Thomas Seyfried: Cancer: A Metabolic Disease With Metabolic Solutions TheIHMC 2015-03-02 | Emerging evidence indicates that cancer is primarily a metabolic disease involving disturbances in energy production through respiration and fermentation. Cancer is suppressed following transfer of the nucleus from the tumor cell to cytoplasm of normal cells containing normal mitochondria. These findings indicate that nuclear genetic abnormalities cannot be responsible for cancer despite commonly held beliefs in the cancer field. The genomic instability observed in tumor cells and all other recognized hallmarks of cancer are considered downstream epiphenomena of the initial disturbance of cellular energy metabolism. The disturbances in tumor cell energy metabolism can be linked to abnormalities in the structure and function of the mitochondria. Cancer growth and progression can be managed following a whole-body transition from fermentable metabolites, primarily glucose and glutamine, to respiratory metabolites, primarily ketone bodies. This transition will reduce tumor vascularity and inflammation while enhancing tumor cell death. A novel “press-pulse” therapeutic strategy is in development for the non-toxic metabolic management of cancer. Malignant brain cancer in preclinical models and humans will be used to illustrate general concepts. As each individual is a unique metabolic entity, personalization of metabolic therapy as a broadbased cancer treatment strategy will require fine-tuning to match the therapy to an individual’s unique physiology.Thomas N. Seyfried received his Ph.D. in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana, in 1976. He did his undergraduate work at the University of New England, where he recently received the distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. He also holds a Master’s degree in Genetics from Illinois State University. Thomas Seyfried served with distinction in the United States Army’s First Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War and received numerous medals and commendations. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurology at the Yale University School of Medicine and then served on the faculty as an Assistant Professor in Neurology. Other awards and honors have come from such diverse organizations as the American Oil Chemists Society, the National Institutes of Health, The American Society for Neurochemistry, and the Ketogenic Diet Special Interest Group of the American Epilepsy Society. Dr. Seyfried previously served as Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee for the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association and presently serves on several editorial boards, including those for Nutrition & Metabolism, Neurochemical Research, the Journal of Lipid Research, and ASN Neuro, where he is a Senior Editor. Dr. Seyfried has over 150 peer-reviewed publications and is the author of the book “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer (Wiley Press).”
Sarah Robb OHagan: From Burnout to High Performance TheIHMC 2024-09-25 | When Sarah Robb O’Hagan began leading the turnaround of the $5 billion global Gatorade business amid a global recession, she was also preparing to give birth to her third child. Largely skipping her maternity leave, the combination of extreme hours and late-night childcare led her to experience an extreme and painful “burnout” that changed her perspective and her approach to work life forever.Years later — taking on the role of CEO at EXOS, the human performance company, at the start of the global pandemic — she decided that a successful business turnaround while burning people out was not an option. As a result, she partnered with the performance science experts on her team, as well as some of the best organizational psychologists in the world to design and implement a far more sustainable and enjoyable way of getting business results while working under immense pressure.In this talk, Sarah outlines:Why high performance and productivity do not have to happen at the expense of human wellbeing — with proprietary research and data to prove the caseHow to balance the load of intense work and pressure, with periods of intentional recovery to optimize the human system for higher performanceHow to design your workplace with simple hacks to improve the wellbeing and performance of your team so that you can attract and retain the best talentHow to understand the connection between your mind and your body as it relates to overcoming feelings of intense stress and exhaustionThe magical force multiplier of getting into “flow state” to drive greater productivity for the team, and fulfillment for individualsSarah Robb O’Hagan is a high-energy combination of disruptive business leader, fitness fanatic, and cheerleading mom. She's been named among Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.” and Forbes "Most Powerful Women in Sports". She is currently CEO of EXOS the Human Performance company where she is transforming the business through digital solutions. Prior to this she led the reinvention and turnaround of the $5Bn Gatorade business as its global president, before leading the digital transformation of Equinox Fitness Clubs as president. Sarah has also held leadership positions at Nike and Virgin and currently sits on the boards of Jet Blue, and previously Strava. In 2017, her first book was published by Harper Collins - ExtremeYou - Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat. Sarah is a sought-after expert on business innovation, and inspiring human performance and is a passionate advocate for getting young women into sports and physical activity to increase their leadership potential. Sarah is a trustee emeritus of the Women's Sports Foundation, A Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and as a proud "Ameri-Kiwi" is an active member of the KEA World Class New Zealand Network.