StemCells@Lunch Digested

Today Ron Weiss, Professor in the Department of Biological Engineering and in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Director of the Synthetic Biology Center at MIT, is interviewed by PhD student Matt Chung. Ron is a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology, using computer engineering principles to program cells to be controlled by analog and digital logic circuitry. He discusses how synthetic biology can be translated into clinical benefit for a wide range of diseases, including cancer. He talks about the challenges of building reliable networks that are robust to environmental change, a key challenge in the clinical translation of synthetic biology approaches.

To find out more about Ron’s work please visit the following website: https://weiss-lab.mit.edu/

Today Ron Weiss, Professor in the Department of Biological Engineering and in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Director of the Synthetic Biology Center at MIT, is interviewed by PhD student Matt Chung. Ron is a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology, using computer engineering principles to program cells to be controlled by analog and digital logic circuitry. He discusses how synthetic biology can be translated into clinical benefit for a wide range of diseases, including cancer. He talks about the challenges of building reliable networks that are robust to environmental change, a key challenge in the clinical translation of synthetic biology approaches.

To find out more about Ron’s work please visit the following website: https://weiss-lab.mit.edu/

Today, Professor Manuel Serrano from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona is interviewed by PhD student Emily Read. Manuel has produced seminal work in the fields of tumour suppression, senescence, ageing and reprogramming. In this episode he talks about the link between senescence and regeneration, and how this can become disrupted in disease and ageing. He discusses how targeting senescent cells can prolong lifespan and reflects on the impactions of this on wider society.

To find out more about Manuel’s work please visit the following website: https://www.irbbarcelona.org/en/profile/manuel-serrano

Today, Professor Manuel Serrano from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona is interviewed by PhD student Emily Read. Manuel has produced seminal work in the fields of tumour suppression, senescence, ageing and reprogramming. In this episode he talks about the link between senescence and regeneration, and how this can become disrupted in disease and ageing. He discusses how targeting senescent cells can prolong lifespan and reflects on the impactions of this on wider society.

To find out more about Manuel’s work please visit the following website: https://www.irbbarcelona.org/en/profile/manuel-serrano

Today, Professor Matthias Lütolf, Head of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering at The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne is interviewed by PhD student Emily Read. Matthais talks about how scientists can begin to build human diseases in a dish using organoid technologies. He discusses the importance of understanding how physical factors can influence stem cell behaviour and how this can be studied with engineering approaches.

To find out more about Matthias’ work please visit the following website: https://people.epfl.ch/matthias.lutolf/bio?lang=en

Today, Professor Matthias Lütolf, Head of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering at The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne is interviewed by PhD student Emily Read. Matthais talks about how scientists can begin to build human diseases in a dish using organoid technologies. He discusses the importance of understanding how physical factors can influence stem cell behaviour and how this can be studied with engineering approaches.

To find out more about Matthias’ work please visit the following website: https://people.epfl.ch/matthias.lutolf/bio?lang=en

Today, Professor Kevin Eggan from the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, is interviewed by PhD student Peter Harley. Kevin talks about the difficulties of studying neurodegenerative disorders and applying stem cell technologies to study motor neuron disease/ALS. He discusses why highlighting and understanding contradictory findings is an essential part of scientific research and the reliability of using mouse models to study ALS.

To find out more about Kevin’s work please visit the following website: https://hsci.harvard.edu/people/kevin-c-eggan-phd

Today, Professor Kevin Eggan from the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, is interviewed by PhD student Peter Harley. Kevin talks about the difficulties of studying neurodegenerative disorders and applying stem cell technologies to study motor neuron disease/ALS. He discusses why highlighting and understanding contradictory findings is an essential part of scientific research and the reliability of using mouse models to study ALS.

To find out more about Kevin’s work please visit the following website: https://hsci.harvard.edu/people/kevin-c-eggan-phd

Prof Salvador Aznar Benitah, ICREA Research Professor at Institut de Recerca Biomèdica, is interviewed by PhD student Victoria Tsang. Salvador talks about his research understanding the molecular pathways that dictate stem cell behaviour, including his recent work on the role of dietary fats, and how this goes wrong in cancer. He talks about recent advances in the field of oncology and the challenges they pose to clinical translation.

For more information on Salvador's research follow this link:

https://www.icrea.cat/Web/ScientificStaff/salvador-aznar-benitah-408

Prof Salvador Aznar Benitah, ICREA Research Professor at Institut de Recerca Biomèdica, is interviewed by PhD student Victoria Tsang. Salvador talks about his research understanding the molecular pathways that dictate stem cell behaviour, including his recent work on the role of dietary fats, and how this goes wrong in cancer. He talks about recent advances in the field of oncology and the challenges they pose to clinical translation.

For more information on Salvador's research follow this link:

https://www.icrea.cat/Web/ScientificStaff/salvador-aznar-benitah-408