Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

In this episode, Kevin Folta interviews Brigitte Weston, the director of product development at Gates Ag One, about their mission to accelerate crop technology development for smallholder farmers in Africa and South Asia. They discuss the organization's approach to innovation, regulatory challenges, and how they foster public-private partnerships to improve food security.

Oncolytic viruses may offer a new way to tackle solid tumors by targeting cancer cells and activating the immune system. Dr. Eric Poma explains how Calidi Biotherapeutics is engineering a vaccinia-based virus to evade immune clearance, reach tumors, and deliver an immune-stimulating payload. He and Kevin Folta discuss the approach’s potential for cancers such as lung cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, and head and neck cancers.

This episode explores the fascinating history and science behind GLP1 receptor agonists, their development from animal venom to life-changing diabetes and obesity treatments, and the importance of basic research in medical breakthroughs.

In this episode, Dr. Alexia Groff discusses her groundbreaking research on expressing mammalian myoglobin in plants using chloroplast transformation. We explore the implications for food production, biosecurity, and future applications in meat substitutes and nutritional enhancement. Chloroplast inheritance reduces gene flow risk, enhancing biosafety. Heterologous expression in plants can produce functional animal proteins.

This episode explores the cutting-edge advancements in ALS diagnostics and treatment, highlighting how AI and digital health are transforming patient care and research. Guest Indo Navar shares her journey from Silicon Valley entrepreneurship to pioneering innovative solutions for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.