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Dr. Karsten Eastman, Ph.D. is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sethera Therapeutics ( https://setheratx.com/ ), a company focused revolutionizing peptide-based drug development with a cutting-edge enzymatic cross-linking technology, and their platform enables the synthesis of highly stable, polymacrocyclic peptides designed to engage multiple targets simultaneously, offering unparalleled precision in therapeutic design.

Trained as a chemist at the University of Utah, where he earned his PhD in 2023, Dr. Eastman has built his career at the intersection of peptide synthesis, protein engineering, and radical enzymology. His work focuses on understanding how enzymes choreograph complex molecular transformations — and then harnessing those principles to build programmable, drug-like molecules.

In collaboration with researchers at the University of Utah, Dr. Eastman and his team recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences a breakthrough discovery involving PapB, a radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) enzyme capable of installing precise, durable thioether “staples” into peptides in a single enzymatic step. This work opens vast new chemical space for macrocyclic peptide therapeutics and offers a powerful new approach to targeting diseases long considered “undruggable.”

At Sethera Therapeutics, Dr. Eastman is translating this enzymatic platform into next-generation peptide medicines that aim to combine the selectivity of biologics with the drug-like properties of small molecules.

#PeptideTherapeutics #DrugDiscovery #Biotechnology #Enzymology
#RadicalSAM #PapB #SetheraTherapeutics #UndruggableDiseases
#MacrocyclicPeptides #Bioengineering #Therapeutics #Innovation #ScienceBreakthrough #PeptideDrugs #EnzymeTechnology

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Susie Singer Carter ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susie_Singer_Carter ) is an award-winning filmmaker ( https://www.gogirlmedia.com/ ) and caregiver advocate with a powerful new docuseries, No Country For Old People ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0F7D1RR5X/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r  ), a Gold Anthem Award-winning exposé on nursing home neglect and the systemic failures facing America’s elderly. Through film, podcasting, and activism, she has become one of the most compelling creative voices in Alzheimer’s awareness and elder care reform.

Susie first captured international attention with her Oscar-qualified short film My Mom and The Girl, starring Valerie Harper in her final performance — a deeply personal story born from Susie’s own caregiving journey. 

From writing and producing Bratz the Movie, to co-producing Soul Surfer, Susie has navigated Hollywood at every level — but it’s her advocacy-driven work that has become her defining voice.

Susie is also the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Love Conquers Alz ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-conquers-alz/id1492023291 ), and she serves as host of the 3rd & Fairfax for the Writers Guild of America West.

Most recently, Susie wrote, directed, and produced the 3-part docuseries No Country For Old People ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loa4tGZ3GwI ), recipient of the 2024 Gold Anthem Award for Health Awareness. The film is a searing examination of nursing home neglect, systemic healthcare failures, and the human cost of institutional indifference — a subject she knows not just as a filmmaker, but as a daughter who lost her mother to Alzheimer’s.

Susie also leads Respect Oversight Advocacy Reform for Long Term Care ( https://www.roar4ltc.org/ ) a 501c3 nonprofit movement that is embracing the power of storytelling to engage and mobilize the public, with a strong focus on younger generations, to demand dignity,  accountability, and reform in long-term care.

Susie Singer Carter doesn’t just tell stories. She uses them to fight for change.

Important Episode Links

No Country For Old People; a Nursing Home Exposé -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0F7D1RR5X/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r 

http://nocountryforoldpeople.com/ 

https://www.youtube.com/@UCZGC8Htb549M2TNVSR67FOw 

My Mom and the Girl - https://vimeo.com/266772460 

Respect Oversight Advocacy Reform for Long Term Care - https://www.roar4ltc.org/

#SusieSingerCarter #NoCountryForOldPeople #ElderCare #NursingHomeCrisis #CaregiverAdvocacy #AlzheimersAwareness
#HealthcareReform #DementiaCare #PublicHealth #AgingPopulation
#LongTermCare #HealthPolicy #CaregiverLife #ElderJustice #Longevity

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Why do some scientific breakthroughs begin with ridicule?
In this episode, we explore cancer research, serendipity, and the philosophy behind unconventional biomedical innovation.

