In this powerful episode of Research Renaissance, Arushi Raina and John Chernesky from the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute pull back the curtain on what it really takes to innovate in spinal cord injury—and why the future of neurological care depends on integrating technology, science, and most importantly, lived experience.

Rather than treating individuals as patients or passive recipients of care, Praxis centers their entire innovation pipeline around those living with spinal cord injury (SCI), involving them from ideation through market launch. Arushi shares how shifting from product “for” to product “with” the SCI community has accelerated meaningful breakthroughs. John explains why he refuses the label “patient” and instead champions the term Plex – Persons with Lived Experience, a philosophy now driving clinical research, product development, and even investment strategies.

From cutting-edge neuromodulation to low-cost wound gels saving lives, this conversation explores how innovation scales not by solving one condition in isolation—but by designing for complexity, translating solutions across adjacent neurological and aging populations, and creating sustainable pathways to market.

Key highlights include:

♿ Why integrating lived experience from day one leads to better innovation—and better outcomes

🔄 How a “test bed” approach in SCI is accelerating breakthroughs for MS, stroke, Parkinson’s, aging and more

⚙️ The surprising power of simple, scalable technologies—like a gel applied at the first sign of a pressure sore

🧩 Why coachability in entrepreneurs may matter more than capital in medtech success

🧠 Neuromodulation reversing effects of paralysis—and improving autonomic functions like temperature, bowel, and bladder control

💬 How real-time, direct feedback from SCI users saved startups from costly mistakes

📈 Why Praxis built a fund model that generates investor returns and channels profits back into the charity

❤️ What it means to rethink innovation around dignity, identity, and human mobility—not just mobility of limbs

Most profound takeaway

“If technology can be used not only to make it acceptable, but to celebrate the different ways people walk and move through the world, that’s where innovation meets humanity.” — Arushi Raina

Resources & Links

🌐 Praxis Spinal Cord Institute: PracticeInstitute.org
 🔗 Connect with Arushi & John on LinkedIn
 📧 General contact: [email protected]
 💡 Learn more about the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust: tofflertrust.org

Connect with Research Renaissance

💌 Subscribe for more thought-provoking interviews
 🌐 Visit: tofflertrust.org
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To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal sits down with Dr. Wendy Ellis, Assistant Professor of Global Health at George Washington University and Founding Director of the Center for Community Resilience. Together, they explore how resilience science and systems-level thinking can drive lasting change for communities impacted by adversity.

Dr. Ellis shares her groundbreaking Pair of ACEs Framework, which connects adverse childhood experiences to adverse community environments, and discusses how this approach is helping policymakers, educators, and community leaders address root causes rather than symptoms. From innovative school-based partnerships in Portland to the development of an Opportunity Dashboard that measures both social and economic return on community investments, this conversation reveals how data, collaboration, and hope can transform entire neighborhoods.

Whether you're a researcher, policymaker, or community advocate, this episode will inspire you to think bigger about what it means to build truly resilient communities.

🎙 What you’ll learn in this episode:
 • Why resilience science must go beyond individuals and address systems.
 • The power of the Pair of ACEs Framework in reframing public health and policy.
 • How community-driven solutions have produced measurable results in education, healthcare, and economic stability.
 • Why connecting health data with economic outcomes can shift investment and policy decisions.
 • The role of hope, social cohesion, and collaboration in driving lasting change.

Subscribe to Research Renaissance and join us in exploring the science, policy, and community action shaping the future of brain health and resilience. Visit tofflertrust.org for resources and updates.

#ResilienceScience #PublicHealth #PairOfACEs #CommunityResilience #SystemsThinking #SocialImpact #AdverseChildhoodExperiences #HealthEquity #BrainHealth #TraumaInformed #PolicyChange #CommunityHealth #SocialDeterminantsOfHealth #CollaborativeLeadership #EconomicMobility #EducationEquity #HealthcareInnovation #DataDrivenPolicy #CommunityDevelopment

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

Welcome back to Research Renaissance, presented by the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust. In this episode, host Deborah Westphal explores the cutting edge of rare disease research with special guests Andrew Rosen, CEO of the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF), and Dr. Lauren Moore, NAF’s Chief Scientific Officer.

