There is surging interest (and competition) in the proteomics industry, reminiscent of the state of NGS and genomics a decade ago. While mass spectrometry (MS) technologies remain the tried-and-true method for analyzing the proteome, established MS companies have been joined by a powerful set of emerging technologies offering the ability to survey more proteins, with higher sensitivity, specificity and greater ease. Indeed, some companies aim to detect disease using protein measurements. This is providing researchers who need to assess the proteome choices that they simply did not have before.

On this episode of GEN Live, we will talk about proteomics—as a tool and as a field. Where is it now and what type of research is proteomics enabling? We will also discuss the latest technologies and instruments in this space. What will it take for these new companies to compete?

A live Q&A session will follow the discussion, offering a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.

Gene therapy has undergone a renaissance in recent years, with several drugs offering beneficial, even life-saving treatments, now approved by the FDA. One example was reported earlier this year, with the progress made by two separate research teams working on gene therapy programs targeting hearing loss. And the FDA has stated that they expect an increase in the number of authorizations of gene therapy treatments over the next few years. But getting gene therapies into patients is a challenging road.

On this episode of GEN Live, we will discuss the state of gene therapy today, the promises and pitfalls of delivery vectors, the challenge posed by the immune response, and the safety issues that need to be addressed going forward. Dr. Federico Mingozzi, who has been working in the gene therapy field for over two decades, joins Dr. Allison May Keeler-Klunk, assistant professor at UMass Chan Medical School, to share their perspectives on the field’s current progress and future challenges.

A live Q&A session followed the presentation, offering a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.

Panelists:

Catharine Aquino
Group Leader of Genomics Analytics 
Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH Zurich 

Charlie Johnson, PhD
Director of Genomics and Bioinformatics Services 
Texas A&M AgriLife Research 

Luciano Martelotto, PhD
Head of Development Laboratory 
Single Cell & Spatial-omics Lab in the Adelaide Centre of Epigenetics 

Jasmine Plummer, PhD 
Founding Director, 
Center for Spatial Omics 
St. Jude Children’s Hospital 

Broadcast Date: February 14, 2024
Time: 9:00 am PT, 12:00 pm ET, 18:00 CET

For the genomics community, AGBT (Advances in Genome Biology and Technology) is an incredibly important conference, stacked with cool science, new technologies, and major product news. AGBT 2024 takes place in Orlando, Florida, in early February. Whether you were there or not, a full debrief on the news from AGBT is critical to understanding where the world of NGS, spatial and genomics more broadly is heading.

On this episode of GEN Live, a quartet of experts from the spatial and NGS fields, join the show to review and dissect this year’s announcements. We’ll cover the latest research and novel technologies and parse the promises made by various companies—some old, some new. And we’ll explain what it means for the spatial and NGS communities—two fields where the next 12 months could dramatically change the landscape and make or break some current players.

A live Q&A session will follow the presentations, offering you a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.

Originally Aired: January 17, 2024
Time: 9:00 am PT, 12:00 pm ET, 18:00 CET

For the biotech community, the new year doesn’t start until the J. P. Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Conference kicks off. This year, the 42nd annual meeting took place as usual in San Francisco (Jan 8–11). Attracting CEOs and VCs, scientists and investors, companies converge on the Bay area to wheel and deal and lay out their plans and pipelines.

On this special edition of GEN Live, two of GEN’s senior editors who covered JPM—Alex Philippidis and Jonathan Grinstein—join the show, revived and restored, to discuss the many highlights from the meeting.

Panelists:

Jenny Hamilton, PhD
Postdoc, Doudna Lab
UC Berkeley

Mark Kay, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics
Stanford Medicine

Michael Mitchell, PhD
Associate Professor of Bioengineering
UPenn

Panelists:

Nicholas Banovich, PhD
Associate Professor, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
Director, Center for Single Cell and Spatial Multiomics

Rong Fan, PhD
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Yale University

Jasmine Plummer, PhD
Associate Member, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Director, Center for Spatial OMICs

Originally Aired: September 20, 2023
Time: 9:00 am PT, 12:00 pm ET, 18:00 CET

Using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to treat patients with ultra-rare diseases is an incredibly exciting area. But the road from drug design to treatment is a long (and expensive) one.

On this GEN Live, we’ll discuss where ASO research is now, the challenges it faces as it moves forward, and the innovative new ways that those challenges are being overcome to treat patients. Dr. Stan Crooke, a pioneer in the field, founder of Ionis Pharmaceuticals and the n-Lorem Foundation and Dr. Punit Seth, senior vice president at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals will join us for a broad discussion on the topic.

GEN moderator:
• Julianna LeMieux, PhD – Deputy Editor-in-Chief, GEN 

A live Q&A session followed the presentation, offering a chance to pose questions to our expert panelist.

Synthetic biology is taking on some of today’s biggest challenges—from developing drugs and manufacturing sustainable materials to helping solve the climate crisis. One of the technologies supporting these innovations, and revolutionizing the bioeconomy, is DNA synthesis. As synthetic biology grows, so too does the demand for synthetic DNA. Researchers want longer, and more complicated DNA, while not wanting to compromise on price.

On this GEN Live, we’ll focus on DNA synthesis and discuss efforts to overcome the biggest challenges impeding the development of synthetic DNA. In addition, we’ll talk about the impact that the progress in DNA synthesis will have, and the doors it will open, as synbio is poised to help address some of our biggest challenges.

GEN moderator:
• Julianna LeMieux, PhD – Deputy Editor-in-Chief, GEN 

A live Q&A session followed the discussion, offering a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.

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Produced with support from:

Emily Leproust, PhD
CEO and Co-Founder
Twist Bioscience

Drew Endy, PhD
Associate Professor of Bioengineering
Stanford University

Produced with support from: