Master Minds
By Mishka Narasimhan and Will Leidig
www.mastermindspod.com
Master MindsApr 30, 2024
Episode #33: Discovering Hepatitis C Virus with Dr. Charles Rice, PhD
Today we sat down with Dr. Charles Rice, the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Professor in Virology at Rockefeller University. Dr. Rice is an expert in RNA viruses, viruses that use RNA as opposed to DNA in their genome, and studies the body’s innate immune response to infection. However, he is most known for his work on Hepatitis C Virus, which causes liver disease and cirrhosis if untreated. Dr. Rice was the first to achieve a successful cell culture of Hepatitis C, create a functional clone of the virus, and prove that the virus causes the disease. This work led to the first effective treatments for Hepatitis C, saving millions of lives worldwide and earning Dr. Rice and his collaborators the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology.
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Episode #32: Autophagy and ATD with Dean David H. Perlmutter, MD
Today, we sat down with Dr. David H. Perlmutter, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of Washington University School of Medicine, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. Dean Perlmutter leads one of the largest medical schools in the country, currently ranked #2 in NIH funding among US medical schools nationwide. He is also a pediatric gastroenterologist who is internationally known for his research on autophagy and on alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency or ATD, the latter of which is a genetic disorder resulting in liver damage. We hope you enjoy this episode with Dean David Perlmutter.
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Episode #31: How to Fix a Broken Heart with Dr. James Cox, MD
In this episode, we’re talking to the “father of cardiac arrhythmia surgery”, Dr. James Cox. The former Division Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery here at WashU Med, Dr. Cox developed surgical procedures for multiple cardiac arrhythmias, including the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia, automatic atrial tachycardias, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. He is best known for developing the Cox-Maze procedure, the first cure for atrial fibrillation, which he performed for the first time at Barnes Jewish Hospital in 1987. Dr. Cox’s contributions and developments forever changed the field of cardiac surgery and have saved countless lives. We hope you enjoy our fascinating discussion with Dr. Cox as much as we did!
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Episode #30: Crystallizing GPCRs with Dr. Brian Kobilka, MD
Today, I sat down with Dr. Brian Kobilka, Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Kobilka is an expert on a class of receptors called G protein-coupled receports, or GPCRs, that are essential in a majority of biological processes including light, flavor, and odor perception and in the activity of adrenalin, dopamine, and serotonin. In fact, currently approximately half of all pharmaceuticals on the market target GPCRs. In the mid 1980s Dr. Kobilka and his colleagues from the Robert Lefkowitz lab were the first to clone the gene for an important GPCR called the beta2-adrenergic receptor, and later he and his collaborators were the first to determine its molecular structure, which served as the basis for understanding all subsequent GPCRs and creating drugs to target them. This work proved to be revolutionary in many areas of science and medicine, such that in 2012, Kobilka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to understanding GPCRs. In this interview, we talk about these amazing findings and the recent advances in understanding this important class of receptors.
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Episode #29: Merging Neutron Stars with Prof. Mark Alford, PhD
Today, we sat down with Professor Mark Alford, theoretical physicist and former chair of the Department of Physics at Washington University. Prof. Alford researches the physics of ultra-high density matter, such as in the core of a neutron star to get insights on how particles behave in situations that we do not encounter on Earth. He has also done important work on characterizing Quantum Chromodynamics, or QCD, which describes the strong interactions between quarks that make up larger particles like protons and neutrons. In this episode, we talk about some of the basics of quantum mechanics and how they are applied in studying astrophysical phenomena. We also touch on some important philosophical questions regarding how to use physics in understanding the nature of reality. We think the episode boils down many complex topics in physics so that anyone with a basic level of understanding will learn a lot.
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Episode #28: Advancing Neuro-Immunology with Dr. Jonathan Kipnis, PhD
Dr. Jonathan Kipnis is the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology and Director of the Brain Immunology and Glia Center (BIG) at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Kipnis is well known for his discoveries on the interactions between the brain and the immune system, including meningeal lymphatics, previously thought to not exist, and how immune cells and cytokines impact cognitive functions like social behavior. These findings have mass implications for the role of the immune system in psychiatric and psychological disease. We hope you enjoy this episode.
