In many cases where babies are born prematurely, they often have underdeveloped lungs. This can cause breathing problems and neonatal lung diseases that require long-term treatment, or even lung transplantation. It’s critical for research to be done to provide treatments that can help these premature babies survive so they can grow up healthy. 

Amy Barber is joined on Science Talks by Dr. Vlad Kalinichenko, an internationally renowned research scientist and director of the Phoenix Children’s Research Institute at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. Kalinichenko was recently awarded a $3M grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop new treatment methods for lung disease in premature infants. 

Understanding the role of cardiac myosin binding protein-c in muscle function can offer insight into cardiovascular disease. Mutations and abnormalities in this protein can lead to defects in the cardiac system, including heart failure in adults.   

Amy Barber and Caroline Bartelme are joined by Dr. Angie Greenman, a 2024 BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Samantha (Sam) Harris’ lab in the Department of Physiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Dr. Greenman studies the molecular mechanisms of cardiac myosin binding protein-c that will hopefully lead to better outcomes for understanding muscle function and cardiac disease. 

Amy Randall-Barber and her co-host, Paulina Garza, welcomed Byrdie Lopez to the latest episode of Science Talks. Lopez is a University of Arizona undergraduate pursuing a double major in biochemistry and molecular cellular biology on track to attend pharmacy school. Her journey at the BIO5 Institute began as a KEYS Research intern in 2022 working with BIO5 member Wei Wang in the R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. Only a few years later, she is a student assistant with KEYS, conducting outreach to local high schools, and diving deeper into investigating how chemistry can help cancer patients.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects nearly half of American adults and is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Researchers are working to better understand the role of the peripheral nervous system, the part of your nervous system that lies outside your brain and spinal cord, in the development of cardiovascular as well as renal diseases. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Christopher Banek, BIO5 member and assistant professor in the Department of Physiology at University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. Dr. Banek works in the nexus of cardio-renal-neural physiology, studying the causes of hypertension and polycystic kidney disease. 

Induced pluri-potent stem cells (iPSC) are widely used in therapeutics for disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery. Using patients’ cells, scientists can regenerate their cells into iPSC and recreate new organs for patients who need them. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Ekta Minocha, a 2023 BIO5 postdoctoral fellow working in the Jason Wertheim lab at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Dr. Minocha's work focuses on the development of bioartificial liver tissues. She hopes that one day they can replace a failing liver in the human body and expedite the waiting time associated with organ transplants.

See how an interdisciplinary scientific approach shaped the future of molecular diagnostics and personalized healthcare on a global scale. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Frederic Zenhausern, director of the Center for Applied NanoBioscience and Medicine (ANBM) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, among many other appointments in the college including in Basic Medical Science, Radiation Oncology, Biomedical Engineering, and Clinical Translational Science. Prior to coming to the university, Dr. Zenhausern co-founded and directed the Flexible Display Center at ASU MacroTechnology Works. He received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Geneva, an MBA in finance from Rutgers University, and his doctorate in applied physics from the Department of Condensed Physics Matters at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Dr. Zenhausern is an inventor, mastering interdisciplinary work in science, technology and healthcare, to drive clinical translation.  

Science ignites curiosity about the natural world, leading people to explore and advocate for it. Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Caroline (Mosley) Bartelme, the senior manager of communications and content at the BIO5 Institute at the University of Arizona. Caroline's journey into science began with a fascination for ecosystems, studying invasive species in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Later, she moved to Washington, DC, where she worked on protecting marine life and the environment. Now at the BIO5 Institute as the senior manager of communications and content, Caroline crafts compelling narratives that highlight the institute's groundbreaking research and innovations. She tirelessly bridges the gap between science and society, utilizing innovative communication channels to highlight the institute's pioneering work.

Cancer is an incredibly complex disease. To better understand how it interacts with the human body, researchers in the lab grow organoids, miniature three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from stem cells.

Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Martha Dua-Awereh who uses organoids to study colorectal and pancreatic cancer with the Alfred Bothwell lab in the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Tucson. Dr. Dua-Awereh earned her PhD from the Department of Systems Biology and Physiology at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and was a 2023 BIO5 Postdoctoral fellow. She is the first in her family to live in Arizona, and additionally has several other firsts that are discussed in the interview.

*As of the publication of this podcast and interview, Dr. Martha Dua-Awereh has taken a position as researcher at Avery Therapeutics, Inc. and Dr. Alfred Bothwell has left the University of Arizona. 

Unfortunately, many aspects of women’s health are underfunded and understudied. Better understanding women’s health conditions and microbiomes can help lead to better health outcomes and improve the quality of life.

Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute was joined on Science Talks by Dr. Nicole Jimenez, currently in the Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz lab, at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Phoenix with a focus on women’s health research. She received her doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and was awarded two postdoctoral fellowships in 2023, one from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona and the other from the BIO5 Institute. 

Adding fertilizers to our soil is not as simple as it seems. Plants use some of it, but unseen microbes metabolize fertilizers into gas, including nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to our changing climate. How can we not only understand how current agriculture affects our ecosystems, but also use that knowledge to advance new agricultural technology? 

Amy Randall-Barber from the BIO5 Institute interviewed Dr. Holly Andrews, a postdoctoral researcher working with both the Greg Barron-Gafford research group and Laura Meredith ecosystem genomics lab at the University of Arizona who is looking to answer both those questions. She received her PhD from the University of California, Riverside. In 2021, she was awarded a National Science Foundation fellowship at the UArizona School of Natural Resources and Environment to work with the Meredith lab and in 2023 was awarded a BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship. She started a joint postdoc position across the Barron-Gafford and Meredith labs in August 2023.