Biomedical Frontiers: Stories with Innovators in Healthcare

In this episode of Biomedical Frontiers, we learn about how biomaterials are engineered for tissue scaffolding in unique environments within our bodies and how these entrepreneurial professors are solving challenges inside and outside the research lab. Dr. Griffin and Dr. Daniero are exploring applications of biomaterial scaffolds for applications in cleft palate and intubation injuries, providing scaffolds for the patient’s own tissue to regrow naturally and permanently. 

In the latest installment of Biomedical Frontiers: Stories with Innovators in Healthcare, Dr. Blemker takes us on a journey through the evolution of Biomedical Engineering as a discipline. She shares her approach to leveraging AI to accelerate the pace of developing Springboks Analytics technologies for more applications. Dr. Blemker also introduces us to one of her groundbreaking projects, funded by the NIH, aimed at developing precise, sex-specific musculature models. This project promises to equip future researchers with robust tools for studying women's muscle systems with unparalleled accuracy, ensuring that gender disparities in medical research are addressed head-on.

An in-depth discussion with Dr. Natasha Sheybani, who is pioneering the use of Focused Ultrasound (FUS) in precision cancer treatment at the University of Virginia. Dr. Sheybani's research focuses on enhancing immunotherapy for brain and breast cancers through innovative, non-invasive techniques. Her efforts to improve glioblastoma patient outcomes by overcoming major treatment barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier, have earned her recognition by the Forbes 30 under 30 in Science Award and many others. This episode delves into the promising future of cancer care, highlighting the collaborative efforts and clinical trials underway at UVA that are bringing us closer to more effective, personalized cancer treatments.

In this episode, we delve into the future of medicine with Dr. Nathan Price, Chief Science Officer at Thorne HealthTech and co-author of "The Age of Scientific Wellness." Dr. Price shares his visionary insights on transforming medicine through systems biology approaches, modeling and analytics, and practices centered on prevention. He shares how his research uses digital twins in predicting and preventing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and how other AI developments are impacting access to diagnosis and treatments. 

Dr. Nathan Price highlights the transformative power of combining phenotyping and genotyping in research, allowing for a deeper understanding of disease progression and potential interventions long before symptoms appear. “You can look for what's different in individuals 20 years before the disease would be expected to emerge. What you find is that differences manifest in the blood in these dense data clouds. This longitudinal data is different as a function of differential risk for that disease.”