Columbia University BioWorks

Join us for an insightful episode as we sit down with Mark Tomishima, Senior Vice President at BlueRock Therapeutics, to explore the latest advancements in regenerative medicine. Mark shares his experiences leading genome engineering and stem cell research, discusses key challenges in cell therapy development, and offers valuable career advice for aspiring scientists. Don’t miss this deep dive into the cutting-edge work being done at BlueRock Therapeutics to revolutionize the future of medicine! Hosted by Sophia Deng.

In which Kou Qin (PhD), Investment Director at Eisai Innovation, discusses his experiences as a life science researcher, product manager, entrepreneur, and investor. He also shares his insights on how corporate VC fosters collaborations between pharma and biotech startups, as well as his perspectives on emerging trends within the life science sector. Hosted by Emma Chen.

In which Elena Itskovich, PhD, co-founder and president of Nest Catalyst, discusses her experiences helping Israeli science founders translate their research into biotech startups and explains the unique challenges of entrepreneurship in the life sciences. She also shares her takeaways speaking with scientists outside of academia in her podcast: mAcademia. Hosted by Kevin Xu.

Join us for a conversation with Simar Bajaj, a Stanford medical student, Knight-Hennessy Scholar, and award-winning journalist whose work bridges medicine, research, and storytelling. Simar shares how he built an unconventional career across these fields, why science communication plays a critical role in improving healthcare, and what reporting has taught him about the people and systems that shape medicine. We also explore persistent health disparities, the promise and limitations of AI, and how curiosity and persistence have guided his path. Tune in for a thoughtful discussion on finding impact at the intersection of disciplines. Hosted by Ella Yee.

Join us for a deep dive with Ritish Patnaik, CEO of Curve Biosciences, on building “whole-body intelligence” for chronic disease. Ritish shares how Curve’s whole-body atlas, built from hundreds of thousands of curated tissue samples, powers blood tests that map DNA methylation signals back to their organ of origin. We explore how this approach overcomes the signal-to-noise challenge in blood-based diagnostics, enables longitudinal monitoring of diseases like liver cirrhosis and MASH, and rethinks how patients are guided through treatment. Ritish also reflects on the role of AI, data curation, and multidisciplinary thinking in shaping the future of healthcare. Hosted by Ella Yee.