Nice Genes!

Many rare genetic diseases are caused by a “typo” in our DNA. For most, fixing that spelling mistake has been out of reach. But a  recent  clinical trial has changed everything, opening up the door for possible cures we never thought were possible through a cutting-edge gene-editing tool called prime editing.

In this episode, Ty Sperle takes us through his own story of being cured of a rare disease called chronic granulomatous disease  while his doctor, Dr. Stuart Turvey gives Kaylee the 411 on the science behind Ty’s treatment – and what it could mean for rare diseases more broadly. We also make a stop at the PrimeSight Lab, where researchers are exploring how prime editing could help bring the world into focus for people with inherited vision loss.

For a treatment that once sounded like science fiction, could prime editing be a glimpse of the future of medicine?

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Highlights

• 00:01 -  Ty’s World-First Cure
• 07:11 -  Inside the Prime Editing Revolution
• 23:43 -  Can Prime Editing Restore Sight?

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Sources

• First-in-world BC patient successfully treated for rare immune disease
• B.C. teen cured of rare disease
• Future Perspectives of Prime Editing for the Treatment of Inherited Retinal Diseases

For the past 25 years, we’ve been hearing that male contraceptives are just a few years away. And then a few more… and then some more after that. So for something that has been in development for such a long time, what is with the hold up? 

In this episode, Dr. Kaylee Byers takes us through the history of birth control – from silk condoms to beaver testicles – before heading back to high school bio for a good old-fashioned male anatomy lesson. Then, urologist Dr. Premal Patel walks us through the current options for males (spoiler alert: not a lot), and endocrinologist Dr. Stephanie Page gives us the lowdown on some of the promising gels, pills, injections and other methods that could finally change the game. 

So hit play for some sexy science– from vasectomies, to genomics and infertility research, to reproductive equity for all. 

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Highlights

• 2:18 - The wacky history of contraceptive methods
• 7:54 -  Breaking down misconceptions of vasectomies 
• 18:29 -  A gel and a frontrunner for male birth control 

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Sources

• The History and Future of Birth Control - Live Science
• World Contraception Day: 10 of history’s most horrible contraceptives - BBC
• Breakthrough takes big step toward safe, reversible male contraception - Cornell

If you’ve ever watched the TV show Survivor, you know the rules: outwit, outplay, outlast.

But in the animal kingdom, Survivor isn’t a game– in a very real way, it’s adapt, or…

And as climate change intensifies and human disasters reshape the environment, animals are being forced to come up with new ways to cope- fast!

In this season 6 premiere, host Dr. Kaylee Byers explores some winning (and losing) survival strategies. First up, wildlife biologist Dr. Kendall Calhoun takes us into the aftermath of wildfires to see how different animals are adapting to an ever-changing landscape. Then, evolutionary biologist Dr. Cara Love brings us to her work in Chernobyl, where a population of wolves is living a  radioactive life– and their genomes could even offer clues for cancer treatment.

Highlights

• 04:58 Deer vs. Squirrels – Who’s Built to Survive a Wildfire?
• 12:27 Barry the Bear – The 500-Pound Bear Who Moved In After a Fire
• 19:57 Chernobyl’s wolves – Survival in a Radioactive World 



Sources

1. FACT SHEET: Climate change and wildfires - Climate Institute
2. Movement behavior in a dominant ungulate underlies successful adjustment to a rapidly changing landscape following megafire - Movement Ecology
3. 40 Years After Chernobyl, Wolves May Be Adapting to Live With Radiation - Science Alert
4. Signatures of Radiation-Induced Stress and Putative Selection on Immune Targets in Chornobyl Wolves - Molecular Ecology
5. Surviving in a poisoned land: Chernobyl's wildlife is different, but not in the ways you might think - BBC
6. What We Know About the Chernobyl Animal Mutations - ThoughtCo.

Have you heard about the radioactive wolves in Chernobyl? Or the latest gene-editing tech that’s curing rare diseases? Or that male birth control might be on the horizon? No?!

Well, get ready, because while we’ve been busy living our lives, genomics has been moving – fast! Things that once read like science fiction are moving on over to the non-fiction section.

This season on Nice Genes!, join Dr. Kaylee Byers as she engages in some big genomics breakthroughs – from personalized cancer treatments, to how our bodies react in space, to how animals adapt to the most extreme environments, and whether we can actually change how we age.



It’s a whole new gene-eration (if you will) of discoveries that you won’t want to miss!