Dr. Alexander Shneider, Ph.D. is a biotech entrepreneur and scientist with more than three decades of experience spanning oncology, immunology, vaccines, and translational medicine. He is the Founder and CEO of CureLab Oncology ( https://www.curelaboncology.com/ ), where he is leading the development of a novel biological agent designed to fight cancer through a dual approach—stimulating anti-tumor immunity while also addressing the chronic inflammation that often underlies disease progression.

CureLab’s lead therapeutic, Elenagen, has demonstrated a strong safety profile and encouraging signals of clinical benefit in international Phase II studies, and is being explored both as an adjunct to standard cancer treatments and for its broader potential in inflammation-driven and age-associated diseases. The platform’s reach may extend beyond human medicine, with ongoing interest in applications for oncology in companion animals.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Shneider has advised biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and investment organizations across areas including R&D strategy, licensing, technology transfer, product development, and intellectual property. He previously founded CureLab, Inc., where he worked on tools for the rational design of DNA vaccines and the development of broad-spectrum influenza vaccine concepts.

In academia, Dr. Shneider has held professor-level appointments and led the Genetic Vaccine Laboratory at Sechenov University, where he helped establish multicenter clinical research infrastructure focused on diseases involving chronic inflammation. His research has also explored evolutionarily conserved RNA structures as targets for antiviral therapies and next-generation vaccine design.

In addition to his scientific and entrepreneurial work, he serves on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals in immunology and aging research, reflecting his long-standing engagement at the intersection of basic science, clinical translation, and biotechnology innovation.

#CancerResearch #BiomedicalScience #CancerInnovation
#ScientificDiscovery #PhilosophyOfScience #Biotech #MedicalInnovation
#Oncology #BreakthroughScience #StartupScience #SciencePodcast #DrugDevelopment #Serendipity #Innovation  #FutureOfMedicine

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Dr. Raza Bokhari, MD ( https://www.razabokhari.com/ ) is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medicus Pharma Ltd. ( https://medicuspharma.com/ ), a precision-guided biotechnology company focused on accelerating the clinical development of novel and potentially disruptive therapeutic assets designed to transform the standard of care.

A physician turned serial entrepreneur, Dr. Bokhari has built a distinguished career identifying, aggregating, and advancing life sciences, healthcare services, and pharmaceutical R&D companies. He is also the Managing Partner of RBx Capital, LP, an investment fund dedicated to biotech and life sciences innovation.

Previously, Dr. Bokhari served as Executive Chairman and CEO of FSD Pharma, where he led a strategic transformation of the company from medicinal cannabis into a clinical-stage pharmaceutical R&D organization. Under his leadership, the company achieved a NASDAQ listing in January 2020 and raised nearly $100 million in institutional capital to support growth and expansion.

Dr. Bokhari earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Rawalpindi Medical College at the University of Punjab and holds an Executive MBA from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

Beyond his corporate leadership, Dr. Bokhari is Vice Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. He previously served on the Board of Temple University’s Fox School of Business as Chairman of the Executive Advisory Committee, and as a Trustee of both The Franklin Institute and the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Through his family foundation, Dr. Bokhari is deeply committed to philanthropy and community engagement. In recognition of a $1 million gift to Temple University, the Fox School named its Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute Suite in his honor. In 2018, he was named a Centennial Honoree by the Fox School — recognized among a select group of entrepreneurs, visionaries, and disruptors who have shaped the institution and the broader business world since 1918.

