The Genetics Podcast

Sano Genetics
  • 4.8 (49)
  • NATURAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Exploring all things genetics. Dr Patrick Short, University of Cambridge alumnus and CEO of Sano Genetics, analyses the science, interviews the experts, and discusses the latest findings and breakthroughs in genetic research. To find out more about Sano Genetics and its mission to accelerate the future of precision medicine visit: www.sanogenetics.com

  1. EP 220: Turning human brain physiology into RNA medicines with Graham Dempsey of Quiver Bioscience

    2D AGO

    EP 220: Turning human brain physiology into RNA medicines with Graham Dempsey of Quiver Bioscience

    This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Graham Dempsey, CEO and co-founder of Quiver Bioscience. They discuss Graham’s path into neuroscience and biotech, how Quiver is building genetically validated programs in pain and neurodevelopmental disorders, and what recent advances in RNA-based therapies could mean for the future of neurological disease. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Graham 01:29 The motivations and mission driving Quiver Bioscience 04:34 Quiver’s approach to targeting the brain for neurological disease 06:58 Nav1.7 as a lead pain program and the mechanisms of pain signaling 12:11 Patient population and unmet need in chronic pain  13:37 The Dup15q neurodevelopmental program and recent clinical progress 17:29 How the company chooses which diseases to pursue and why genetically validated pain and epilepsy programs lead the pipeline 20:10 Modeling pain in a dish and how cellular electrophysiology reveals disease and drug effects 27:42 Lessons from building a biotech company 29:53 Today’s biotech climate and why Graham is optimistic  31:56 Emerging delivery technologies that could unlock the next wave of oligonucleotide therapies 33:51 How molecular shuttles cross the blood–brain barrier and the advantage of a dual target approach 37:05 Graham’s path from aspiring sports medicine doctor to building light-based platforms in neuroscience 40:15 Graham’s early exposure to biotech leadership and a formative encounter with Roy Vagelos 42:09 Closing remarks Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  Find out more: Quiver Bioscience (https://www.quiverbioscience.com/)

    43 min
  2. EP 219: A global effort to decode frontotemporal dementia with Arabella Bouzigues of GENFI

    12/23/2025

    EP 219: A global effort to decode frontotemporal dementia with Arabella Bouzigues of GENFI

    This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Arabella Bouzigues, Coordinator of the Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative (GENFI) and postdoctoral researcher. They discuss the scale and structure of GENFI as a global collaboration and what longitudinal data is revealing about genetics and biomarkers in frontotemporal dementia. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Arabella  01:30 Background and structure of the Genetic Frontotemporal Initiative (GENFI) consortium 02:48 Scale of the GENFI cohort and the breadth of longitudinal data collected 06:06 Clinical signs and progression of frontotemporal dementia (FTD)  10:08 How genetic variants map onto different clinical forms of frontotemporal dementia 12:11 Biomarkers in genetic FTD and the challenge of separating neurodegeneration from lifelong brain differences 19:36 Mutation-specific cortical microstructure patterns in FTD and what MRI reveals at the earliest stages 23:04 Why combining genetics imaging fluid and digital biomarkers is essential for early detection and trials in FTD 25:39 How the GENFI consortium is run across more than 50 sites worldwide 30:42 How urgency and unmet need drive strong collaboration in the FTD community 33:11 Promising developments in FTD therapeutics 36:39 Closing remarks Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link Find out more:  GENFI (https://www.genfi.org/)

    38 min
  3. EP 218: Cardiovascular genomics and the future of preventing heart failure with Krishna Aragam of the Cleveland Clinic

    12/18/2025

    EP 218: Cardiovascular genomics and the future of preventing heart failure with Krishna Aragam of the Cleveland Clinic