Together, they unpack how the NAF has evolved from a small support-focused nonprofit into a strategic, science-driven organization that’s advancing treatments and reshaping what’s possible for people living with ataxia—a rare, progressive neurological condition affecting movement and coordination.

🔍 In this episode, we explore:

• The history and mission of the National Ataxia Foundation—from its 1957 founding to its current research initiatives
• What ataxia is, how it’s diagnosed, and why it’s so often misunderstood or misdiagnosed
• The diagnostic odyssey patients face and how genetic testing is both essential and still evolving
• How patient advocacy, family involvement, and rare-disease communities are accelerating the pace of scientific discovery
• Lauren’s personal journey from biomedical physics student to ataxia researcher—sparked by her father’s diagnosis
• Why wearable tech, remote trials, and AI are changing the game for neurological research
• The power of public-private partnerships and how the first FDA-approved ataxia treatment led to a $7.3B acquisition by Biogen
• Why “rare” doesn’t mean small—and why rare diseases deserve different standards of study, funding, and approval
  
  

🧠 Key Takeaway:

Treatments are on the horizon—but getting there takes relentless advocacy, strategic funding, and courageous participation from patients and families. As Andrew puts it: “We’d love to put ourselves out of business someday. Until then, we’re here to build the infrastructure that gets us there.”

🌐 Resources & Links:

• National Ataxia Foundation (NAF)
• Karen Toffler Charitable Trust
• Learn more about hereditary ataxias and ongoing research initiatives
• Support or participate in patient-driven research and advocacy

🎧 Subscribe to Research Renaissance
 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms. For more conversations at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, and purpose-driven science, follow us at tofflertrust.org or get in touch.

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this groundbreaking episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal reconnects with Dr. Adithya Gopinath, University of Florida, to explore a game-changing discovery in Parkinson’s research: a direct connection between dopamine neurons in the brain and the peripheral immune system, specifically the spleen.

Dr. Gopinath shares how his lab’s findings could reshape the future of Parkinson’s diagnosis and treatment—potentially identifying the disease earlier and opening new therapeutic avenues using existing immune-modulating drugs. The episode also touches on surprising implications for conditions like addiction, ADHD, and even cancer.

Key Topics Covered:

• The role of dopamine transporters in both the brain and peripheral immune cells
• A newly mapped brain-to-spleen pathway and its implications for Parkinson’s
• Why gastric bypass surgery offers unexpected clues about neuroimmune function
• How Parkinson’s might eventually be detected through blood biomarkers
• The challenge of longitudinal studies and the need for philanthropic support
• Crossovers with autoimmune disease, glioblastoma, and methamphetamine use
• The future vision for translational research at Dr. Gopinath’s lab
  
  

Standout Quote:
 "If we're able to identify Parkinson’s early, we may have the opportunity to either slow or stop its progression. And we might already have the tools—we just need to apply them in the right way." – Dr. Adithya Gopinath

Connect with Us:
 🔗 Learn more and subscribe: https://tofflertrust.org
📧 Interested in supporting or collaborating? Dr. Gopinath’s contact info: [email protected] or [email protected] 

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this episode of Research Renaissance, Deborah Westphal sits down with Dr. Grant Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of Every Cure — a nonprofit revolutionizing how we treat disease using artificial intelligence and drug repurposing.

You’ll hear the incredible true story behind the organization’s founding: a rare disease, a near-death diagnosis, and the life-saving power of finding the right drug at the right time — one that was already FDA-approved but never intended for that disease.

Dr. Mitchell unpacks how Every Cure is:

• Using AI to map connections between 4,000+ FDA-approved drugs and 20,000+ diseases.
• Tackling the “organizational problem” in medical research — not just the scientific one.
• Building a nonprofit model that bypasses commercial incentives to focus purely on patient outcomes.
• Launching a new public platform that will allow researchers, doctors, and even patients to explore potential drug-disease matches.