#Biotech  #Pharma #DrugDevelopment #ClinicalTrials #LifeSciences #MedicusPharma #Phase2Biotech #BiotechStrategy #DeRiskThenPartner #CapitalEfficient #Investing #PharmaInvesting #PrecisionBiotech #OncologyInnovation #DrugRepurposing #MedicalInnovation #HealthcareStrategy #ClinicalDevelopment #BiotechBusinessModel

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Antimicrobial resistance is a systems failure — not just a prescribing problem.  

Olivier Niyonshima, Founder of ZeroX Intelligence and Medikal Africa, explains how NVIDIA-backed edge AI infrastructure is transforming healthcare across Africa.

Olivier Niyonshima ( https://olivierniyonshima.com/ ) is the Founder and CEO of ZeroX Intelligence ( https://zeroxintelligence.com/ ), a Rwandan–Canadian AI company focused on building practical, production-grade technology for healthcare, agriculture, and education across Africa.

He leads Medikal Africa ( https://www.medikalafrica.com/ ), an AI-powered clinical intelligence platform designed to combat antimicrobial resistance and strengthen digital health systems in real-world African healthcare environments. Rather than treating AMR as an awareness problem, Olivier approaches it as a systems failure—one driven by delayed diagnostics, fragmented data, and weak decision support—and is building infrastructure to fix that.

Olivier’s work has been recognized globally. Medikal Africa is an NVIDIA Inception Startup, selected after technical and product review for its work in GPU-accelerated, edge-first healthcare AI. He also serves as a Youth Digital Health Champion with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, contributing to continental digital health strategy, policy dialogue, and systems strengthening.

Through ZeroX Intelligence, Olivier is also leading on-the-ground healthcare infrastructure initiatives, including the deployment of autonomous UV-C disinfection robotics to improve infection prevention in clinical settings. His work is grounded in a clear mission: ensuring Africa doesn’t just host pilots or consume technology, but leads in building scalable systems that work in real conditions.

#OlivierNiyonshima #ZeroXIntelligence #MedikalAfrica
#AntimicrobialResistance #AMR #HealthAI #DigitalHealth #AfricaInnovation #NVIDIAInception #EdgeAI #ClinicalAI #HealthcareTechnology #AIinHealthcare #PublicHealth #Superbugs

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Nishant Rastogi is the inaugural Managing Director of Lupus Ventures ( https://www.lupusventures.org/ ), the venture investment fund of the Lupus Research Alliance ( LRA - https://www.lupusresearch.org/ ), where he serves on the Investment Committee. In this role, he leads all aspects of the fund — from sourcing and evaluating opportunities to structuring deals and managing the portfolio — while overseeing team recruitment, business development, and coordination with the fund’s Investment Committee and Scientific Advisory Board.

Lupus Ventures is the world’s only venture fund dedicated to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and related autoimmune conditions. It aims to accelerate the development of new therapies and diagnostics that improve care and deliver meaningful impact for the millions of people living with lupus worldwide.

A seasoned life sciences investor with over a decade of experience in venture capital and private equity, Mr. Rastogi has served as a Board Director and operating partner for multiple biotech and medtech companies. Prior to Lupus Ventures, he was Vice President and Head of Transactions at New Rhein Healthcare Investors, where he helped establish the firm’s U.S. office, executed transactions across diverse therapeutic areas, and managed a portfolio totaling over $200 million in direct investments. His work spanned financing, clinical development, regulatory strategy, manufacturing, and commercialization. Notable investments include Corsair, Theranica, Alveus, American Injectables, Butterfly Medical, Softhale, EirCor, and Neuraptive.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Rastogi was a founding associate at Broadview Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital fund focused on cardiovascular innovation, and has advised multiple disease research foundations — including Beyond Celiac and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy — on venture fund formation and the intersection of philanthropy and private investment in advancing medicines and health equity. He began his career as an analyst at Fidelity Investments.

Mr. Rastogi holds a B.A. in Economics and Mathematical Finance from Dartmouth College, an MBA from Northwestern University (Kellogg), a Medical Science Certificate from Harvard, and a Certificate in Climate Change and Health from Yale.

