Join host Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD, North American Editor for Inside Precision Medicine, as he uncovers the stories behind the pioneers driving the precision medicine revolution. Behind the Breakthroughs features candid interviews with seasoned veterans and rising stars, exploring their origin stories and groundbreaking contributions advancing the frontiers of patient diagnosis, treatment, and care.
In every episode, Jonathan Grinstein goes beyond the science, diving deep into the personal and professional journeys of those striving to make these incredible new therapies more equitable and accessible globally. You'll discover how emerging technologies in molecular diagnostics, next-generation sequencing, genetic medicines (e.g., cell and gene therapies), and AI/ML are transforming treatment and bringing precision medicine closer to the forefront of healthcare. Whether you’re a researcher at a large pharma company or small biotech startup, a clinician at a major health system or community setting, a laboratory technician in the clinic or academia, an investor at a premier or venture capital firm, or just interested in the latest in medicine and healthcare, these interviews will inspire and inform you about personalized medicine's future.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join host Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD, North American Editor for Inside Precision Medicine, as he uncovers the stories behind the pioneers driving the precision medicine revolution. Behind the Breakthroughs features candid interviews with seasoned veterans and rising stars, exploring their origin stories and groundbreaking contributions advancing the frontiers of patient diagnosis, treatment, and care.
In every episode, Jonathan Grinstein goes beyond the science, diving deep into the personal and professional journeys of those striving to make these incredible new therapies more equitable and accessible globally. You'll discover how emerging technologies in molecular diagnostics, next-generation sequencing, genetic medicines (e.g., cell and gene therapies), and AI/ML are transforming treatment and bringing precision medicine closer to the forefront of healthcare. Whether you’re a researcher at a large pharma company or small biotech startup, a clinician at a major health system or community setting, a laboratory technician in the clinic or academia, an investor at a premier or venture capital firm, or just interested in the latest in medicine and healthcare, these interviews will inspire and inform you about personalized medicine's future.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kian Sadeghi is a young, dynamic entrepreneur reshaping the landscape of personalized genomics, spearheading a movement to make whole genome sequencing accessible, affordable, and consumer-driven. Through his company, Nucleus Genomics, Sadeghi offers a direct-to-consumer whole genome sequencing test that’s easy to use, priced just over $400, and designed to empower individuals to take charge of their genomic data. His vision, however, extends far beyond affordability—he envisions a future where personalized healthcare is initiated by patients themselves, not clinicians, revolutionizing how we interact with our biology.
In this episode of Behind the Breakthroughs, host Jonathan Grinstein and Sadeghi explore this groundbreaking approach in a wide-ranging discussion that delves into the shifting roles of clinicians and insurers, the growing importance of patient agency, and the logistical and ethical hurdles to making genome sequencing available worldwide. They also tackle the significant issue of 23andMe's recent bankruptcy, which was once a trailblazer in the industry. Sadeghi shares his perspective on what went wrong and how the lessons from its downfall can shape the future of personalized genomics. Could Sadeghi, 25 years old and a UPenn college dropout, become the Bill Gates of this field? It’s too soon to tell, but his bold ideas and relentless drive are already turning heads.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 the valleys of Medellín to the islands of the Caribbean—Latin America is a goldmine of genetic diversity. Yet, until now, it has been largely overlooked in genomic research. In this Behind the Breakthroughs episode, Bustamante explains why mapping this diversity can uncover genetic insights that will lead to better treatments for diseases that disproportionately affect these communities.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 Breakthroughs, we delve into Josh’s leadership of the All of Us Research Program. Since its launch in 2018, this ambitious initiative has enrolled 850,000 participants and collected over 400,000 genomic profiles. Its goal: to harness diverse biological data to advance understanding of health disparities, rare diseases, and common conditions. Discover how Josh’s work is revolutionizing healthcare, from life-saving genetic testing to targeted therapies, and shaping a future where medicine is tailored to every individual’s unique genetic and environmental profile.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 Alzheimer's, asthma, 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 Levine
Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein
Music provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 improvement. This is why the current work to revolutionize and expand screening holds such transformative potential.
After a decades-long career as a physician-scientist, Tomasz (Tom) Beer, MD, let go of the majority of his practice at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) two years ago and joined Exact Sciences, the developer of Cologuard, to move the needle on cancer screening by developing blood-based multicancer early detection (MCED) tests. In this episode of Behind the Breakthroughs, Beer explains the ins and outs of developing MCED tests that can be used to screen people from all walks of life for cancer.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 immune system, so she began to ask the question: can you isolate that robust anti-leukemia immune response from all the side effects that come with doing a stem cell transplantation?
That question launched Rezvani into a successful career in understanding and developing allogeneic immune cell therapies. In this episode, Rezvani tells me why she’s so captivated by one particular immune cell—NK cells—for cell therapies. We discuss how NK cells compare to T cells and the different ways they are being engineered to treat cancer and other diseases with accessible and affordable cell therapies.
Rezvani is a Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center and, most recently, was dubbed the vice president & head of the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation. Rezvani also holds the inaugural Melvyn N. Klein Family Endowed Directorship for the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation.
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, PhD
Music provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
"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 diseases, challenges in delivering genetic medicines and other therapeutics to the nervous system, and Voyager's approach to overcoming the BBB.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 became the first pediatric hospital in Missouri to offer in-house pharmacogenetic testing with a test called Kiddose and the first in the country to use a genomic sequencing approach that reads not 4 but 5 different nucleotides in the clinical setting. In addition to discussing the clinical upside of incorporating genomic testing into a pediatric hospital setting, we also discuss some challenges that arise from a genetically characterized diagnosis to actual treatment—such as what happens when a child is diagnosed by identifying a disease-causing variant for which no existing treatment exists—as well as the world beyond well-defined inherited diseases to more complex disorders, including autism.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 devote much of his time to helping families and patients who find themselves in Emily's shoes. Today, Tom is doing that through the Emily Whitehead Foundation.
In this candid and emotional episode of Behind the Breakthroughs, Tom Whitehead shares intimate details of his journey by Emily’s side up to and through her treatment with CAR T, which occurred through a combination of serendipity and persistence. Tom also discusses in depth the challenges that patients and families face in dire medical situations, especially when it involves research-as-care.
This is the 2024 finale for Behind the Breakthroughs, and we will release our next episode on January 8, 2025.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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.
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, PhD
Music provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, and President Elect of AMP.
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, PhD
Music provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 used on-site, cutting out centralized manufacturing.
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, PhD
Music provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 personalized oncology treatment for all individuals.
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, PhD
Music provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 decision to move from academia to industry. He also explains how the adoption of precision testing in the United States is influenced by perspective rather than accessibility. This episode also covers flexible enrollment in clinical trials, adapting to patient perspectives on clinical research as care, the current state of precision medicine, particularly precision oncology, in the United States and elsewhere, and more.
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, PhD
Music provided by Artem Hramushkin
Audio mixed and mastered by Jason Mack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
