Behind Our Science

Behind Our Science

Behind Our Science Podcast aims to close the gap in understanding the complex mechanisms driving disease formation and engage the general public and research advocates. We will engage the public by explaining the latest exciting biomedical innovations in simple terms free from jargon and emphasize the importance of supporting continued research in the biomedical sciences. We will explain the importance of how understanding fundamental mechanisms driving diseases provides a solid foundation for breakthroughs in scientific research.https://asippathways.com/behind-our-science/

  1. 1 MAR

    Episode 35-How Tumors Manipulate Blood Vessels, Dr. Dennis Jones

    Welcome to Episode 35 of Behind Our Science! In celebration of Black History Month, we are incredibly honored to sit down with Dr. Dennis Jones, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Dr. Jones is a distinguished leader in cancer research, whose lab focuses on how tumors manipulate blood vessels to escape the immune system. We discuss his groundbreaking strategies to help immune cells infiltrate and fight metastatic breast cancer, and celebrate his recent honor as the recipient of the 2026 ASIP Cotran Early Career Investigator Award! 🌴 Speaking of ASIP 2026: We are headed to sunny Fort Myers, FL, for #Pathobiology2026! The meeting will be held at the beautiful Luminary Hotel & Co., Autograph Collection, located right on the Caloosahatchee River in the vibrant River District. Learn more and join us: https://pathobiology2026.asip.org/ 🧠 Coming Up Next: "The Biological Cost of Trauma" (3-Part Mini-Series) Trauma isn’t just a memory; it’s a biological event. Launching this March, our new mini-series investigates how trauma rewrites our biology—from our cells to our city streets. • Part 1: The Human Cost • Part 2: The Biological Cost • Part 3: The Community Cure 🔥 Join Us LIVE: Heat, Heroes & Healing Event! We are taking Behind Our Science on the road for a live recording of our trauma mini-series! Come for the heat, stay for the healing. When: Saturday, March 14th | 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM Where: Dave’s Hot Chicken | 7729 Paseo del Norte, El Paso, TX 79912 Hosts: MitoGenix Therapeutics LLC & CFC Foundation Featuring: NAMI-El Paso Director Isidro Torres, and CFC Foundation CEO Marco Vallejos Jr. Activities: $20 Reaper Challenges every 30 mins (win CFC 6 floor tickets!), free CFC 6 GA tickets for the first 10 people who spend $25+, and a massive $5K stretch-goal raffle for a VIP table! (Disclosure: 20% of proceeds from sales on Saturday, March 14th from 4-8 PM from Dave’s Hot Chicken Westside location will be donated directly and uniquely to the CFC Foundation for upcoming clinical studies for TBI in the region.)

    43 min
  2. 31/07/2025

    Episode 29- Organ-on-a-Chip: an afternoon with Dr. Lans Taylor

    Welcome to Behind Our Science! In Episode 29, we sit down with Dr. D. Lansing 'Lans' Taylor from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Taylor is a renowned scientist, entrepreneur, and innovator whose pioneering work bridges academic discovery and biotech entrepreneurship. We hope you enjoy as Dr. Taylor shares his journey through decades of groundbreaking research and leadership across various sectors of biomedical science. With the recent NIH focus on in vitro and organoid systems, we explore Dr. Taylor's work on biomimetic microphysiology systems (MPS), sophisticated “organs-on-chips” that function as personalized human organs to study drug development and effectiveness. By using MPS, Dr. Taylor aims to revolutionize drug discovery, precision medicine, and disease modeling by providing more accurate, human-relevant data compared to traditional cell culture or animal models. Dr. Taylor also discusses his transitions between academia and industry, including founding multiple biotech companies and returning to academia to build interdisciplinary teams that focus on drug development using MPS and tackling complex diseases like cancer. He offers insights into the benefits of entrepreneurial thinking in academia, the hurdles of translating innovation, and the future of predictive, human-relevant preclinical models. Whether you're interested in cutting-edge bioengineering, translational science, or navigating a career that spans the laboratory and the boardroom, this conversation delivers insight and practical wisdom from a leader who has experienced it all. Stay curious!

    42 min
  3. 31/07/2025

    Episode 28- NIH Policy Changes and Its Potential Impact on Research

    Thank you for listening to our 28th episode, focusing on the recent federal budget cuts and what that means for biomedical research. In this episode, the Behind Our Science team has two very important interviews with Dr. William Coleman and Ms. Dani Burns on how cuts to the NIH and indirect funds affect biomedical research as a whole and in academic settings.  Dr. Coleman is the Executive Officer of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, a proud sponsor of our podcast, and a member of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Dr. Coleman is a former academic researcher with over 140 peer-reviewed publications and 11 books published on his research covering liver stem cells and liver and breast cancer. During our interview, Dr. Coleman describes what the current budget cuts at the NIH mean to the state of biomedical research in academia and professional societies and how the attack on DEI policies impacts the next generation of scientists. Ms. Dani Burns is a clinical department administrator with over 10 years of experience in research administration and an MBA with a focus on healthcare administration. Ms. Burns is responsible for oversight of all research expenditures and indirect allocations in her current role. In this episode, Ms. Burns covers the importance of indirect funds in supporting universities and research success and debunks common misconceptions on what indirect funds really are.  We end our episode with a short highlight from cohost Dr Vik Meadows and her experience at the 2025 Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC. As a representative for the Histochemical Society at this advocacy event organized by FASEB, Vik met with the offices of Pennsylvania senators and congressmen to advocate for increase of federal funds and stand up for science! Want to find out more about how federal funds impact your state and district? Visit https://www.faseb.org/science-policy-and-advocacy/federal-funding-data to find out more. Don’t forget to also check out the SCIMap: View Impact of Federal Health Research cuts  https://scienceimpacts.org/ shared by @joshuasweitz.bsky.social . Interested in advocating for the increase of federal research funds for biomedical research? Check out the resources organized by FASEB at https://www.faseb.org/science-policy-and-advocacy/become-an-advocate.  We want to hear from you! Have you been impacted by the federal research fund cuts? Has your institution reacted to the indirect funds cut? Let us know in the comments or on social media. We stand with you and stand up for science! Stay curious! #SciencePolicy #FASEB #ASIP #HSC #DEI #CapitolHillDay #FASEBOnTheHill

    1h 5m

About

Behind Our Science Podcast aims to close the gap in understanding the complex mechanisms driving disease formation and engage the general public and research advocates. We will engage the public by explaining the latest exciting biomedical innovations in simple terms free from jargon and emphasize the importance of supporting continued research in the biomedical sciences. We will explain the importance of how understanding fundamental mechanisms driving diseases provides a solid foundation for breakthroughs in scientific research.https://asippathways.com/behind-our-science/