New episodes every two weeks, starting September 8th. Make sure you follow Nice Genes! so you don’t miss an episode!

This episode was originally released on August 2, 2022

Just like any good superhero comic, we start this episode with the science going incredibly wrong. Think: vats of toxic waste producing evil mutants that ravage the city. Or maybe not so evil. It really depends on your perspective. Just like the X-men, genetic mutations get a bad rap in the public eye. But they aren’t all nasty.

Dr. Kaylee Byers speaks with data scientist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Brian Arnold on how the genetic ‘mistakes’ known as variants occasionally encode incredible abilities. Odd elephants, hiding in our ocean depths, and Rogue-ish bacteria are just a few examples. Dr. Arnold defends these genetic anomalies, and explains how they can make a huge difference to the future of humanity and life on this planet. Also joining us is marine biologist Dr. Maria Pia Miglietta, who shares an incredible ability sitting in our ocean depths. Immortality.

So strap on your capes, because we’re heading straight into the strange terrain of “heroic mutations.” 

Listen to Nice Genes! wherever you get your podcasts, brought to you by Genome British Columbia.

Resources: 

1. Genetic Mutation - Nature
2. Genomic mutation rates: What high-throughput methods can tell us
3. Shane Campbell Staton Group - Tuskless Elephants
4. Ivory poaching and the rapid evolution of tusklessness in African elephants - Science
5. Real-Life X-Men: How CRISPR Could Give You Superpowers in the Future - synthego.com
6. Indonesian divers have evolved bigger spleens to hunt underwater - Science
7. Mutations may reveal how Tibetans can live on world's highest plateau - Science
8. The Immortal Jellyfish - American Museum of Natural History
9. Cellular reprogramming and immortality: Expression profiling reveals putative genes involved in Turritopsis dohrnii’s life cycle reversal
10. Transcriptome Characterization of Reverse Development in Turritopsis dohrnii (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria)
11. Horizontal gene transfer and adaptive evolution in bacteria - nature reviews microbiology
12. Horizontal gene transfer overrides mutation in Escherichia coli colonizing the mammalian gut - PNAS
13. The Ship of Theseus Dilemma - Open Okstate

Have you ever wondered why most orange cats are male? Scientists have been scratching their heads over this for decades, and now we finally have answers. In our final Gene Short of the season, Sarah Lando and Dr. Kaylee Byers explain the surprising new evidence that finally explains this purr-ticular quirk.

Resources

1. Gene behind orange fur in cats found at last- Science.org

2. Scientists track down mutation that makes orange cats orange- Science Daily

This episode was originally released on November 15, 2022

Things aren’t always what they seem on the surface, especially when it comes to our oceans. So many mysteries hum below its watery surface. So, you may just have to use your ears when it's too dark to see exactly what's going on down there.

Dr. Kaylee Byers looks into the ocean giants that lurk in the depths and the unique songs they share with us. She sits down with whale biologist Dr. Jennifer Allen on how whale songs are imparting a cultural exchange between populations that are hundreds of miles apart. Filmmaker Joshua Zeeman shares his journey to find the infamously dubbed 'Loneliest Whale'. And Paeleobiologist Dr. Travis Park from the Museum of Natural History in London tells us how whales developed their unique singing superpowers by taking us back through millions of years of evolution. Finally, researcher Grace Baer brings us to a remote west coast station studying whale populations and the effects of ocean traffic noise.

It's a whale-sized episode taking you on a listening journey into this wonderful watery world!

Special thanks to Captain Gaelen Krause of the Island Odyssey, for capturing recordings on his journey to search for whales along the British Columbia coast.

Resources:

1. Southern Resident Killer Whale Research Project | Parks Canada

2. Whales learn songs from each other in a cultural 'deep dive' | phys.org

3. Whale-monitoring robots are oceanic eavesdroppers with a mission | Popular Science

4. Whale Songs Are Getting Deeper | The Atlantic

5. The search for the loneliest whale in the world | The Guardian

6. The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 | Bleecker Street Media

7. BTS (방탄소년단) Whalien 52' MV | BigHit Entertainment

7. Watkins Marine Mammal Sound Database | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

8. Underwater Noise Pollution Is Disrupting Ocean Life - But We Can Fix it | TIME

9. Convergent evolution in toothed whale cochleae | BMC Evolutionary Biology

10. Evolutionary Basis of High-Frequency Hearing in the Cochleae of Echolocators Revealed by Comparative Genomics | Oxford Academic

