy: 

Education:

Ph.D. Planetary Sciences & Astrobiology (University of Washington 2010) and Stanford Ignite (Stanford Graduate School of Business 2012)

Research:

Atmospheric geology, Geomorphology, Aqueous Geochemistry, Bioenergetics, Astrobiology Education

Where Dr. Sanjoy Som can be found:

Exobiology Branch

NASA Ames Research Center

http://spacescience.arc.nasa.gov/

&

Research Scientist & Director

Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

http://www.bmsis.org/

Scientist in residence and what that is like, how he evaluates startups, the big things he focuses on, and his thoughts on being a generalist over being a specialist are […]

His non linear path to finding his way to Astrobiology, the projects he is working on, discussion on planets and moons, and his love of sharing science are just some […]

Silk Material innovation, how they developed their startup, what they specialize in, what they are nerds about, and where they want to go.

About Synbiosys

Synbiosys is a new platform for materials research and development by pioneering a symbiotic relationship between the scientific rigor of academia and the goal-oriented attitude of the industry.

Next generation Armour with super fast energy absorption

Biological composites for biomedical applications

High-toughness carbon fiber composites

High-strength structural glass

and blast-proof glazing

Read all of this an more on their website: Synbiosys

Contact: [email protected]

 

About Founder Jose:

"José entered the startup environment before his undergraduate years, working in, and shadowing, companies within Imperial College London's incubator such HydroVenturi, deltaDOT, Gusto and Duvas Technologies.

During his undergraduate degree he helped build and test a proof of concept for a new form of micro-hydroelectricity.

He spent a year in between his undergraduate and PhD working for Duvas Technologies. His physics and language skills have sent him on projects to Brazil and Qatar.

Before joining Deep Science Ventures as a Venture Founder, he worked in its expansion via networking and equipment procurement.

He has now founded Synbiosys Ltd to develop next generation reinforced materials, and part-developed the new "Entrepreneurship in Physics" lecture course in the Department of Physics, Imperial College London, which will start in Q1 2018.

His main interest is on sustainable technologies, and cutting edge materials engineering. His expertise revolves around optics, experimental semiconductor physics and organic composite design. He also has experience in optimising two-phase flow (air in water), plastic film coating and fibre extrusion.

Technical specialties:

- Raytrace modelling for concentrating optics

- Solar cell characterisation (single and multi junction, quantum well)

- Photoelectrochemical multijunction structures and reactor optics

- Luminescent solar concentrator fabrication: planar and fibre geometries

- Lab managing (laser and wet)

- Spectroscopy (UV and visible)

- Organic material processing" Source. 

 

About Founder Gian:

"Received my Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Pisa in 2014 and completed my PhD in materials science at Imperial College in 2017. During the last year of the PhD, he co-founded Synbiosys and joined it full time in October 2017.

As co-founder and director of Synbiosys, He wants to develop the next generation high-performance bio-composites which can be produced locally and from renewable sources, and will benefit consumers as well as the local communities and the environment." Source