2022-2023 Season

Fridays, 11:30 am to 1 pm (hybrid)

*Some venues may still be enforcing COVID protocols. By attending in-person, you agree to follow any required protocols (masks, proof of vaccination, etc.)*

September 9, 2022 (@ Perkins Coie Seattle): Dr. Edward Kelly, Associate Professor - Department of Pharmaceutics, UW

ORGAN ON A CHIP - Dr. Kelly will talk about “organs on chips” (OoC) which are 3D microfluidic “avatars” of human organs. The current paradigm of drug development results in 90+% failure rates in clinical trials. Moving a drug into human clinical trials is predicated on preclinical animal safety data. The high clinical trial failure rate calls into question the predictability of animal studies. It is the hope that these revolutionary OoC models will bridge this gap in preclinical and clinical testing.

October 14, 2022 (@ K&L Gates Seattle): Dr. Vivienne Baldassare, Assistant Professor of Physics, WSU

TINY MONSTERS: HUNTING THE SMALLEST SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES - Astronomers have observed that all big galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their center. However, it is the smallest supermassive black holes -- those living in galaxies much smaller than our own -- that have the potential to reveal important information about how black holes form and grow. Unfortunately, these tiny monsters are difficult to find. Dr. Baldassare will describe efforts to find and study small supermassive black holes, including with the brand new JWST. Dr. Baldassare will also discuss what has been learned so far about black hole formation from this exciting population.

November 4, 2022 (@ Google): Dr. Shyam Gollakota, Associate Professor - Paul Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, UW

CREATING INTELLIGENT MOBILE SYSTEMS: FROM MELDING BITS & BIOLOGY TO DEMOCRATIZING HEALTHCARE - Not only are computer science researchers blurring the boundaries between reality and science fiction, but also creating technology that can positively impact society. Dr. Gollakota will present on some of this technology, such as how to integrate embedded systems with living organisms (e.g., bees) and have real-world impact by helping find the nests of invasive “murder” hornets. Additionally, he will share how intelligent mobile systems are being created that democratize healthcare, and how mobile technology has the potential to bring healthcare to millions of people in middle and low-income countries by creating screening tools at a fraction of the usual cost.

January 13, 2023 (@ F5 Seattle): Dr. Marco Pravetoni, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UW

VACCINE AND ANTIBODIES: A CURE FOR ADDICTION AND OVERDOSE? - Drug addiction and overdose are an ever-growing public health crisis, which is associated with the widespread access to illicit synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and its potent analogs. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the "overdose epidemic", resulting in over 100,000 fatal drug overdoses and ~1,000,00 non fatal drug overdoses annually affecting the lives of patients, families, and the public health system. Current medications are not sufficient to curb the current trends in substance use disorders and drug overdose highlighting the need for innovative strategies and medical interventions. To address this problem, Dr. Pravetoni and his team are developing vaccines and monoclonal antibodies targeting heroin, prescription opioids, synthetic opioids, and mixtures of opioids and stimulants such as methamphetamines. These novel immunotherapeutics will be used to treat patients with substance use disorders and protect them from overdose. Dr. Pravetoni is currently testing in Phase I clinical trials the first-in-human opioid vaccine and readying other vaccine and antibody candidates for more clinical trials.

February 10, 2023 (@ Accenture’s Seattle Innovation Hub): Dr. Scott Baker, Functional & Systems Biology Science Area Leader, PNNL

MOLDOCITY: SCIENCE AT THE SPEED OF MOLD - We all live in the fungal digestive tract. The ability of fungi to modify and consume their environment has influenced the course of human history. For example, centuries ago fungi were domesticated for food production and currently they continue to play important roles in in the development of economical and sustainable production of biofuels, chemicals, and food. Dr. Baker will highlight studies that have advanced our understanding of the fungal lifestyle.

March 10, 2023 (@ Northeastern University Seattle): Dr. Taran Gujral, Associate Professor - Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLE-MOUSE: USING PATIENT BIOPSIES AND AI TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY POTENTIAL THERAPIES - Dr. Gujral will present his lab’s mission to transform the treatment of cancers by creating a clinically implementable, data-driven drug response prediction platform that can be part of the routine clinical decision-making process. This platform utilizes biopsy samples obtained within hours of surgery and leverages artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms to predict responses to thousands of candidate therapies in less than a week. Ultimately, this paradigm-shifting platform for drug discovery will usher the treatment of challenging cancers into a new fast-paced, and more affordable era.

April 14, 2023 (@ Meta Seattle): Dr. Ram Hariharan, Director of Programs (College of Engineering) & Data Science Faculty, Northeastern University

FROM BIOLOGICAL AGING CLOCKS TO LONGEVITY MEDICINE: AN ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) ODYSSEY - Human longevity research is at a tipping point. First-generation longevity medicines that target aging are in clinical trials and molecular aging clocks that measure our rate of aging are beginning to show promise. Dr. Hariharan will examine why and how to leverage AI and biomedical big data to transform all aspects of longevity research - from biological age measurements with deep aging clocks to providing personalized anti-aging behavioral recommendations.

May 12, 2023 (@ Russell Investment Center): Dr. Crystal Smith, Assistant Professor (Department of Community and Behavioral Health), WSU & Dr. Nathan Sackett, Acting Assistant Professor, UW

INVESTIGATING THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF PSYCHEDELICS - Drs. Smith and Sackett will review the history of psychedelic use and outline data supporting the potential therapeutic uses of this class of compounds. In addition, challenges related to therapeutic use (e.g., regulatory, and ethical) will be discussed. Finally, ongoing efforts to understand and implement use in the state of WA will be described.

June 9, 2023 (@ Startup Hall - UW): Dr. Sean Gibbons, Assistant Professor, Institute for Systems Biology

ENGINEERING THE GUT MICROBIOME TO IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH - The human gut is a chemical factory, wherein hundreds of microbial species transform our dietary inputs into bioactive molecules that are absorbed into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the body. Dr. Gibbons and his team have developed a metabolic model of the gut microbiome, called MICOM (short for MIcrobial COMmunity), which can be leveraged to design personalized dietary, prebiotic, and probiotic interventions aimed at augmenting the production of beneficial metabolites and decreasing the production of detrimental metabolites. Overall, Dr. Gibbons will show how MICOM can be leveraged to engineer the metabolic outputs of the gut to improve human health and wellness.

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