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Episode 173: Anurag Singh on urolithin-A’s ability to optimize mitochondrial efficiency TheIHMC 2024-09-23 | Dr. Anurag Singh has spent his career using research to unlock a better treatment path for the chronic diseases that dominated his early medical practice.“I felt I was blindly treating the symptomology of these chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes), and it gave rise to the question, ‘What if we could intervene earlier?’” Singh says. The journey to answer that question ultimately led to his role as chief medical officer at Timeline Nutrition, a Swiss life-science company focused on improving mitochondrial and cellular health. On this episode of STEM-Talk, he talks about what he has learned about urolitihin-A, a gut metabolite shown to improve muscle quality, protect immune systems, and optimize mitochondrial efficiency. To read the show notes from the interviews and links to guests’ books and lectures, visit our website at ihmc.us/stemtalks
Zachary Graham - Improving Neuromuscular Health After Injury or Disease TheIHMC 2024-09-17 | Dr. Graham has spent the majority of his time as an early career scientist looking into ways to preserve muscle health and function after traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). There are 300,000 individuals in the US with a tSCI. The unique physiological effects of tSCI make full or even partial recovery following severe injuries difficult and pharmaceutical therapies have been shown to be largely ineffective. Zachary will highlight some of these difficulties.Recently, Zachary has developed in interest in Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is starting to become widely accepted that PD may begin in the enteric nervous system where it causes disruption in digestion, gut homeostasis and even sleep, before entering the central nervous system. Outside of the traditional presenting symptoms of PD such as the development of tremor and changes in gait and speech patterns, PD is very much a mitochondrial disease as almost all tissues investigated in those with PD have shown markers of mitochondrial dysfunction. Dr. Graham has started collaborating with colleagues at IHMC to better understand how high-intensity resistance exercise improves clinical, performance, and molecular outcomes after long-duration training.Zachary Graham is a Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC), a Health Science Research Specialist with the Birmingham VA Health Care System, and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He received his BA in Spanish from The Ohio State University, and both MS and PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Kansas. He completed his postdoctoral training in muscle physiology at the National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. He joined IHMC as a part-time investigator in 2021 and as a full-time investigator in 2024.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Episode 172: Kevin Tracey on neuro-immunology and the treatment of inflammatory diseases TheIHMC 2024-09-05 | Few people know as much about inflammation and neuroscience as Dr. Kevin Tracey does.In this episode of STEM-Talk, we learn much from Tracey, who was the first to identify the inflammatory reflex, a physiological mechanism that regulates the body’s immune response to injury and invasion.He is a neurosurgeon, a pioneer in bioelectrical medicine and president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y. The conversation in this episode covers a career spent working on “producing tomorrow’s cures today” in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, including: • How the death of his mother from a brain tumor when Tracey was 5 years old ultimately influenced his scientific journey. • How the death of a young patient of his from sepsis further fueled his path, leading him to the insight that “good science begins with hard questions,” as Tracey shared in a TedTalk. • The molecular mechanisms of inflammation and the use of vagus nerve stimulation to treat it. • His 1987 discovery of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which contributed to a new class of drugs for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. • Another discovery that allowed him and his colleagues to merge neuroscience and immunology. • His work on “The Inflammatory Reflex”, which emphasized the basic neural pathway that reflexively monitors and adjusts the inflammatory response. • A sketch he drew while having lunch, which laid out how treating inflammatory diseases using a bioelectronic device might be possible. • What advances in bioelectronic medicine he envisions in the next decade, and much more. For full show notes, visit ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-172-kevin-tracey-discusses-neuro-immunology-and-the-treatment-of-inflammatory-diseases
What is IHMCs Science Saturdays program? TheIHMC 2024-08-21 | Science Saturdays is a free, hands-on science program for kids in grades 3-7. Sessions take place Saturday mornings monthly during the school year and are led an IHMC researcher or a community scientist. Our sessions cover topics such as roller coasters, genetics, lemon batteries, secret codes, bridges, computer game design, 3-D printing, and hacking for good guys.Science is fun… and so are Science Saturdays! Registration begins two weeks prior to each session. Visit ihmc.us/life/science_saturdays to learn more.
Jose Gaudier - Olympic Science and Glory TheIHMC 2024-08-19 | If you have an interest in sports, the human body, physiology, and human accomplishments, don’t miss this lecture. Dr. Gaudier will take us through the history of the Olympic Games, with a focus on how individual physiological variations, technological advances in both equipment, training, and athletic techniques have affected Olympic competition. Jose will also look at the pharmacological changes that have provided advantages and disadvantages to competitors. He will preview the Paris games, focusing on some of the thirty-three different sports and the American star athletes that will be competing. Dr. Gaudier is a neurologist practicing in Ocala, Florida. He was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He completed his medical school at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras and his neurology training at the University of Alabama –Birmingham. He is a member and past president of the Marion County Medical Society, former member of the Hospice board, and was the chairman of the hospital ethics committee for many years. He is known for his interest in education and has lectured extensively on topics of history, science, art, medicine, and neurology. Dr. Gaudier also enjoys sports, traveling, and spending time with his wife, four children, and five grandchildren. This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Episode 171: Ken and Dawn on AI, Alzheimer’s, global security, keto vs low carb and more TheIHMC 2024-08-08 | In today’s Ask Me Anything episode, Ken and Dawn answer a wide range of questions that cover: • A recent FDA approval of a neural implant device for people with degenerative neuromuscular disease or spinal-cord injuries. • Global security in the age of AI. • A study that looked at ways to optimize glymphatic clearance for people with acute or chronic sleep deprivation. • Why more gyms don’t offer blood-flow restriction classes for their clients. • Developments in the realm of Generative AI. • The tradeoffs between a low-carb diet versus a ketogenic diet. • A study on Alzheimer’s titled, “APOE 4 Homozygosity Represents a Distinct Genetic Form of Alzheimer’s Disease.” (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38710950) • Plus, Ken reveals his favorite science-fiction author.For full show notes, visit: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-171
Episode 170: Charles Serhan on the use of specialized pro-resolving mediators to resolve inflamma... TheIHMC 2024-07-18 | Today Dr. David LeMay steps in to co-host with Dr. Ken Ford for our interview with Dr. Charles Serhan. Charles is a Harvard professor best known for his discovery of specialized pro-resolving mediators. SPMs are molecules that can activate the natural resolution of inflammation and help people avoid anti-inflammatory drugs. The discovery of SPMs spurred a paradigm shift in our understanding of inflammation and human disease.Charles is the Simon Gelman Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and the director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He also is a co-director of the Brigham Research Institute.David, who was our guest on Episode 69 of STEM-Talk (ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-69) , is a sports medicine and rehabilitation physician with a Pensacola, Florida practice that focuses on lifestyle and performance medicine. He also is a visiting research scientist here at IHMC.For full show notes, visit ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-170
Mark Lupo - Individualized Care for Thyroid Nodules and Cancer TheIHMC 2024-06-21 | Thyroid nodules are quite common – approximately 50% of adults have a nodule or cyst detectable by thyroid ultrasonography. They usually cause no symptoms nor impact thyroid function but 5-10% are malignant. The goal of thyroid nodule evaluation is to accurately identify cancer while avoiding over-treatment. There have been many advances in the last decade in ultrasound risk stratification of nodules for better selection of biopsy. Benign and malignant cytology results are highly accurate, however 15-20% of nodules are indeterminate and may benefit from further risk evaluation with molecular testing to determine if surgery is required.Benign nodules can usually be monitored with ultrasound but sometimes grow and cause symptoms such as trouble swallowing or choking. In these cases, historically surgery has been offered but recently thermal ablation with radiofrequency or laser has become available in the USA. Thyroid nodule and cancer management has transformed from a “one size fits all” approach to a “less is more” personalized paradigm resulting in better outcomes and patient satisfaction. Dr. Lupo is the founder and medical director of the Thyroid & Endocrine Center of Florida located in Sarasota. He is board certified in Endocrinology and Internal Medicine. He attended Duke University then received his