The EverymanBio Podcast

Description:

This week's podcast features Adhirath Sikand, biochemist, entrepreneur, and PhD candidate at the University of Southern California Los Angeles.

I have deep appreciation for Adhi's experience, in particular because as a scientist, he's worked and studied in three different countries (New Delhi India, Canada and now the USA). His unique viewpoint provides an opportunity to assess the cultural differences between countries and identify opportunities we can integrate into the USA to maintain our leadership position in many areas of science.

In addition to having a deep technical background in biochemistry, working on synthetic surfaces in cancer cells, Adhi is also an entrepreneur and leader, serving as BCLA President in 2020. Adhi shares my passion for democratizing access to biotechnology and lowering the barriers to entry for recent graduates and industry outsiders to found new startups.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction

3:09 Adhi's Intro & Background

6:31 Science Culture in India

07:41 India as a Biomanufacturing Powerhouse

8:45 Fellowship in Canada

9:19 US Leadership in R&D

11:34 Distrust of Vaccines

12:05 Cultural Influences on Biotech

14:19 Innovation

17:24 Computer Science

20:53 Democratizing Biotech

24:58 Bridging diyBio w/ Professional Biotech

31:02 Low-cost diyBio Tools

37:43 Biotech Coworking

41:00 Community Biolabs

42:30 Real Estate in Biotech

43:20 Biolabs at Lundquist Institute

43:47 BCLA (Biotech Connection Los Angeles)

49:54 Networking in the era of Zoom

53:08 Adhi's Research w/ Bacterial Mutations

56:01 Mechanisms for DNA Mutation

59:51 Polymerases and DNA Repair

1:03:12 Small-molecule Drug Design

1:08:50 Helping Researchers Start Businesses

EPISODE LINKS

Adhi's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adhi-sikand/

PODCAST INFO

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-everymanbio-podcast/id1535532894

Full episode playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVGsENI706aYiU7sEj9KymVJMeFhZvdP

CONNECT

- Subscribe to this YouTube channel

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamcg...

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everymanbio/

- Website: https://everymanbio.com/

- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everymanbio

Ryan Cochrane is a PhD student at University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario Canada studying synthetic biology with a special emphasis on developing whole mitochondrial genome engineering in algae.

Ryan is passionate about biotech and applications of the technology towards solving real-world problems like the development of sustainable food sources.

Join us as we take a deep-dive into algae, approaches for genetic engineering fungi, diybio and much more!

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction

2:24 Ryan's Background

3:31 The PhD Process

5:03 Choosing Synthetic Biology

6:22 What is Genetic Engineering?

7:14 Applications of Synthetic Biology

11:07 The Biotech Community

15:03 diyBio

16:29 Psychedelics

18:08 Bringing Drugs to Market in Canada

18:53 Intro to Algae

21:58 Engineering Fungi

26:39 Domesticating Fungi

31:32 Challenges doing DIY Science

37:28 Unique Features of Algae

40:36 Current Algae Research

44:42 Algae as a Food Source

47:25 Silica-digesting Algae

48:16 Theoretical vs practical Biotech

52:29 Ryan's Research

53:15 Mitchondrial Genome Editing

1:05:02 Mars Perseverance & Alternate Life Forms

EPISODE LINKS

Ryan Cochrane's Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/synbioscience/

PODCAST INFO

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-everymanbio-podcast/id1535532894

Full episode playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIVGsENI706aYiU7sEj9KymVJMeFhZvdP

CONNECT

- Subscribe to this YouTube channel

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamcg...

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everymanbio/

- Website: https://everymanbio.com/

- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everymanbio

Avery Hughes is a mushroom farmer, founder of High Country Fungi, entrepreneur, permaculture designer and an enthusiastic supporter of using psychedelics for healing. On this episode of the podcast, Avery and I take a deep dive into his personal story of loss, addiction and recovery.

There's no question that psychedelics have had a profound impact on the lives of many, especially those who find themselves wrestling with the challenges of life. Join me as Avery bravely shares his personal triumphant story of overcoming the loss of his mother and drug addiction with the aid of natural entheogens, such as mushrooms and DMT.

High Country Fungi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highcountryfungi/

Kira Dineen is a Prenatal Genetic Counselor, science communicator and the host of the Award-Winning Podcast DNA Today covering the fascinating field of genetics.

Kira and I had a great chat about how she started podcasting, tips and tricks for building an award-winning podcast as well as her podcasting journey led her down the path to becoming a prenatal genetic counselor.

We discussed different types of genetic testing, cytogenetics, counting chromosomes, age-related pregnancy risks, how it genetic testing works and treatment options for genetic conditions.

