Plastics are a modern miracle of science that have helped deliver both convenience and life-saving solutions. However, we must now grapple with the challenge of immense amounts of plastics in our waste streams and environment. How do we best deconstruct plastics to reusable or more bio-friendly molecules? This is the exact challenge being addressed by the work of Dr. Elizabeth (Izzy) Bell and her team at the National Renewable Energy Lab.

Our conversation with Izzy showcases her ability to summarize complex topics very concisely and understandably, which she says is a skill that is critically important in her field because it’s so interdisciplinary. Izzy summarizes the challenges they’re working to address and then walks us through the stepwise processes she and her team use to conduct directed evolution studies. These studies aim to create and characterize enzymes capable of deconstructing common plastics, first at a laboratory scale, but eventually at an industrial scale. If you’ve ever wondered about how directed evolution studies are done, and the role that molecular biology plays with them, this conversation will be sure to clarify.

In addition to the great science of this episode, Izzy also helps outline what it takes to get into and be successful in her field – a great resource for anyone aspiring to get into this area of research. We hear about how interdisciplinary the field is, but how that means it’s also ripe with opportunity for those passionate about learning and making a difference. Join us for what is sure to be an informative and inspiring episode!

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Speaking of Mol Bio Podcast | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US

Visit the Invitrogen School of Molecular Biology to access helpful molecular biology resources and educational content, and please share this resource with anyone you know working in molecular biology.

Most scientists start their education and careers with a vision of working in the lab to discover great things and drive innovation. However, we don’t all end up loving the actual lab work portion of science. What non-lab career options exist to utilize molecular biology knowledge and skills? Well, according to our guest, Jason Amsbaugh, Founder and CEO of Samba Scientific, the career options are far more plentiful than you may think.

Scientific marketing, according to Jason, is one such role that is all about understanding the science, first and foremost, but it’s also about effective communication. Essentially, he and his team have to balance technical knowledge with creativity to understand a wide variety of client products and services, uncover the core benefits of those products and services, and then develop marketing content that holds water when put in front of scientists who are, according to Jason, “skeptical” by nature.

Our conversation covers Jason’s own career path, current trending technologies, the use of AI in both science and marketing, ethics in scientific marketing, and more. If you’ve ever wondered about what roles exist outside of the lab and how to move your career in that direction, this episode is for you. If you’re happy in your lab-based career but want to have a bit more faith in those selling you the products you use, this episode is also for you!

Visit our virtual lab: www.thermofisher.com//molbiovirtuallab

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Speaking of Mol Bio Podcast | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US

Visit the Invitrogen School of Molecular Biology to access helpful molecular biology resources and educational content, and please share this resource with anyone you know working in molecular biology.

While the end product is quite different, brewing beer is not all that different than many other bioproduction processes used in the lab and industry. Both require skills, experience, and the right QC/QA methods to control and monitor the starting materials and the entire process, all the way to that bottle of suds you might be thirsty for.

Steve and Gabriel talk with Kelly Tretter, a microbiologist with more than 30 years of experience in the brewing industry, to discuss brewing at the molecular level. The passion of all three for beer is evident in the conversation, which spans from the basics of the brewing process all the way into the use of molecular methods (e.g., PCR, sequencing, HPLC, GC/MS, ICP, etc.) used to test and monitor starting materials and in-process samples.

You’ll leave with an elevated appreciation of what brewers do, and you’ll likely be ready for another pint too!

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Speaking of Mol Bio Podcast | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US

Visit the Invitrogen School of Molecular Biology to access helpful molecular biology resources and educational content, and please share this resource with anyone you know working in molecular biology.

When you buy chicken or turkey from the grocery store, you might not give it much thought, but there is an entire network of people working to ensure the health of the animals in our food supply chain and your health. In this episode, we talk with an unsung hero, Beverly Wood, supervisor of the molecular diagnostics lab at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who works tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of poultry and livestock animals in our food supply chain.

Our conversation delves into the types of samples and volume of testing that Beverly and her team do on a routine basis uncovers how their work changes as they move between surveillance and outbreak modes of operation, and gets into the molecular testing workflows they use. Given that her lab analyzes more than 30,000 samples a year, the discussion also touches on advancements in sample preparation and PCR that help enable this level of throughput, while delivering the rigor and reliability their lab requires.

Join us to learn about the unsung heroes, both people and molecular methods, that deliver food health and safety.

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Speaking of Mol Bio Podcast | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US

Visit the Invitrogen School of Molecular Biology to access helpful molecular biology resources and educational content, and please share this resource with anyone you know working in molecular biology.

Contract Research Organizations (CROs) are a resource that most scientists know about but relatively few have first-hand, internal experience with. In this episode our hosts speak with Saboor Hekmaty, Director of Laboratory Operations at Avrok Biosciences, who pulls back the curtain to illuminate what CROs do, and the skills required for them to be successful in supporting diverse projects for their customers.

We hear about the work Saboor and their team do in biospecimen processing, biobanking, clinical studies, and lots of sample analysis, all tailored to meet the unique needs of the challenges they face each day.

Join us for a casual, insightful, and educational conversation that will leave you with a deeper understanding of CROs and what it’s like to work for one customer. Saboor highlights the importance and ubiquity of molecular biology in their projects and the personal traits required for him and his staff to be successful and enjoy the diverse work

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Speaking of Mol Bio Podcast | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US

Visit the Invitrogen School of Molecular Biology to access helpful molecular biology resources and educational content, and please share this resource with anyone you know working in molecular biology.

Doing something complex and meaningful in a new way requires thinking and acting a bit differently. This is the case with how Dr. Joey Azofeifa, from Arpeggio Bio, is using systems biology to discover new drug candidates.

Join us in this Season 2 kickoff episode where we dive headlong into transcriptomics, systems biology, machine learning, and learn how they’re being used to innovate drug discovery. We learn about 3’-end mRNA barcoding and in-cell reverse transcription methods that allow the pooling of up to 1,536 samples so that only a single library preparation is required while still allowing the deconvolution of RNAseq results. This reduces their RNAseq costs by up to 400-fold, which enables them to generate enormous transcriptomic data sets. We also learn about how they’re using generative adversarial AI networks to use this transcriptomics data to design potential drug candidates. We even hear how one of their drug candidates, which targets iron homeostasis pathways, has progress to successful testing in mice.

To access the transcript for download, please visit - https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/brands/invitrogen/molecular-biology-technologies/speaking-of-mol-bio-podcast.html

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Speaking of Mol Bio Podcast | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US

Visit the Invitrogen School of Molecular Biology to access helpful molecular biology resources and educational content, and please share this resource with anyone you know working in molecular biology.

We start the second season of this series with an update on what you can expect from new episodes, which start to drop soon.

Your host, Steve Lewis, shares details on changes you can expect as the series evolves. One change will be a broadening of application topics to be covered, as this season will include episodes discussing transcriptomics in biopharma, the use of molecular biology by CROs, brewing, food testing, food production, biosecurity, and non-bench careers that use molecular biology. Steve reassures that all episodes, however, are squarely focused on the role that molecular biology plays in driving the innovative work of each guest forward.

Get ready for some great conversations coming your way soon, and don’t forget to catch up on any missed episodes from last season!

Subscribe to get future episodes as they drop and if you like what you’re hearing we hope you’ll share a review or recommend the series to a colleague. 

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Speaking of Mol Bio Podcast | Thermo Fisher Scientific - US

Visit the Invitrogen School of Molecular Biology to access helpful molecular biology resources and educational content, and please share this resource with anyone you know working in molecular biology.