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Episode #27: A Conversation About Conservation with Dr. Sharon Deem, DVM, PhD
Today were talking to Dr. Sharon Deem, Director of the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine. Prior to this, Dr. Deem worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society and Smithsonian National Zoo. A veterinarian and epidemiologist by trade, she is also the current president of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Dr. Deem has conducted conservation and research projects in over 30 countries around the world, many of which are in Africa and South America. In this episode, we’re going to cover her focus on how disease and environmental changes affect wildlife populations, and her work with endangered species, such as lemurs and turtles.
Episode #26: The Evolution of Lizards with Prof. Jonathan Losos, PhD
Today we're talking to Prof. Jonathan Losos, William H. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Biology here at Washington University. Professor Losos is an internationally renowned scholar in the field of evolutionary biology. He also serves as the Director of the Living Earth Collaborative, an academic partnership between WashU, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the St. Louis Zoo to advance the study of biodiversity. His field work has taken him to various islands in the Caribbean and Central America. Currently, his lab at WashU studies the behavioral and evolutionary ecology of lizards, and how wild species adapt to changing urban environments. Their main focus is the Caribbean Anolis lizard, and the behavioral, ecological, functional morphological, and phylogenetic data to study their adaptive radiation.
Episode #25: Mapping the Brain with Dr. Deanna Barch, PhD
Dr. Deanna Barch is a psychologist and Vice Dean of Research for the College of Arts and Sciences at Washington University. She is the George B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and former Chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences as well as Professor of Radiology. Dr. Barch is known for her work using neuroimaging to characterize cognitive deficits in patients with mental illness such as schizophrenia. She is one of the principal investigators for the Human Connectome Project, a multi-institutional effort to map connectivity in the healthy human brain to improve our understanding of how it is altered by disease and development. In this interview, we talk about schizophrenia and its treatment and risk factors, how brain connectivity develops, and tools to improve mental health, among other fascinating topics. Dr. Barch is an expert on the brain and was generous to share much of the results of her very productive career, so we hope you enjoy this episode.
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Episode #24: Miraculous Meteorites with Br. Robert Macke, SJ, PhD
Br. Robert Macke is a Jesuit Astronomer at the Vatican Observatory and Curator of the Vatican Meteorite Collection. Br. Bob is the world expert on measuring physical properties of meteorites, including density, porosity, magnetic susceptibility, and thermal properties. He has been at the forefront of developing new methods, and improving old ones, to characterize meteorites and even lunar samples from the Apollo missions. For his expertise in meteorites, Br. Bob was recruited to NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid and return to Earth. The target was a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu, which is believed to contain evidence of the early history of our solar system, and possibly precursors to life on Earth. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft recently returned home, and Br. Bob is gearing up to study the collected specimens. In this interview we talk about his work at the Vatican Observatory as well as the currently unfolding projects at NASA to study the Bennu samples. We learned a lot about meteorites and why they are important artifacts in studying the history of our planet, so we hope you enjoy this episode.
To learn more about Br. Bob's work at the Vatican Observatory, you can check out his Youtube Channel @MackeMakerSpace.
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Episode #23: Peering into the World of Single Molecules with Prof. W.E. Moerner, PhD
Prof. W.E. Moerner is the Harry S. Mosher Professor of Chemistry, Professor, by courtesy, of Applied Physics at Stanford University, and WashU alum! Professor Moerner is a physical chemist, a scientist that studies chemical processes using physics. In 1989, he and his postdoc developed a method that accomplished the first ever optical detection and spectroscopy of a single molecule, something that was previously thought to be impossible. Single molecule spectroscopy laid the groundwork for using fluorescence in individual molecules to study processes inside living cells. This technique, called super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, was revolutionary because it enabled scientists to attain high resolution images of the nanoworld that was previously invisible to us. For this work, Professor Moerner was jointly awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the highest honor for any scientist in the world. The Moerner Lab continues to develop single molecule microscopy by developing methods for 2D and 3D super resolution imaging of cells. Some of their current projects include measuring amyloid aggregation in neurons, studying protein localization patterns in bacteria, and quantifying dynamics of photosynthetic proteins.
