We're doomed we're saved #19

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02/01/24 • 41 min

mRNA Therapeutics - New applications for an old molecule

RNA, one of the oldest and most versatile biomolecules, has recently entered the therapeutic arena. While for many observers the success of mRNA vaccines seemed to come out of the blue, its build on the fundament of research that has large gone ignored. Now mRNA therapeutics are enjoying the limelight of great economic success for companies like BioNTech / Pfizer and Moderna, and the awarding of the 2023 Nobel Prize to two mRNA researchers. But with the fame also comes a huge public backlash of anti-vaxxers who fear the perceived novelty of mRNAs. In the 19th episode of We're doomed, we're saved Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler talk with their guest, mRNA researcher Lucia Lapazio who has known the field before and after the hype.

Content and Editing: Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler

Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast.

Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

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References: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(22)00372-2/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(22)00372-2/fulltext https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/no-covid-mrna-vaccines-wont-damage-your-dna1/ https://www.science.org/content/article/mrna-discovery-paved-way-covid-19-vaccines-wins-nobel-prize-physiology-medicine https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2023/advanced-information):/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41568-023-00586-2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41419-022-05075-2 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0251605 https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-022-00757-5

mRNA Therapeutics - New applications for an old molecule

Content and Editing: Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler

Image: s-ASFul4w-o58- via Unsplash

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We're doomed we're saved #18

Ozempic & co – A new era of weight loss?

In principle the solution to the problem of overweight should be very easy: eat less and exercise more.But anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight – so probably almost anyone – will be able to testify that things are not as simple. So now Ozempic enters the scene, a diabetes drug that looks like a gamechanger in the big business of weight loss. In episode 18 of We're doomed we're saved, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow discuss the history of weight loss pills and the medical and cultural reasons why we (think we) need to be thin.

Content and Editing: Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler

Image: Nathan Dumlao- via Unsplash

References: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/28/business/denmark-ozempic-wegovy.html https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-023-00075-x https://www.nature.com/articles/s41573-021-00337-8 https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-statement-ongoing-review-glp-1-receptor-agonists

Next Episode

We're doomed we're saved #20

Women’s Health - Humanity’s other half

Women make up about half of humanity. Yet, the medical community and the pharmaceutical and biotech industries have long adopted an androcentric view of disease biology and healthcare needs, perceiving women as a specialized or atypical demographic. In episode 20 of We're Doomed, We're Saved, we talk to two biotech experts, Catenion's Dr. Ana Rita Da Costa and Dr. Pascal Joly, to discuss how the biotech industry and healthcare community slowly, but steadily, change and adapt to the needs of half of their customers: women.

Content and Editing: Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler

Image: Danilo Alvesd via Unsplash

References: Sex and gender biases in disease biology and experience