💡 From real-world case studies to a bold vision for transforming clinical trial timelines, this is an inspiring and eye-opening look at how a small team might just be out-innovating Big Pharma — and doing it faster, cheaper, and with more heart.

Resources Mentioned:

• Visit everycure.org to learn more or get involved.
• Contact Grant directly at [email protected]
• Learn more about the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust at tofflertrust.org

Never miss an episode of Research Renaissance — subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and follow us at tofflertrust.org for updates.

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this powerful episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal sits down with Dr. Rachel Buckley, Associate Professor of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Together, they explore a growing body of research that challenges long-standing assumptions about sex differences in Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Buckley shares her unexpected journey from skepticism to advocacy in studying how biological sex and hormonal changes—particularly around menopause—can influence Alzheimer's risk, pathology, and progression. From PET scans to postmortem tissue studies, she unpacks what we now know about tau pathology in women, the role of hormone therapy, and how reproductive history may shape brain health.

You’ll also hear about:

• Why women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s—and why it’s more than just longevity
• How timing of hormone therapy may impact tau buildup
• Surprising research around pregnancy, caregiving, and even the X chromosome
• Where the research gaps still exist—and how AI might help close them
• Why training the next generation of sex-based neuroscientists is essential

Whether you’re a caregiver, clinician, researcher, or simply curious about how brain health intersects with gender, this episode offers eye-opening insight and hope for the future.

Guest Bio:
 Dr. Rachel Buckley is an internationally recognized neuroscientist focused on the intersection of sex differences and Alzheimer's disease. She leads groundbreaking research at Massachusetts General Hospital and serves as Chair of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Sex and Gender Professional Interest Area.

Resources & Links:
 🔗 Learn more: https://www.tofflertrust.org
📧 Contact Dr. Buckley via email or LinkedIn
💡 Alzheimer’s Association: https://www.alz.org

Subscribe & Follow:
Don’t miss upcoming episodes—subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and follow us on social for updates.

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal sits down with Dr. Prabesh Bhattarai, Associate Research Scientist - The Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease, the aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a 2024 Toffler Scholar.

Dr. Bhattarai shares his groundbreaking work on regenerative biology and how understanding the remarkable ability of certain fish to regrow neurons could eventually lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

They explore:

🧠 How the fish geography can regenerate neurons lost to Alzheimer-like damage
🧬 The role of signaling molecules like IL-4 and BDNF in promoting brain regeneration
🐭 Why these regenerative processes don’t naturally occur in mice or humans—and what happens when researchers try to induce them
🔍 How astrocytes and the blood-brain barrier play a key role in Alzheimer’s pathology
🧪 How single-cell and spatial transcriptomics are unlocking new insights into brain cell function
🕵️‍♂️ The importance of identifying early biomarkers for Alzheimer’s to enable earlier intervention
🧩 Why Alzheimer’s is a multifactorial disease that requires a broad, integrative research approach
🔮 The future of therapeutic strategies—and the potential for delaying or even preventing disease progression

Dr. Bhattarai also discusses his latest findings around fibronectin 1 as a promising therapeutic target, and the complex but hopeful road ahead in Alzheimer’s research.

👉 If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Bhattarai’s work or connect with him, you can reach him at: [email protected]

🎧 Stay tuned for more episodes of Research Renaissance—exploring the future of brain science.

Visit tofflertrust.org to subscribe and learn more about the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust and its mission to advance cutting-edge brain research.

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this exciting episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal speaks with Dr. Ted Zwang, Assistant Professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Andrew Holbrook, Assistant Professor at UCLA and Jasen Zhang, PhD student in biostatistics in Holbrook’s lab. Together, they share how novel neural recording devices and advanced machine learning techniques are transforming the study of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Ted and Jasen discuss their collaborative project—funded by the Kavli Foundation, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, and the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust—which captures how neurons change over time in Alzheimer’s mouse models. They reveal surprising discoveries about how some neurons “go quiet” and later recover—challenging long-held assumptions about neurodegeneration.

The conversation also explores how these insights could lead to earlier diagnostics, predictive models of cognitive decline, and more personalized treatments for patients.

