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PODCAST

Science with a Twist

It’s almost impossible to overstate how many aspects of daily life are impacted by science. From technologies that help ensure the quality of the water we drink, to medicines that deliver lifesaving treatments – it’s all thanks to science. Each month, members of Thermo Fisher Scientific"s team talk to experts who are on the cutting-edge of redefining how we exist. This is Science with a Twist.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

00:27:02

From Organ Donation to Drug Safety: The Power of HLA

Science with a Twist ·

2025/09/25

How is a decades-old scientific tool that revolutionized organ transplantation now being used in cancer immunotherapy and autoimmune disease?In this episode of Science with a Twist, host Terri Somers talks to experts in immunogenetics and histocompatibility about human leukocyte antigens, or HLAs, which are biomarkers on our cells that provide crucial information about our immune system. HLAs have been used for decades now to match the right donated organ or cells to a patient in need. As science

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00:27:55

Gene Therapy: A New Era of Medicine Bringing Fresh...

Science with a Twist ·

2025/07/14

Imagine a future where diseases like leukemia, sickle cell anemia and multiple sclerosis are no longer life sentences, but treatable and even curable. That is the promise of gene therapy.In this episode, Namritha Ravinder, director of cell biology at Thermo Fisher Scientific, explains the groundbreaking technologies that correct the genetic errors in our cells that lead to disease. These gene therapies may offer permanent solutions with single-dose treatments. Namritha also provides an expert’s view

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00:34:13

Advancing Sustainability in Laboratories: A...

Science with a Twist ·

2025/04/17

Laboratories use up to ten times the energy of typical office spaces, making sustainability in science a pressing issue. In this episode of Science with a Twist, host Terri Somers speaks with James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab, and Alyssa Caddle, Senior Director of Global Sustainability at Thermo Fisher Scientific, about steps laboratories can take to reduce their environmental impact. From energy-efficient cold storage to sustainable lab products, James and Alyssa discuss how the life science

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00:32:29

Enabling Healthier Communities: Thermo Fisher's Impact

Science with a Twist ·

2024/07/11

Listen to the conversation as they discuss:How health equity is a key component of Thermo Fisher’s core business.How Thermo Fisher leverages its capabilities and customer relationships to further its impact.Initiatives that improve health equity through accessibility to drug-resistant HIV testing, next-generation sequencing to diagnose lung and breast cancer in 30 underserved countries, increasing the accessibility to and diversity in clinical trials, and more.New programs in 2024.

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00:19:32

Access to Clinical Trials: Eliminating Barriers to...

Science with a Twist ·

2024/06/25

Dr. Blackburne shares insights into:The challenges of recruiting women and minority groups for clinical trials, noting the logistical and societal barriers they face.Innovative solutions, such as telemedicine and flexible scheduling, to make trial participation more accessible. Recent advances in clinical research, including a groundbreaking preeclampsia test and contributions to COVID-19 vaccine trials, highlighting Thermo Fisher's pivotal role in these developments.

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00:29:00

From Waste to Worth: Rethinking Plastics with NREL's...

Science with a Twist ·

2024/04/22

The Critical Role of Plastics in Modern SocietyDespite the challenges associated with plastic in the environment, Kat Knauer, Ph.D., emphasizes the indispensable role of plastics in healthcare, research, and daily life. She points out that while plastics have significantly improved quality of life and medical care, their improper disposal poses a significant threat to the environment. She advocates for a balanced approach to improving plastics use, suggesting that the answer lies not in eliminating

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00:24:58

It’s In Our Genes: The Potential of Gene Therapy with...

Science with a Twist ·

2024/03/06

Gene Therapy's Potential to Transform Rare Disease TreatmentDr. Peter Marks highlights the groundbreaking advancements in gene therapy, especially for rare diseases with high unmet medical needs. He discusses the FDA's role in fostering these innovations, underscoring the importance of understanding gene therapy's application and ensuring its safe delivery. Dr. Marks emphasizes the challenges in manufacturing gene therapies, noting that overcoming these hurdles is essential for treating large

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00:19:31

Decoding Cellular Secrets: Advances in Mass...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/12/21

Revolutionizing Biomedical Research with Mass SpectrometryJoshua J. Coon discusses the transformative role of mass spectrometry in biomedical research. This technology, as he explains, allows for the precise weighing of molecules, providing critical insights into their identity and quantity. Coon's lab utilizes mass spectrometry to analyze complex biological systems, such as cells and tissues, identifying over 10,000 molecules in a single sample. This capability has significant implications for

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00:35:52

Tackling HIV Drug Resistance: Brazil's Approach and...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/11/29

Brazil's Proactive Measures Against HIVBrazil has been at the forefront of combating HIV, implementing proactive measures that have made a significant difference. The country began providing no-cost access to CD4 and viral load testing and antiretroviral drugs as early as 1996. This early intervention and consistent approach led to a remarkable outcome: the number of HIV cases in Brazil was significantly lower than initially predicted. An article from the New England Journal of Medicine stated that

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00:19:09

Powering Everyday Life: The significance and impacts...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/09/27

