Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta Colabra

How do new drug applications move forward to approval?  Four experts discuss the partnership between the FDA, the drug developer, and the data needed to move a product forward. It is a surprising discussion that reveals the depth of the FDA process.  Joined by Dr. Debra Webster, Dr. Julia Marre, Dr. Michael Matthews and Dr. Jonathan Helfgott. 

We live in amazing times of technological advance, but how are the real benefits of new tech lost to an inflated sense of risk?  Dr. Felicia Wu from Michigan State University shares her expertise in describing the psychological basis of risk and applying it to questions like glyphosate and aspartame. 

This is an update on the American Chestnut Restoration Project, as discussed previously on the podcast. The American Chestnut dominated the forests of Appalachia until an imported fungus destroyed the entire range. Efforts to restore the chestnut and its ecology have employed a biotechnology approach, integrating a gene from wheat that limits the mechanism the fungus uses to attack the tree. Dr. Andy Newhouse and Erik Carlson join the podcast to discuss progress in the project.  

Despite being over half of the population women's health care lags behind other areas of drug development. The problem is caused by many facets, but is augmented by the fact that many of the conditions are not life threatening or are functions of aging. Sabrina Johnson, CEO of Daré Bioscience, discusses how the disparity exists, the pipeline of drugs that seek to mitigate female-specific conditions, and how smaller, leaner businesses can have significant impacts in this space. 

After a three month hiatus the Talking Biotech Podcast is back. Today's episode is a visit with Colarbra CEO Aoi Senju about his view for the podcast, followed by synopsis of three major news stories that broke since the last Talking Biotech Podcast. The new format includes a video component, and I'll be speaking with panels and also discussing recent news stories. It is an exciting opportunity to capture a new audience, expand listenership, and provide new levels of programming to the popular format.  Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the new episodes. Kevin

After 8.5 years of weekly podcasts I'm going to take a 5 week break and plan new episodes for 2024.  I'm going through a medical glitch that has me unable to do my normal work. On top of this we're going to switch to an audio plus video format to find a wider audience. So check back in 2024 for the next episode. Have a great rest of 2023, thank you for listening, and looking forward to better times.