David Lang is a writer, community builder, diybio evangelist, cofounder of OpenROV and advisor on experiment.com. In this episode, we dive into David's unique start in ocean technology via treasure hunt, how he manages life transitions, issue with science and academia and how he's working to make science more accessible to all.

Murphy Murri is a cannabis production educator and extraction expert. She puts her many years working in the cannabis industry to use by travelling the world to consult with cannabis grow operators who are seeking to add or augment their existing business with cannabis extraction operations.

Cannabis is one of the most cultivated and sought-after species of plant in human history and extraction often offers a win-win for growers as it's provides a new line of revenue from the products that can be sold from the extracts. It also offers a way to make use of and capitalize on a form of the cannabis grow that is typically undesirable.

Like many in the biotech field, Murphy considers herself to be self-taught. When she initially started, she didn't have a lot of access to information or resources to learn about extraction. Instead, she relied on her years of observation and networking with the few industry-insiders knowledgeable on the matter. Of course, she's put in a lot of hard work and independent study to get where she is today.

I would say it's safe to say that Murphy is now one of the leading experts in her field making her a highly-valued consultant in the industry and sought-after workshop host for those looking to learn TLC (thin-layer chromatography) and other science-based extraction methodologies.

James (Jim) DeKloe is a Professor of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology at Solano Community College in Vacaville, California. Jim has played a pivotal role in developing public / private partnerships between the city, the local biotech industry and the college. His efforts have helped establish the first Biotech bachelor program at Solano Community College. Jim is dedicating to helping teach relevant and in-demand biomanufacturing skills to students in partnership with Genentech in the area.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction

3:00 Jim's Intro

3:51 Public / Private Partnership with Genentech

8:05 Vacaville as a Biotech Hub

12:25 The Opportunity for Young People

15:02 Expanding Biotech Across the US

15:50 Biomanufacturing

17:10 Helping Students Navigate Automation

20:50 Compliance in Biotech

22:45 Incorporating Software in the Curriculum

23:36 Salaries & Pay in Biotech

25:35 Bioethics & Policy

30:34 Defining Ethical Boundaries in Genetic Engineering

34:35 Darwin View of Human Genome Editing

37:31 Stem Cell

38:33 Optimism in the Publics Understanding

43:54 Role of the diyBio and BioHacking Communtiy

50:14 Limits and Opportunities for DIYers

58:45 Recommendations for a DIY GMO Project

1:01:56 How Biotech Saved Jim's Son

Shiri M. Godasi is a pioneering psychedelic integration teacher, consultant, visionary entrepreneur, coach, writer, depth psychology & spiritual scholar, and mother. She is passionate about creating grassroots, bottom-up supportive systems that enable people to Self-heal and live an authentic and empowered life.

As a trailblazer in the sphere of psychedelic education & activism Shiri is the founder and president of board of the community nonprofit organization PsychedeLiA: Psychedelic Integration, Los Angeles and the co-founder of InnerSpace Integration, a specialized professional network for integration providers. She is also the founder and CEO (Chief Ecstasy Officer) of Psychedelic School, a virtual educational platform specializing in psychedelic support training. She maintains a private coaching practice in Chino Hills, CA and has assisted people who are afflicted by a range of mental health conditions, life situations and spiritual emergence.

Her approach draws from transpersonal humanities studies, Eastern philosophy and shamanic healing modalities to fuse ancient wisdom with modern & practical practices.

This week's guest is the CEO and Cofounder of Novel Farms, Nieves Martinez Marshall, PhD. Novel Farms is developing cell culture scaffolding technology to support the growing cultured meat and alternative protein industry.

Nieves has a long history of scientific learning and application, starting with her early education and training in Spain to now acting CEO of an exciting new startup.

In this conversation, we took a deep dive into all things biotech startups. We discussed finding the right cofounders, funding strategies, pitching, dealing with investor rejection, how to spend your early capital and much more.

My guest this week is Jake Keller of Cell Valley Labs in Berkeley, CA. Jake runs a food tech lab and has extensive experience in biotech, foodtech and mushroom cultivation.

Jake has a passion for biotech and sub-field called food-tech that uses biology to explore and create alternative forms of sustainable foods using biological organisms. He's a big supporter of the diyBio community, in particular, extracurricular projects such as mushroom growing, homebrew and vermicomposting.

We also got a chance to talk about our personal experiences in using psychadelics both recreationally and as a tool for healing and improving mental health. We shared our experiences, including takeaways and lessons for maximizing the potential for improving our well-being. I'm incredibly thankful that Jake was so open about his personal experiences.