11. Genome-culture coevolution promotes rapid divergence of killer whale ecotypes | Nature

12. DNA Suggests Cultural Traits Affect Whale Evolution | Science

13. San Francisco: Dead Whale Opens Seafood Season | Universal International Newswire

14. Songs of the Humpback Whale | Roger Payne, CRM Records

15. Whaling Commission | Associated Press Archive

16. Monaco - International Whaling Commission | Associated Press Archive

17. Bubble Net Feeding | BC Whales

18. Cool Genomics Facts - Fact 4 & 5: Environmental DNA | Genome British Columbia

The story of 23andMe has more twists than a soap opera. Spit parties, ghosting the FDA, unicorn valuations, and massive data breaches—this company has done it all. In this Gene Short, Sarah Lando walks Dr. Kaylee Byers through the drama behind the headlines, and what it all means if you’re thinking about exploring your own ancestry DNA.

Resources

1. The rise and fall of 23andMe - Business Insider

2. The rise and fall and rise again of 23andMe - Nature

This episode was originally released on November 5, 2024

Dr. Hannah Belcher was already studying autism she found out she herself was Autistic. Getting her diagnosis felt like everything suddenly clicked… but why did it take so long to get answers?

In this episode, Hannah shares her journey and talks about how many Autistic people, especially women, learn to mask their true selves to fit in– causing them to slip through the diagnostic cracks. Then, we invite Dr. John Constantino to break down the genetic underpinnings of Autism Spectrum Disoder and related conditions like ADHD—and how science is shaking up the genomic picture of what we thought we knew about this male-female bias.

From outdated theories to “refrigerator mothers,” join hosts Dr. Kaylee Byers and Dr. Rackeb Tesfaye as they comb through the tangled web of sex bias and ask whether our current methods of studying neurodiversity is actually addressing the questions the people with ASD want answered?

A Note on Language:

When talking about Autism - semantics matter. So, it’s important to recognize the nuances of language. Many people in the Autism community prefer identity-first language, such as "Autistic person," as it centers Autism as a core part of their identity. Others, however, may prefer person-first language, like "person with Autism," which places the individual before the condition. We’ve used both forms of language in this episode, and we encourage respecting individual preferences by asking what each person is most comfortable with. For more on this, check out resources like the National Institutes of Health’s guide on writing respectfully about identity and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s explanation of identity-first language.

Additionally, when we refer to ‘Autism risk’ in the context of academic research, it typically means an increased genetic likelihood of receiving an Autism diagnosis. However, we recognize that "risk" can imply a negative connotation (which we do not support.) Instead, we aim to discuss Autism in ways that honour the neurodiversity of all individuals.

Lastly, regarding sex differences in Autism diagnoses, in this episode, we’re talking specifically about sex assigned at birth. Although we mention gender, we want to be clear that we aren’t exploring how Autism diagnoses may vary by gender identity—that area remains understudied! So, our conversation is focused on differences between males and females, and we look forward to seeing more research on the richly complex interactions between gender identitiy and neurodiversity in the future.

Highlights:

(6:32) Growing up undiagnosed

(18:52) The genetic underpinnings of Autism and related neurodiverse conditions

(22:20) Debunking the “female protective effect”

(26:37) A biased assessment

Resources:

1. ‘Taking off the Mask: A Practical Guide for Managing Autistic Camouflaging and Mental Health‘ - Dr. Hannah Belcher

2. Inherited Risk for Autism Through Maternal and Paternal Lineage - National Institute of Health

3. 'Decade of data dents idea of a ‘female protective effect’- The Transmitter

4. How ADHD Gender Bias is Slowly, Steadily Harming Females - ADDitude Mag

5. Refrigerator Mothers - A Discredited Cause Of Autism- Autism Help

6. Study challenges idea that autism is caused by an overly masculine brain- Science.org

7. Autism Spectrum Conditions In Women: Diagnosis, Mental Health, And The Role Of Camouflaging- Research Gate

Bowhead whales can live for nearly 2 centuries, weigh as much as 22 elephants, and– surprisingly– rarely get cancer. So what’s their sea-cret? Sarah Lando from Genome BC brings us the splashy new genomic research behind these Arctic giants’ longevity, and what it could mean for the future of cancer research.

Resources

1. “This whale lives for centuries: its secret could help extend human lifespan”- Nature

2. Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale - Nature

3. Peto’s Paradox: Large mammals may hold clues in preventing cancer among humans - HealthyDebate