Behind the Breakthroughs

Three biotech trailblazers—Patrick Hsu (co-founder of the Arc Institute), Serge Saxonov (co-founder and CEO of 10x Genomics), and Gilad Almogy (co-founder and CEO of Ultima Genomics)—join forces to discuss their groundbreaking collaboration on the virtual cell. This ambitious project leverages advanced AI and cutting-edge genomic technologies to model and predict cellular behavior, a leap forward in understanding complex biological...

For years, Tempus operated in mystery—its website sparse on details while headlines announced massive funding and high-profile partnerships. The claim? AI-enabled solutions for personalized healthcare. Intrigued, I sought answers.

In this episode, Kate Sasser, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Tempus, shared insights into how the company uses AI to analyze unstructured clinical data to develop patient-derived organoid models for ...

Kian Sadeghi is on a mission to reshape the landscape of personalized genomics, Through his company, Nucleus Genomics, Sadeghi offers a direct-to-consumer whole genome sequencing test (in partnership with Illumina) that’s easy to use, priced just over $400, and designed to empower individuals to take charge of their genomic data.

At 25 years old and a UPenn college dropout, could Kian become the Bill Gates of this genomics?

I...

Imagine a future where your ancestry not only tells a story about your past but also holds the key to your health. That's the vision drives Carlos D. Bustamante, PhD, population geneticist and founder of Galatea Bio, as he embarks on an ambitious mission: building a biobank of 10 million genomes to transform drug development and healthcare across Latin America. With thousands of founder populations scattered across the region—from ...

Josh Denny, MD, is a trailblazer in precision medicine whose journey was deeply influenced by his family’s struggles with cystic fibrosis, a disease that claimed the lives of four of his grandparents’ children. This personal connection fueled his pursuit of a career blending medicine, genetics, and technology, leading to groundbreaking work in medical informatics and personalized healthcare.

In this episode of Behind the Breakth...

The sage-like Uli Stilz, PhD, Vice President of Novo Nordisk, provides insight into the inner workings of Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub, which he founded in Boston, to tackle complex, multifactorial diseases that impact billions of people, such as diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill...

Progress in cancer diagnostics has been slow. While there has been progress in cancer screening, including new tests like Cologuard for colorectal cancer, improved mammography, and HPV testing for cervical cancer, the only new cancer added to screening since the start of my career is lung cancer. Despite these advancements, only one in six cancers in the U.S. is detected through screening, underscoring the need for significant impr...

At the end of her clinical training as a hemo-oncologist specializing in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, Katy Rezvani, MD, PhD, realized that she had this love of immunology and looking after patients who undergo stem cell transplantation, especially allogeneic stem cell transplantation—taking a graft from one healthy donor and giving it to another person. She knew that much of that curative effect is driven by the immun...

"Are we close to curing diseases like ALS and Alzheimer's?" In recent years, several academic and industry endeavors have given reason to be hopeful. Toby Ferguson, MD, PhD, is the Chief Medical Officer at Voyager Therapeutics, which develops genetic medicines and delivery tools to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this episode, Ferguson explains the current state of therapeutics for neurological and neurodegenerative disease...

For the first episode of 2025, I spoke with Tomi Pastinen, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine at Children's Mercy Kansas City (CMKC), one of the best pediatric hospitals in the United States. Dr. Pastinen has pioneered genomics for mass diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients at large medical centers, a fundamental capability necessary for precision medicine. With Dr. Pastinen at the helm, CMKC bec...

One of the most remarkable patient stories of the 21st century has been that of Emily Whitehead—the first pediatric patient to receive chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy. Emily's parents have been along her side every step of the way, which is not something everyone can say. However, in the process, her father, Tom Whitehead, became incredibly moved by the experience with Emily and everything he saw. He decided to dev...

Harry Clifford, PhD, Digital Biology Lead at NVIDIA, discusses how the computer manufacturing and AI computing leader is building a technology platform to address data bottlenecks in drug development and healthcare to advance precision medicine.

Stay up to date with the latest episodes of Behind the Breakthroughs by subscribing to the IPM eNewsletter here.

Produced by Bill Levine

Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein

Music provi...

Michael Severino, MD, discusses the approaches for developing "genome writers" at Tessera Therapeutics, where he joined as CEO in 2022, and the advantages of performing in vivo genome editing over ex vivo approaches. Severino explains where the company is in utilizing its genome writing platform to perform edits in vivo on its journey toward the clinic.

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This special edition episode for the upcoming Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) annual meeting in Vancouver, Jane Gibson, PhD, opens up the dialogue about how the evolving field of molecular pathology is taking on major challenges, including how the FDA’s ruling on laboratory developed tests (LDTs) is affecting clinical labs. Dr. Gibson is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Central Florida, Editor-in-chief of Gen...

Helen Sabzevari, PhD, President and CEO of Precigen, discusses the barriers to implementing cell and gene therapies that impede the accessibility and implementation of these precision medicines. Dr. Sabzevari also explains how key cell and gene therapy platforms and tools can provide safety measures, such as guardrails to cellular toxicity, and address cost by offering “off-the-shelf” efficient gene delivery vectors that can be use...

Luca Quagliata, PhD, global head of medical affairs for clinical NGS and oncology at Thermo Fisher Scientific, shares how his career has been intertwined with precision medicine, beginning with his time as a student in Italy during the early 2000s. Quagliata examines the significance of genomic profiling within the cancer care continuum, outlining the essential steps and touchpoints necessary to ensure the accessibility of personal...

In the premiere episode of Behind the Breakthroughs, Geoff Oxnard, MD, VP of Clinical Development at Lilly and a Thoracic Oncologist at Boston Medical Center, shares his journey in precision medicine, beginning with his introduction to genetic testing as a Medical Oncology Fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and as an academic researcher.

Dr. Oxnard discusses how differences in impact and reach influenced his deci...