⚡Semiconductor chips go through a long manufacturing process. It all depends on the type of chip, but the standard timeframe is between 120 days and nine months. It is a three-phase process that includes design and frontend and backend manufacturing, all dependent on various factors. ''These are global supply chains supporting the completed product. Semiconductor chips could be manufactured by a large fab, maybe most of it within the house, but there are diversified approaches too, where the chip is

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00:28:03

Shaping the Future through STEM Education: The...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/08/30

The Power of Passion in STEM Eleanor emphasizes the importance of pursuing what you love in STEM. She advises students to focus on their interests rather than trying to impress judges or make a big impact. Eleanor encourages students to be scrappy and innovative and to believe in their ability to navigate through challenges. She underscores that STEM is not just for prodigies and professionals and that anyone can make a difference. Community Can Help Advance STEMEleanor and Maya discuss the

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00:21:12

Pharmacogenomics: A New Era of Patient-Centric Care

Science with a Twist ·

2023/07/26

The Power of PharmacogenomicsJeff explains how pharmacogenomics, the study of how genes affect a person's response to medications, can revolutionize healthcare. By understanding a patient's genetic makeup, healthcare providers can prescribe the right medication and dosage, reducing trial and error, improving treatment effectiveness, and minimizing side effects. This approach acknowledges that each person is unique and recognizes the complex interplay of genetics and non-genetic factors to determine

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00:24:33

Forever Chemicals: The effects of PFAS and how to...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/05/24

⚡PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Simply put, PFAS are man-made compounds synthesized in a laboratory. ''They were first made in the 1940s. Teflon was one of the very first developments of PFAS. PFAS is a universe of chemicals useful for lots of different consumer and industrial applications over the last 60 to 70 years. These include things like firefighting foam, stain repellents on carpets and textiles, and also mist suppressants to protect workers in chromium plating

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00:28:05

Green Chemistry: Designing for a Sustainable Future

Science with a Twist ·

2023/04/19

⚡ Green chemistry aims to anticipate toxicity and global climate change. Green chemistry is an area of chemistry that focuses on reducing pollution and building a more sustainable world. John explains, "What you may be surprised to learn is that if you look at the curriculum, if you look at the classes that a chemist takes from the very beginning to getting a Ph.D., very few, if any, universities have within that curriculum, any skills, any ability to predict, ‘Will this molecule be toxic? Will this

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00:23:28

Delivering on the promise of cell therapies:...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/03/22

⚡ Cell therapy is a promising field. Cell therapies can potentially transform medicine and treat some of the most severe diseases, like cancer. Wendell says, "That's one of the innate challenges here — how do you make something that's very controlled and specific and yet also very potent enough to really overcome the disease. And that's where we really think that cell therapies can be very powerful because cells can read different signals and then process that information almost, like I said, a

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00:24:11

Disrupting the Status Quo: The Importance of...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/02/22

⚡ What are the ramifications from a clinical research perspective if diversity is not appropriately represented in a clinical study populations? Even as diversity becomes increasingly important across different sectors, minorities continue to be left out of clinical trials and medical research studies. So, why is diversity so critical in clinical trials? Nik explains, "I think in terms of the ramifications if diversity is not appropriately represented — I think we, unfortunately, saw this clearly

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00:26:05

Putting Patients First: The Benefits of Decentralized...

Science with a Twist ·

2023/01/26

⚡ Decentralized clinical trials aim to reduce patient burden. Decentralized clinical trials can help make research more patient-centric. Tim explains the role of decentralization, "It's fair to say that that change management component is absolutely critical in terms of the decentralized adoption, and I think, when I look ahead in terms of decentralization, I see an amazing landscape for patients and the partnerships with EmVenio and also the kind of opportunities Thermo Fisher Scientific has in

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00:29:03

No One Missed: Empowering Lung Cancer Patients with...

Science with a Twist ·

2022/12/21

⚡ There's a diversity mismatch in the oncology workforce. One of the biggest challenges in the oncology space is a lack of diversity in the workforce. The population of the United States is very diverse, while the oncology field is not. Dr. Upal Basu Roy says, "We know that the United States is very diverse. As we speak, the population is very diverse, and we have about 12% African Americans in the population — about 18% who identify as Hispanic/Latinx — and 3% of the population who identify as

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00:19:23

Saved Time Saves Lives: The Impact of Rapid...

Science with a Twist ·

2022/11/29

⚡The most critical part is to shorten the time between doing the test and getting the results. From there, doctors will be better positioned to provide the best care to the patient. ''There's always pressure from the patient, the family, and the physician to start therapy as soon as possible. [...] So getting that test earlier allows us to do the right thing for the patients, improve their outcomes, and frankly, reduce costs.⚡Staying up to date with changes is the most noticeable obstacle to

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00:22:19

Freezing Cancer: How Cryo-EM is advancing oncology...

Science with a Twist ·

2022/10/31

⚡ Cryo-EM is a powerful tool that helps look at cancer molecules differently. Penn State University uses the cryo-EM technique to understand and outsmart cancer. Professor Kelly explains, "Our lab uses a very high-tech imaging approach. It's called cryo-electron microscopy or cryo-EM, which pioneers in our field actually won the Nobel Prize for just a few years ago. And what we'd like to do is dive deep into cancer cells, understand what molecules look like using these instruments, take pictures and

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43 results

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