    This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Krishna Aragam, Section Head of Cardiovascular Genomics and Precision Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. They discuss Krishna’s early experiences in population research and how they shaped his approach to genetics, the major discoveries transforming cardiovascular genomics from monogenic to polygenic risk, and how new insights into heart failure and population-specific variants are redefining the future of clinical care. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Krishna  01:40 How a gap year in India deepened Krishna’s interest in health and population genomics 06:16 Key advances that reshaped cardiovascular genomics from rare variants to polygenic risk 09:18 Where cardiovascular genomics stands today across coronary disease, cardiomyopathies, and arrhythmias 14:25 Factors that make heart failure challenging for genomics  17:32 How monogenic variants and polygenic load shape risk in dilated cardiomyopathy 23:03 What genetics reveals about the roots of heart failure and why precise phenotypes matter 26:12 Using genetic risk to guide earlier treatment and prevent progression to heart failure 30:37 Subclinical markers and imaging strategies to track progression toward heart failure 32:04 Key research findings on an ancestry-specific genetic driver of dilated cardiomyopathy 41:21 Genetic signals highlighting the role of inflammation in coronary artery disease 43:11 Building a clinical genomics engine that connects discovery to cardiovascular care 47:14 Closing remarks Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link Find out more:  Genetic variants underlying DCM: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11631752/  Ancestry-specific CD36 study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02372-2

    49 min
  4. EP 217: Building a genomic passport for every family: Insights from tech leader and rare disease parent Lisa Gurry of GeneDx

    12/11/2025

    EP 217: Building a genomic passport for every family: Insights from tech leader and rare disease parent Lisa Gurry of GeneDx

    Summary:  This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Lisa Gurry, Chief Business Officer of GeneDx. They discuss her path from two decades at Microsoft to leading one of the most influential genomics companies, GeneDx’s mission to deliver the fastest rare disease diagnoses, and how large-scale data, newborn screening, and AI are shaping the future of precision medicine. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Lisa and her career path leading to joining GeneDx   03:27 The core components of GeneDx and how they drive early rare disease diagnosis 06:18 Insights from early genomic newborn screening pilots 11:37 The clinical impact and economic benefits of newborn genomic screening 14:27 How GeneDx combines data, AI, and clinical expertise to improve genomic interpretation 17:44 A vision for a lifelong genomic passport and how it could guide care across every stage of life 20:42 How GeneDx Infinity is unlocking new therapeutic possibilities in genetically linked autism 22:48 How advocacy communities guide patient identification and connect families to opportunities 26:00 Lessons from 23 years at Microsoft that Lisa now applies to leading GeneDx 30:39 How Truveta emerged from the COVID crisis to build a shared-data platform for population-scale health insights 32:13 What excites Lisa most about leading GeneDx and where she sees the biggest opportunities ahead 34:59 Closing remarks Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

    34 min
  5. EP 216: Four decades of advancing Duchenne research with Jeffrey Chamberlain of University of Washington

    12/04/2025

    EP 216: Four decades of advancing Duchenne research with Jeffrey Chamberlain of University of Washington

    This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Chamberlain, Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, co-founder of Kinea Bio, and Director of the Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center of Seattle. They discuss the early breakthroughs that revealed the structure and function of the dystrophin gene, how those insights led to the creation of micro-dystrophin and systemic AAV delivery in Duchenne, and the major scientific and clinical challenges the field must now solve. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Jeffrey 01:33 Early discovery of the dystrophin gene and how it shaped Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research 09:07 Efforts to map dystrophin and develop practical diagnostic techniques 12:04 How research in Jeffrey’s lab gradually led to the creation of micro-dystrophin  20:15 How micro-dystrophin and AAV delivery converged into a viable systemic gene therapy strategy 27:23 Current successes and safety challenges in systemic AAV gene therapy for neuromuscular disease 34:44 Prospects and limitations of gene editing for Duchenne and emerging alternatives to AAV micro-dystrophin 44:57 Closing remarks Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

    47 min
  6. EP 215: Vectorized RNAi and the next frontier of gene silencing with Rachel Salzman of Armatus Bio

    11/27/2025

    EP 215: Vectorized RNAi and the next frontier of gene silencing with Rachel Salzman of Armatus Bio

    Summary:  This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Rachel Salzman, CEO of Armatus Bio. They discuss the promise of vectorized RNAi for autosomal dominant diseases, the key scientific and clinical hurdles in gene therapy, and Rachel’s lessons from two decades in the field. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Rachel 01:35 Background of Armatus Bio and the mechanism behind its vectorized RNAi platform 05:31 Advantages of vectorized RNAi over conventional RNAi approaches 08:07 How microRNAs work and how engineered versions enable highly specific gene silencing 10:28 Current preclinical progress at Armatus and next steps toward first-in-human trials 14:06 Lessons on making smart risk decisions in rare disease drug development 17:26 Reflections on two decades of progress, setbacks, and realities in gene therapy 22:07 Hemophilia as a case study in gene therapy missteps and overlooked patient and market realities 25:21 Challenges around product purity and the need for financial innovation 29:23 Why AAV purity is so difficult to achieve and where pre-competitive collaboration could drive improvement 33:32 Rachel’s path from veterinary medicine to gene therapy through a family genetic diagnosis 35:58 Founding the Stop ALD Foundation and advancing lentiviral gene therapy into first-in-human use 39:58 The future potential of vectorized RNAi  42:00 Closing remarks Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