🔬 Topics include:
 - How flexible neural recording devices track neuron activity over months
 - Why biostatistics and machine learning is key to decoding massive neural datasets
-  New findings about reversible neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer’s
-  How predictive models could inform personalized medicine
-  The challenges of translating animal research to human diagnostics
-  The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in brain science

Whether you’re a researcher, student, clinician, or curious learner, this episode offers a glimpse into the future of Alzheimer’s research—and why there’s new reason for hope.

🧠 Guests: Dr. Ted Zwang https://zwanglab.com/, Dr. Andrew Holbrook https://andrewjholbrook.github.io/ and Jasen Zhang https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasen-zhang/
🌐 For more episodes and updates, visit: tofflertrust.org

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this fascinating episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal sits down with Dr. Heather Brenhouse, professor of psychology and director of the Developmental Neuropsychobiology Lab at Northeastern University—and a 2024 Toffler Scholar. Together, they explore the deep connections between childhood adversity, brain development, and long-term mental health.

Dr. Brenhouse discusses why early life stress impacts some individuals more than others, how adversity can alter the timing of puberty, and why understanding neurodevelopment is essential to preventing psychiatric disorders. They also delve into the biology of behavior, the role of immune cells in the brain, and how evolving tools in neuroscience are helping uncover hidden patterns that shape health outcomes later in life.

🔬 Topics include:

• What a neuropsychobiology lab really studies
• How early stress accelerates brain and body development
• The surprising link between early adversity and puberty
• Why male and female brains respond differently to early life challenges
• How microglia and inflammation relate to long-term brain health
• The future of neuroscience research—from metabolic studies to computational modeling
• How eastern and western medicine might converge around mind-body health
  
  
  

Whether you're a researcher, student, or curious lifelong learner, this episode sheds light on how early experiences shape us—and what that means for preventing disease and promoting wellness across a lifetime.

🧠 Guest: Dr. Heather Brenhouse
 🔗 Learn more: brenhouselab.sites.northeastern.edu
 📧 Contact: [email protected]

🌐 For more episodes and updates, visit: tofflertrust.org

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

In this fascinating episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphall welcomes Dr. Alysson Muotri,  a professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego., for a deep dive into what makes the human brain unique—and how understanding that uniqueness might unlock new treatments for neurological disorders. From stem cell brain models grown in the lab to sending "mini-brains" into space, Dr. Muotri shares his bold, unconventional path to advancing neuroscience and personalized medicine.

Dr. Muotri discusses his work creating 3D brain organoids to model human neurological development, including conditions like autism and epilepsy. He explains how modern humans evolved slower brain development than our ancestors, and how that developmental window leaves us vulnerable to mutation and disease—but also offers the complexity that makes human cognition and collaboration possible.

The conversation also touches on ethical frontiers, including the potential for lab-grown brains to develop consciousness, the future of neuroscience in space, and how traditional Amazonian medicine may offer clues to protecting the brain.

In This Episode:

• Why collaboration and sociality are key traits of the human brain
• How brain organoids help us study disorders like autism without invasive methods
• Using Neanderthal DNA to uncover what’s uniquely human
• Why space accelerates brain aging—and how that might fast-track drug discovery
• The ethical questions we must face as lab-grown brain tissues become more advanced
• How Dr. Muotri’s personal journey as a father shaped his scientific mission
• The need for alternative funding models to support bold, high-risk science

Quotes to Remember:
🧠 “We’re not just studying the brain. We’re building avatars of it.”
🚀 “Thirty days in space aged our brain organoids by ten years.”
🧬 “Autism may be the price we pay for having evolved a social brain.”
🌱 “Maybe the cure for Alzheimer’s is growing in the Amazon. We just have to look.”

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Dr. Muotri’s lab: [Search “Alysson Muotri UCSD”]
• Explore the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust: https://tofflertrust.org
  
  
  

Connect with Us:
 💬 Have feedback or want to get involved? Reach out via our website or social channels.
 🔔 Don’t miss an episode—subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.

To learn more about the breakthroughs discussed in this episode and to support ongoing research, visit our website at tofflertrust.org.

Technical Podcast Support by Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.