PODCAST

Absolute Gene-ius

Jordan Ruggieri, Christina Bouwens

Inspiring stories and advice from dPCR gene-iuses.

science life sciences

All Episodes

00:35:11

Digital PCR and the fight against HIV-2 and superbugs

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2025/08/20

HIV, superbugs, and standards—oh my! In this episode of Absolute Gene-ius, we explore the frontier of infectious disease research with Dr. Jesús Mingorance, researcher at Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid. His research is translational and uses digital PCR, qPCR, sequencing, and more.Dr. Mingorance walks us through his application of ultra-sensitive PCR methods to track HIV-2 viral loads—particularly in challenging cases where standard assays fall short. He shares how digital PCR enabled

00:32:34

Biomarkers in motion ― detecting Alzheimer's through...

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2025/07/23

Can you detect Alzheimer’s with a spit sample? That’s the question driving Arianna Arbona’s exciting research at Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Sevilla, Spain. In this episode of Absolute Gene-ius, she shares how she’s isolating microvesicles from saliva and blood to identify early biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s—an effort that could one day lead to minimally invasive diagnostic tools.Arianna describes the scientific and technical hurdles she’s overcoming, from low

00:34:43

Python problems – digital PCR takes on the Everglades

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2025/06/18

This episode of Absolute Gene-ius slithers into the surprising science of invasive species monitoring with Dr. Brian Bahder. A childhood love of bugs led Brian to a dynamic career in entomology and plant pathology—and eventually to tracking large reptiles in the swamps of Florida.We dive deep into Brian’s work developing multiplex digital PCR assays to detect DNA from snakes, caimans, and other invasive species using environmental samples like soil and water. He explains how this technology enables

00:35:47

Life finds a way – copy number variation and drug...

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2025/05/21

Ever thought about why medications work differently for different people? In this episode of Absolute Gene-ius, we explore the exciting field of pharmacogenomics with Wendy Wang, pharmacogenetic laboratory supervisor at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. Wendy shares how genetics can influence drug metabolism, offering a glimpse into how precision medicine can revolutionize healthcare by tailoring treatments based on an individual's unique genetic makeup.At the heart of Wendy’s research

00:33:02

Unlocking cancer’s genetic secrets with digital PCR

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2025/04/16

Scientific discovery happens in the lab—but it starts with curiosity and determination. In this episode of Absolute Gene-ius, we welcome Valeria Rangel, a PhD candidate at the University of California Irvine, who shares her research on acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the innovative ways digital PCR is helping uncover genetic patterns linked to cancer in Hispanic populations.Val’s work focuses on Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare and aggressive form

00:33:55

CRISPR, dPCR, and pigs – a cut above the rest

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2025/03/19

In this episode of Absolute Gene-ius, Dr. C. Dustin Rubinstein takes us inside the world of advanced genome editing, where cutting-edge tools like CRISPR and digital PCR are helping shape the future of biomedical research.As the Director of the Advanced Genome Editing Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Rubinstein shares how his lab develops genetically engineered pig models to study diseases like neurofibromatosis and cancer, providing researchers with more clinically relevant

00:13:15

Season two amplified – reflections and takeaways

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2025/02/26

Season 2 of Absolute Gene-ius comes to a close with a look back at the topics and inspiring conversations that have defined the series. From exploring innovative uses of digital PCR to uncovering its synergy with other molecular tools, this season was packed with insights for scientists at all levels.Dive into the details as co-hosts Jordan Ruggieri and Christina Bouwens revisit memorable episodes, including using dPCR as a low-cost precursor to single-cell sequencing and its role in quantifying

00:17:55

The Poisson perspective – counting out false positives

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/10/30

The statistics of Poisson distributions can seem complex at first but are simpler than you think, which is important to know given their relevance to digital PCR. In short, they dictate the confidence you can have in the absolute quantification provided by dPCR. Dr. Dave Bauer, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s very own dPCR Product Applications Specialist and statistics whiz, joins us once again for this short-but-sweet episode that’s a must hear for those working with rare, or low-abundance PCR targets

00:34:19

Somatic mosaic loss of sex chromosomes and kidney...

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/10/16

Same may think of the pathologist’s toolbox as only the microscope and their eyes, but in reality today’s pathologists are using more and more molecular methods like NGS and PCR in additional to their traditional tools. Meet Parker Wilson, MD, PhD. Parker is a faculty member Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, focused on using modern molecular tools to investigate chronic kidney disease. He explains his work phenomenally, both from the general aspects, all the way down to

00:31:56

Automating accuracy – an insider’s view

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/09/23

Modern science, especially in the genetic and molecular biology spaces, generate vast amounts of data, and require vast amounts of data to be generated for thorough analysis. For example, finding a rare gene mutation such as BCR-ABL as a biomarker for chronic myeloid leukemia is like searching for a needle in a haystack. For a situation like this, dPCR is an ideal method, but high-throughput automation is also needed.Dr. Clarence Lee, Senior Product Manger at Thermo Fisher Scientific, tells how