    44 min
  7. EP 214: Innovating large-scale and sustainable genomics with Slavé Petrovski of AstraZeneca

    11/20/2025

    EP 214: Innovating large-scale and sustainable genomics with Slavé Petrovski of AstraZeneca

    Summary:  This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Slavé Petrovski, Vice President of the Center for Genomics Research at AstraZeneca. They discuss how AstraZeneca is scaling population genomics through massive biobank collaborations, developing AI models for early disease prediction, and pioneering sustainable “green” algorithms to reduce the environmental footprint of large-scale genomic research. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Slavé 02:09 Slavé’s career path from business information systems to genomics 04:33 How Slavé decided to move from academia to industry 07:52 Scaling and diversifying biobank partnerships to unlock new genetic insights 12:29 Translating biobank data into predictive and preventive medicine 15:14 Discovering protective genetic variants through global biobank studies 19:13 Leveraging population genetics to identify and validate protective drug targets 23:52 Developing an AI tool (MILTON) for integrating multi-omic and clinical data for early disease prediction 28:12 Redefining clinical trials in a presymptomatic and predictive medicine era 30:49 AstraZeneca’s efforts to make large-scale genomics computing sustainable through green algorithm innovation 39:05 AstraZeneca’s open science strategy and global impact of its shared genomics tools 42:10 Fostering critical thinking and avoiding groupthink in large-scale genomics research 45:30 Looking ahead to the next decade of genomics and precision healthcare 50:01 Closing remarks Find out more MILTON (https://www.astrazeneca.com/r-d/our-technologies/machine-learning-drug-discovery.html) PheWAS Portal (https://azphewas.com/) Upcoming webcast with deep dive into MILTON & PheWAS (https://www.nature.com/articles/d44224-025-00033-7) Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

    51 min
  8. EP 213: Inside the science of hearing loss and gene therapy for deafness with Ellen Reisinger of the University of Tübingen

    11/13/2025

    EP 213: Inside the science of hearing loss and gene therapy for deafness with Ellen Reisinger of the University of Tübingen

    This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Ellen Reisinger, Professor and group leader at the University of Tübingen. They discuss her journey into hearing loss research, why otoferlin has become a leading target for gene therapy, and the emerging science shaping the next generation of treatments. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Ellen 01:52 Ellen’s career path that coincidentally led to her work on otoferlin-related hearing loss 03:22 Mechanism and advantages of the dual adenoassociated virus (AAV) system  05:35 The genetic landscape of early-onset hearing loss and why otoferlin stands out 07:42 Why otoferlin-related deafness is an ideal target for postnatal gene therapy development 09:53 Potential next gene therapy targets beyond otoferlin and associated challenges 13:13 Carrier and newborn screening as approaches to preventing hereditary hearing loss 14:37 How far the field is from prenatal gene therapy and why it remains unlikely in the near term 16:07 Exploring gene-agnostic and protective approaches to prevent or slow hearing loss 18:22 How genetics and environment interact in age-related hearing loss 20:00 Current research focus of Ellen’s group on degenerative hearing loss genes and uncovering cell death mechanisms 22:05 Using mouse models and human organoids to study hearing loss mechanisms 23:42 Emerging gene editing approaches  25:20 Ellen’s research journey from biochemistry to leading gene therapy research in hearing loss  27:54 Unanswered questions about how inner hair cells release neurotransmitters 29:21 Comparing outcomes of gene therapy and cochlear implants for hearing restoration and differences across languages 34:20 Closing remarks Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

    35 min
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4.8
out of 5
49 Ratings

About

Exploring all things genetics. Dr Patrick Short, University of Cambridge alumnus and CEO of Sano Genetics, analyses the science, interviews the experts, and discusses the latest findings and breakthroughs in genetic research. To find out more about Sano Genetics and its mission to accelerate the future of precision medicine visit: www.sanogenetics.com

Information

  • Creator
    Sano Genetics
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    220
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sano Genetics
  • Show Website
    The Genetics Podcast

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