In this episode of Grow Everything, hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez sit down with Dr. Alessandra Zonari, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at OneSkin. Alessandra shares her personal journey from Brazil to biotech, driven by a mission to transform how we think about aging. She explains the science of cellular senescence, the discovery of the groundbreaking OS-1 peptide, and why skin is more than a beauty surface—it’s a window into systemic health and longevity. Listeners will hear candid insights into the challenges of translating biotech discoveries into consumer products, the importance of radical transparency in science communication, and where peptides and personalized skincare fit into the future of the longevity movement. This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about synthetic biology, sustainable innovation, and the science of healthy aging
Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?
Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverything
Chapters:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Grow Everything Podcast
(00:00:18) London's Bio Fab Fair Recap
(00:02:34) Biotech's Bottom Line Impact
(00:05:49) Pharma's Path to Consumer Products
(00:08:00) The Accidental Discovery of Splenda
(00:09:26) Meet Dr. Alessandra Zonari
(00:10:54) A Scientist's Personal Mission
(00:13:15) "Zombie Cells" and Skin Aging
(00:16:30) Longevity Science vs. Marketing
(00:18:28) The Hunt for the OS-01 Peptide
(00:21:39) The Five-Year Path to Market
(00:22:49) Science-First Communication
(00:28:21) The Challenge of Going to Market
(00:31:16) Communicating to Beauty vs. Biotech
(00:33:45) The Future: Personalized Peptides
(00:36:24) Why Science Storytelling Fails
(00:38:42) Advice for Scientist-Founders
(00:40:00) Peptide vs. SPF
(00:40:42) Busting the Biggest Aging Myth
(00:41:11) The Future of Personalized Aging
(00:43:33) Why Aging is "Excited"
(00:44:15) Actress or Astronaut
(00:46:17) Peptides as "Cell Messages"
Episode Links:
Topics Covered:
skincare, cellular senescence, peptides, OneSkin, skin health, anti aging
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