00:32:57

Helping democratize access and use of mRNA technology

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/09/04

The potential of mRNA medicines was postulated for years, but it took the COVID pandemic and emergency use authorizations for that potential to be demonstrated. By now, most of us have received at least one mRNA based vaccine and the platform has been mostly derisked. However, if you’re not one of the major players in this space, generating high-purity mRNA, let alone a GMP-grade mRNA-based drug product, can still be quite challenging. Dr. Chrisitan Cobaugh, CEO of Vernal Biosciences in Vermont, has

00:32:33

Now that’s what I call a high-quality viral vector

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/08/14

Viral vectors are a cornerstone of gene therapy and many employ experts in the viral vector services space to help design and produce their specialty vectors. These service providers are experts at making sure you get the vector you want with a titer and purity you need for your application. We’re joined in this episode by Dr. Cliff Froelich, Head of Analytical Development for a viral vector services provider. Cliff and his team work with AAV, lentivirus, and other vectors to support multiple, and

00:11:13

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/06/05

When you have a good thing going you often want it to last forever, but we know that can never happen. Life and the world around us are fluid, dynamic, and we’re always finding the balance of fighting or harnessing entropy and inevitable change.As we encounter unexpected changes, we see them as chances to evaluate the foundations of our podcast's success while finding opportunities to evolve it and make it even better. Join us for a reflection of where we are, how we got here, and a sneak preview at

00:35:32

What’s your vector, Victor?

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/05/15

The fields of Cell and gene therapy are booming and poised to change the treatment and prevention of disease. These research areas require the transfer of genetic material to cells, and viral vectors are commonly used here. Specifically, adeno-associated virus (AAV) and lentiviral vectors (LVV) are vectors of choice. We’re joined for this episode by MinGin Kim and Kimberly Gomez, both scientists at Thermo Fisher. With backgrounds and expertise in the areas of cell and gene therapy, they help explain

00:38:56

A passion for cfDNA analysis is in her blood

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/04/24

Organ transplantation is a modern marvel, with more than 157,000 solid organ, and more than 9,000 marrow and blood transplants occurring worldwide in 2022. Organ donor and recipient matching and compatibility screening has progressed significantly in recent decades as molecular methods have progressed rapidly to support this and other fields. Specifically, typing of human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) has expanded to consider ethnic population variation and cell free DNA (cfDNA) monitoring is now being

00:33:47

“Junk” RNA is anything but garbage

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/04/03

Before the 1990s, small bits of RNA were considered junk by most, but the 1993 discovery of microRNA (miRNAs) began to reveal that bits of only 19-24 nucleotides of RNA can have an important gene regulation function in cells. Since their discovery, there has been a flurry of work to catalog known miRNAs and understand their functions, which include being tied to specific disease states such as leukemia. According to our guest, Dr. Guy Novotny, Molecular Biologist at Herlev Hospital in Copenhagen,

00:34:49

The Bioinformatic artistry behind PCR assay design

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/03/13

Designing a successful PCR assay is all about selecting the right primers to deliver the sensitivity and selectivity for which PCR is known for. But anyone that’s designed an assay themselves will know that doing so successfully is a lot harder it sounds. We’re joined by two PCR assay design pros for this episode. Kimi Soohoo Ong, and Dr. Rounak Feigelman, both from Thermo Fisher Scientific, shine a light on the many factors that must be considered to design a winning PCR assay. From the level of

00:32:02

CAR-T loads of immunology insights

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/02/21

Blood is a symbol of life, which makes sense given that it plays such an important role in so many body functions, including our immune system. Blood makes up approximately 8% of your normal body weight and unfortunately, cancers of the blood, including lymphoma and leukemia, account for ~10% of all diagnosed cancers in the U.S. each year. CAR-T cell therapy has emerged as a promising method to engineer a subject’s own immune cells to fight bloodborne cancer. Our guest for this episode, Raquel

00:32:29

A couple of reproductive biology experts

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/01/31

We are all the product of a reproductive process, yet reproductive biology, or the study of the processes and mechanisms involved in reproduction, is not well understood. Deepening our understanding of reproductive biology is crucial to advancing assistive reproductive technologies (ART) and advancing our collective comprehension of inheritance and evolution. Our guests for this episode are a couple, and we mean a literal married couple, of reproductive biology experts. Dr. Pavla Brachova and Dr

00:02:40

Can you handle the Gene-ius?

Absolute Gene-ius ·

2024/01/24

Welcome back Gene-iuses!  Jordan and Cassie kick us off with a fun teaser of what’s to come in Season 2 of the Absolute Gene-ius series.   We’ll be featuring another great season of interesting guests, all using dPCR to progress their diverse research applications. This includes conversations about reproductive biology, liquid biopsy and transplantation research, CAR-T research, the role of bioinformatics in PCR assay design, micro-RNA analysis, differential gene expression analysis, and of course

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Absolute Gene-ius

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