#Lupus #AutoimmuneDisease #LupusResearch #BiotechInnovation #Immunology #HealthcareInnovation #PrecisionMedicine #WomensHealth #HealthEquity #VentureCapital #Biotechnology #SystemicLupus #LupusAwareness #MedicalBreakthrough #LifeSciences

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Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has rapidly entered drug discovery — but one of the true “holy grail” challenges inside pharma is no longer just predicting what proteins look like, but understanding how molecules actually interact: how proteins bind drugs, antibodies, RNA, and each other, and how those insights can guide better decisions long before anything reaches the lab.

Early breakthroughs in structure prediction made protein models widely accessible, but real biology happens at interfaces, in motion, and often in fleeting conformations that determine whether a therapy ultimately succeeds or fails. Today’s conversation explores what it means to move into this next chapter — where structural predictions are translated into actionable insight for real-world drug development.

Joining us are two scientists from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany ( https://www.emdgroup.com/en ), working at the intersection of protein structure prediction, molecular dynamics, and generative design, helping to build internal platforms that turn computational models into practical decision tools for therapeutic discovery.

Dr. Stephanie Linker, Ph.D. is a Senior Computational Biochemist in Merck’s Group Digital Innovation unit, where she leads initiatives in generative antibody design, de novo protein binder development, and advanced structure prediction platforms. Her work focuses on how molecular shape, flexibility, and dynamics influence whether a designed molecule actually performs in biological systems.

Dr. Philipp Schnee, Ph.D. is a Computational Protein Design expert at Merck KGaA, currently part of the GoGlobal Data & AI rotation program. His research bridges high-resolution molecular dynamics simulations with experimental biochemistry to understand protein function, mutation effects, and mechanisms that can be leveraged for enzyme engineering and inhibitor design.

Together, their work reflects a broader shift happening across the pharmaceutical industry — away from static structures and standalone models, and toward integrated platforms that combine folding, binding, ranking, and experimental validation to guide smarter, faster therapeutic decisions.

In this episode, we explore what these next-generation tools can do today, where their limitations remain, and why the ability to move from structure prediction to decision-ready insight may become one of the most important frontiers in modern drug discovery.

AI drug discovery, protein structure prediction, computational biology, biologics design, pharmaceutical R&D

#DrugDiscovery #ArtificialIntelligence #AlphaFold #ProteinFolding
#Biotech #PharmaInnovation #ComputationalBiology #StructuralBiology #AIinHealthcare #AntibodyEngineering #MolecularDynamics #FutureOfMedicine #SystemsBiology #LifeSciences #ProgressPotentialPossibilities #MachineLearning #BioTechPodcast

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Join us for a deep dive with Dr. Sonia Grego, scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur at the forefront of redefining human health through everyday biological data.

In this episode, we explore how Dr. Grego’s groundbreaking work with Coprata’s smart toilet platform is turning stool into actionable health insights — passively, seamlessly, and in the comfort of your own home. We discuss biomarkers, gut health monitoring, and how cutting-edge sensor and AI technologies are making preventive medicine more personalized and accessible.

Dr. Grego is Co-Founder & CEO of Coprata and Director of the Duke Smart Toilet Lab, where she studies biochemical signals in everyday human waste to unlock early, equitable, and personalized health insights. With a PhD in Physics from the University of Copenhagen, dozens of peer-reviewed publications, and multiple U.S. patents, she bridges rigorous science, sensor technology, and real-world health impact.

This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in digital health, preventive medicine, gut health, sensors, and the future of biomedical technology.

Learn more about Coprata: https://www.coprata.com

Learn more about the Duke Smart Toilet Lab: https://smarttoilet.pratt.duke.edu/people

Learn more about the Nestlé Health Science FIBER-IMPACT study:  https://www.nestlehealthscience.us/stories/nestle-health-science-launches-landmark-study-uncover-impact-lifestyle-gut-health

Follow the show for more deep dives into health innovation and emerging biotech.