Professor Moerner’s work has contributed to many areas of physics, chemistry, and biology, so it is important to understand exactly how the study of single molecules is possible. Not only is he a brilliant scientist, but he is a fantastic communicator of his work, and we learned a lot from this interview so we hope you enjoy this episode.
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Episode #22: Using Lasers to Treat Glioblastoma with Dr. Albert H. Kim, MD, PhD
Dr. Albert H. Kim is the August A. Busch Jr. Professor of Neurological Surgery, Senior Vice-Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, and Professor of Genetics, Neurology, and Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine. He is also the inaugural Director of the Washington University Brain Tumor Center and Surgical Director of the Pituitary Center. Dr. Kim is an expert in glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. His laboratory studies the ways that glioblastoma arises as well as ways to treat it through targeting genetics, metabolism, and the immune system in addition to the use of high powered lasers to thermally ablate tumors. As one of the researchers in his lab, I can attest to Dr. Kim’s true brilliance as a physician and scientist, so I hope you enjoy this episode.
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Episode #21: From Cairo to COVID-19 with Dr. Ali Ellebedy, PhD
Dr. Ali Ellebedy is the Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, of Medicine, and of Molecular Biology at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Ellebedy’s research surrounds B cell immune responses and he has made outstanding contributions to studying the COVID-19 virus. His work on the influenza virus informed initial vaccine development efforts, and his lab was instrumental in detailing responses to Moderna and Pfizer vaccine trials. In the height of the pandemic, his team published 41 manuscripts, and his work has been acknowledged by leading scientists around the world. This one was an honor...and a blast!
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Episode #20: Zika, Dengue, and West Nile Virus with Dr. Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD
Dr. Michael Diamond is an infectious diseases specialist and the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Diamond is widely recognized for his research on RNA viruses, particularly West Nile virus and Zika virus, contributing much to their molecular basis and immunity. His work as Associate Director of the Bursky Center for Human Immunology has led to the development of many antiviral therapies for these viruses. Recently, his lab has studied the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and led the development of the first nasal vaccine against COVID-19. For his work, Dr. Diamond has received immense recognition including the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award and elections to the National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Medicine, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Microbiology. Dr. Diamond has been hugely influential in the field of virology and I learned a lot from this interview, so I hope you enjoy this episode.
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Episode #19: Targeting Ovarian Cancer with Dr. Dineo Khabele, MD
Dr. Dineo Khabele is the Mitchell & Elaine Yanow Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine. She is a renowned physician-scientist specializing in gynecological oncology with a focus on ovarian cancer. In this episode, we discuss various aspects of ovarian cancer, such as causes, pathophysiology, and treatments. We also did a deep dive on her work developing novel treatments for ovarian cancer and how they work on a molecular level. I hope you enjoy this episode.
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Episode #18: Jazz, Genetics, and Neurofibromatosis with Dr. David Gutmann, MD, PhD
Dr. David Gutmann is the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology and Director of the Neurofibromatosis Center at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Gutmann’s expertise lies in the study of neurofibromatosis, or NF, a genetic disorder which causes tumor growth in the nervous system throughout the body. His work has received international recognition, resulting in him being honored with the 2012 Children’s Tumor Foundation Frederich von Recklinghausen award and Election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Award and an Einstein Fellowship from the Berlin Institute of Health to allow for the creation of an international research team. He is also recognized for pioneering preclinical models of brain tumors in mice. Dr. Gutmann is truly a world-class scientist and clinician and I was very happy to talk to him, so I hope you enjoy this episode.
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Episode #17: Stopping the Clock with Dr. Erik Herzog, PhD
This week on Master Minds, we talked to Dr. Erik Herzog, Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences and Professor of Biology at Washington University. Dr. Herzog is a chronobiologist - a scientist that studies how organisms create biological rhythms to help adapt to their environment. He is an expert on how the brain regulates circadian rhythms, which are physiological processes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle. Circadian rhythms are relevant to nearly all other aspects of biology, including fluctuations in body temperature, hormone levels, and sleep as well as in the context of disease. Throughout the interview, Dr. Herzog explains the molecular mechanisms behind circadian rhythms and how a structure in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) serves as the master clock for all cells in the body. He also talks about the ways in which circadian rhythms can be used to optimize sleep and performance.
