Science is Fun!

My guest this week is Dr. Joe DeRisi, a pioneer in functional genomics and leader of a collaborative effort to accelerate SARS-CoV-2 testing and discovery. Joe is the co-President of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and has had a remarkable series of technological breakthroughs throughout his career, including the invention of DNA microarrays. He talks about applying these approaches to diagnose mysterious diseases in humans and pets as well as his current focus on COVID-19.

My guest this week is Dr. Kristin Bibbins-Domingo. Her pioneering studies have used computational simulations to predict the public health implications of changes to diet, including a focus on salt and sugar intake. We discuss how she got into nutrition and some of the controversies around what we should and should not eat. We also discuss her current efforts to address inequalities in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery.

My guest this week is Dr. Adam Arkin, our first interview outside of UCSF! Adam works across the Bay at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and is a leader in the emerging fields of systems and synthetic biology. He has published more than 300 papers on a wide range of subjects and tells us about some of the large-scale initiatives he is currently leading and his fascination with viruses and bacteria.

My guest this week is immunologist Dr. Alex Marson. Alex talks about his recent work on SARS-CoV-2, his efforts to translate CRISPR technology to treat patients, and his long-standing collaboration with the Dr. Jennifer Doudna, recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. We also discuss how he's managed to accumulate so many titles at such an early stage in his career: Scientific Director for Biomedicine at the Innovative Genomics Institute and Founding Director of the Gladstone Institute for Genomic Immunology.

My guest this week is Dr. Hobart Harris, who was the Chief of General Surgery at UCSF for 18 years. Hobart talks about the challenges and innovations happening in the surgery field and his research on developing strategies to accelerate the healing process following a surgery. We also talk in-depth about the Black Lives Matter movement and challenges around race and equality in science and medicine.

My guest this week is Max Krummel, whose career has been truly remarkable. As a graduate student, he generated antibodies to CTLA-4, which not only helped to identify an inhibitory pathway of T cell regulation but can also be used to block that pathway. This work, which led the way to cancer immunotherapy, was featured in the recent documentary "Jim Allison: Breakthrough." To Max, these breakthroughs emphasized to him the importance of technology in driving innovation, a theme that runs through his use of fluorescent imaging, live-imaging, and immune-profiling as well as his leadership of the ImmunoX Initiative. Max talks about the need to question the scientific establishment, which he refers to as the "Masters of the Universe," and to embrace change.