#SmartToilet #Coprata #GutHealth #DigitalHealth #PreventiveMedicine #Biomarkers #HealthTech #StoolAnalysis #MedicalInnovation #FutureOfHealthcare  #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #Research #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast

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Meduza documentary interview with director Roc Morin.

A Ukrainian actor who once played a sniper on screen is recruited as one in real life—this conversation explores how war reshapes identity, memory, and meaning.

Roc Morin is a filmmaker and journalist whose work explores the intersection of conflict, culture, and the inner lives of people living through historical rupture.

He is the director of the documentary MEDUZA, which follows Ukrainian artist and actor Pavlo Aldoshyn, who became a sniper when the full-scale invasion began in 2022—drawing, uncannily, on skills he had previously learned playing a sniper in a film role. Shot over two years, MEDUZA traces Pavlo’s psychological and spiritual transformation as war reshapes not only his life, but the framework he uses to understand himself and the world.

Before turning to documentary filmmaking, Roc reported extensively on Ukraine beginning in 2014. Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, he entered the country in the earliest days of the war, crossing the border on foot and making his way to Lviv when no formal transportation was available.

Roc previously directed the documentary You Are My Audience and served as a producer on Werner Herzog’s Family Romance, LLC. MEDUZA was produced with his longtime collaborator Leïla Wolf, whose creative partnership deeply shaped the film.

Filmed across Ukraine, the United States, Japan, India, and Ecuador, MEDUZA reflects Roc’s distinctive approach to documentary filmmaking—one that resists spectacle in favor of intimacy, and asks not only what is happening in the world, but how people metabolize it internally.

This episode features MEDUZA director Roc Morin discussing the story behind the documentary.

Important Episode Links:

https://www.rocmorin.com/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwcjBl2Rayo
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9128669/

#Meduza #UkraineWar #DocumentaryFilm #WarAndIdentity #Transformation #ImmortalJellyfish #HumanCondition #WarStories
#Filmmaking #IndependentFilm #PsychologyOfWar
#ArtAndWar #DocumentaryInterview #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast

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Brandon Ganske is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of LifeRx.md ( https://liferx.md/ ), a U.S.-based telehealth and wellness company providing clinically supervised programs for metabolic, hormonal, cellular, and performance health. 

Through its secure, customer-centric digital platform, LifeRx.md connects patients with licensed U.S. medical providers, streamlines treatment access, and delivers provider-reviewed therapies in a secure and private environment.

LifeRx.md empowers individuals to take control of their health with confidence, clarity, and support. 

Brandon comes to healthcare from the front lines of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer brand building, with more than a decade of experience scaling high-growth digital businesses. Before entering telehealth, he founded and operated multiple e-commerce ventures, overseeing everything from product development and sourcing to performance marketing and customer acquisition.

Brandon is also the founder of Influenceish ( https://www.influenceish.com/ ), a marketing and growth consultancy focused on helping brands build authentic customer relationships in increasingly crowded digital marketplaces.

Today, at LifeRx.md, Brandon sits at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and consumer behavior—working on how telehealth platforms earn trust, communicate clinical value, and adapt to rapidly changing expectations around weight loss, hormones, and performance-driven medicine.

#FutureOfHealthcare #Telehealth #PrimaryCare #DigitalHealth #HealthInnovation #TrustInMedicine #ClinicalCare #MedicalEthics
#ResponsibleInnovation #EvidenceBasedMedicine #HumanOptimization
#PreventiveHealth #PerformanceHealth #Longevity #MetabolicHealth
#HealthcareTransformation #CareDelivery #HealthSystems #BrandonGanske #PatientCentricCare #ValueBasedCare #HealthPodcast #SciencePodcast #MedTech #STEM #Innovation #Science #Technology #Research #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #Podcasting #ViralPodcast

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