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Episode #16: Journey Through the Cosmos with Prof. Ramanath Cowsik, PhD
Professor Cowsik is considered by many to be the 'Father of Astroparticle Physics' for his invention of the leaky box model for the observation of cosmic rays and his discoveries characterizing neutrinos and dark matter as having a role in the Big Bang. The James S. McDonnell Professor of Space Sciences here at WashU, he has been compared to Enrico Fermi for his immensely productive career in theoretical and experimental physics. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Cowsik about the origin of the universe, dark matter, neutrinos, Grand Unified Theory, and more.
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Episode #15: Rice, Research, and Russian Wolves with Dr. Barbara Schaal, PhD
Today, we will be learning about genetics and evolution with Professor Barbara Schaal, evolutionary biologist and the Mary-Dell Chilton Distinguished Professor in Arts and Sciences at WashU. A pioneer in the field of plant evolution, she was one of the first to apply molecular genetic techniques to understanding evolutionary processes. Professor Schaal has served as president of the Botanical Society of America, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has also served as vice president of the US National Academy of Sciences and as a member of President Obama’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology, as well as received the National Science Board Public Service Award in 2019 for her work in national science policy and education.
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Episode #14: Making (False) Memories with Dr. Henry Roediger, PhD
Today, we are taking a deep dive into the brain to learn about psychology of memories. We sat down with Dr. Henry Roediger, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences here at WashU and co author of the book, “Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning”. Dr. Roediger has been a pioneer in studying memory accessibility and retrieval, particularly false memories. Our conversation spanned topics from improving the Navy SEAL’s training to testing the reliability of eyewitness accounts in court.
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Episode #13: Preventing Cancer and Chronic Disease with Dr. Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH
In this episode of Master Minds, we sit down with Dr. Graham Colditz, epidemiologist and public health expert. Dr. Colditz is the Associate Director for Prevention and Control at Siteman Cancer Center and Chief of the Division of Public Health Sciences in the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He is also an adjunct professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Colditz is an internationally recognized leader and researcher in cancer and chronic disease prevention and is currently the 4th highest cited researcher in the world with an h-index of 299. Throughout this episode, you will hear about Dr. Colditz’s background coming from Australia to the US, cancer epidemiology and prevention, and specific risk factors for cancer.
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Episode #12: Admission to Med School and the Emergency Room with Dr. Greg Polites, MD
In this episode of Master Minds, we sit down with someone who is somewhat of a celebrity among the pre-med students at WashU. Dr. Greg Polites is the founder of MedPrep, a series of classes that students can take to learn more about the field of medicine. He is, by training, an emergency medicine physician and currently serves as the chair of the central subcommittee on the Admissions Committee for the Washington University School of Medicine. Over the course of this episode, you will see how Dr. Polites’ love of medicine and love of teaching coevolved and led to his extensive career in both clinical practice and guiding students on their own journey into medicine.
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Episode #11: Contagion, Cadavers, and The Human Comedy with Prof. Rebecca Messbarger, PhD
In this episode of the podcast, we’re taking a slight detour from our usual guest, and I couldn’t be more excited. Professor Rebecca Messbarger wears many hats, among them, Professor of Art History and Global Studies, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Italian, and Co-founder and Director of Medical Humanities here at WashU. This episode is a fascinating dive into how literature and art, both ancient and new, inform modern medicine. We talk about medieval history and Boccacio’s Decameron and Frankenstein, and a lot more. And who knows, maybe after hearing Professor Messbarger talk, you too will find yourself, a pious pre-med, making room in your schedule to dabble in the humanities.
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Episode #10: Mission to Mars, Venus, and the Moon with Prof. Raymond Arvidson, PhD
Dr. Ray Arvidson is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University. He directs the Earth and Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory, where he studies terrestrial and extraterrestrial planetary surfaces, including Mars, Venus, and the Moon. Professor Arvidson has led and participated in many major NASA projects, most notably as the Deputy Principal Investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Missions. What can the rovers tell us about the history of Mars? How can we use this info to better understand our own planet? If you are a space travel fanatic and want to know about the current progress on the search for life on other planets, check out this amazing interview with Professor Ray Arvidson.
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Episode #9: The Race Against the Virus with Dr. Michael Kinch, PhD
We were so excited to have the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Michael Kinch: author, scientist, and Associate Vice Chancellor at WashU. Dr. Kinch has a scientific background in cancer and immunological and infectious diseases. He founded and currently directs the Centers for Research Innovation in Biotechnology and Drug Development here at WashU. In this episode, we’ll discuss Dr. Kinch’s contributions to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, his research on drug discovery and rollout, and his analysis on price increases in the pharmaceutical industry.
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Episode #8: Blazing Trails in Academia (Literally) with Chancellor Mark Wrighton, PhD
We are so excited to have had the opportunity to sit down with Chancellor Emeritus of Washington University in St. Louis, Mark Wrighton. Over the course of twenty four years, he oversaw the establishment of the East End and several important endowed professorships, which brought renowned faculty members to Washington University. But what many don't know is that Wrighton made a name for himself in the world of chemistry by making major contributions to photochemistry and energy research that have grand implications for climate change mitigation. Listen now to hear about the former Chancellor’s career in chemistry, his leading role in Washington University’s rise over the last twenty years, and why his colleagues at MIT knew him as 'Magic Mark'.
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Episode #7: Behavioral Economics with Prof. Leonard Green, PhD
Episode #6: The Price and Politics of Healthcare with Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH
Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox is the co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy at the Institute of Public Health here at WashU. By trade, she is both a Duke/Harvard-trained physician and health policy researcher. She now focuses on how to best improve healthcare administration—Where should hospitals funnel the most money into? What is the most equitable payment model? How do we make care more accessible across vulnerable populations? If you have ever asked any of these questions, but like me, have also been too turned off by American politics to research this stuff yourself, this episode is so for you.
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Episode #5: Neuroscience: The Final Frontier with Dr. Nupur Ghoshal, MD, PhD
Dr. Nupur Ghoshal is a physician-scientist and associate professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the WashU School of Medicine. She primarily treats patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Her research focuses on the tau protein, a molecule that forms neurofibrillary tangles in the brain and has shown to be a promising biomarker for Alzheimer’s. Dr. G is also a committed medical educator, holding many teaching positions throughout WashU at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels. In this episode, we discuss the exciting “final frontier”-like aspect of neuroscience and how doctors and researchers at WashU are revolutionizing care for patients with neurological diseases.
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Episode #4: Curing Childhood Cancer with Dr. Abby Green, MD
Dr. Green is a physician and scientist in the Department of Pediatrics at the WashU School of Medicine. Her practice and research focus on the etiology of genome instability in pediatric cancers and the resulting genome-protective responses, also called DNA damage responses, that are central to them. She spent her residency and fellowship at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and is double board certified in infectious diseases and hematology-oncology. Her journey to get where she is today is both exciting and impressive, and started at the mere age of 7 years old. In this episode, we discuss everything from how leukemia is diagnosed to how COVID-19 is affecting patient care.
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Episode #3: A Perspective on Health Inequity with Dr. Julia Lopez
Today, I’m talking to Dr. Julia Lopez—public health researcher, licensed social worker, and instructor at the Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Lopez focuses her work on addressing gaps in research and clinical care in the areas of sexual and gender minority health, racial disparities, HIV care, and women’s health. Her goal is to provide a platform for these populations through practice, research and community collaboration.
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Episode #2: Candidate Matchmaking with Terry Crandall
Technology is heavily ingrained in the process of voting. From presidential polling to biased news sources and the media, the advent of digital communication has co-opted the process of informing ourselves and choosing the candidates we want to support. It seems that we are in need of a trusty third-party to hand us the facts. So today I’m talking with Terry Crandall—economics professor, realtor, entrepreneur, and founder of VotingSmarter, an unbiased, apolitical voting resource and app. Remember: “No more blind votes! No more election-night stands!”
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Episode #1: Feet, Forks, Fingers, Sleep, Stress, and Love with Dr. Pankaj Vij
Today I’m talking to Dr. Pankaj Vij, wellness physician, speaker, and author of the book Turbo Metabolism. Dr. Vij is passionate about preventing and reversing metabolic diseases by treating their root causes. He is a Director of the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance and the Chief Architect of Crack the Wellness Code - a global community platform for health promotion. Personally, I’m interested in his extremely successful holistic approach to medicine.
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