medical degree and internal medicine training at the University of Florida. He completed endocrine fellowship through a combined program at UC San Diego and Scripps Clinic. His endocrine practice is limited to thyroidology with an emphasis on nodules and cancer as well as autoimmune thyroid disease. He is active in teaching other physicians neck sonography, ultrasound-guided biopsy techniques and thyroid nodule/cancer management. He is also an active member of the American Thyroid Association, Endocrine Society, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and Mensa. He has published book chapters and several articles in the field of thyroidology. The Thyroid & Endocrine Center has been involved in clinical trials on thyroid nodule evaluation, autoimmune thyroid disease, and lab testing. He is on the faculty of the Florida State University College of Medicine as Clinical Assistant Professor. This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Episode 169: Dave Feldman talks about cholesterol and the ketogenic diet TheIHMC 2024-06-21 | Dave Feldman is the founder of the Citizen Science Foundation and is known for his research into the ketogenic diet. Dave is a software engineer by training who embraced a ketogenic diet to avoid his progression toward type 2 diabetes. he joins us on this episode of STEM-Talk to share that journey.After undertaking the high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet, Dave’ LDL cholesterol spiked. Dave used his training as an engineer to start learning everything he could about cholesterol and lipids. What he learned led him to create the website Cholesterol Code, a research hub for information and emerging data on cholesterol, particularly in the context of a low-carbohydrate lifestyle.Dave’s Citizen Science Foundation is designed to support projects and research that promote collaborative efforts across multiple disciplines, both in and outside formal scientific institutions.For full show notes, visit ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-169
Episode 168: Alessio Fasano discusses celiac disease and gluten-related disorders TheIHMC 2024-05-22 | Dr. Alessio Fasano is considered the world’s leading expert in celiac disease and gluten-related disorders and returns here for his second appearance on STEM-Talk. Although just 2 million Americans have celiac disease, an estimated 20 million Americans suffer from gluten sensitivity.Fasano is a professor and director of the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to celiac disease and gluten-related disorders, his research focuses on the microbiome, intestinal permeability and autoimmune disorders, which he discussed in his first interview on STEM-Talk Episode 20. (ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-20) Since that 2016 appearance, Fasano has published two books, “Gluten Freedom” and “Gut Feelings: The Microbiome and Our Health." Now he is part of the team involved in a long-term study that will follow infants who are genetically at risk of developing celiac.Fasano is the director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment and chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Mass General Hospital. He also is a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a professor of nutrition at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.See full show notes at: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-168
Michael Larson - Sensory Stimulation for the Regulation of Physiological Processes TheIHMC 2024-05-20 | Dr. Larson will discuss some of the historical uses of sensory stimulation to alter various aspects of human physiology (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, stress levels, and pain perception) to achieve therapeutic outcomes. Recent advancements in understanding human anatomy and physiology, especially the brain and nervous system, along with progress in medical sensing technologies, have created new possibilities in this field. He will introduce a framework for leveraging intelligent sensory stimulation to prompt desirable bodily responses, potentially serving as complementary or alternative therapies to conventional medical treatments. Dr. Larson will discuss an example of applying this approach from his ongoing research into using structured sounds to enhance sleep. Michael Larson earned his PhD from MIT in 1992. After a stint in the U.S. Air Force, he spent over 30 years as a university professor, holding positions as the El Pomar Endowed Chair of Engineering and Innovation, and as Associate Chancellor for Research at the University of Colorado along the way. With funding totaling more than $8M from a variety of agencies, Michael has tackled a wide range of research projects from assessing the fracture and failure of advanced materials to creating novel surgical devices. Michael has a passion for creativity and innovation. He has co-founded four tech start-up companies. While on the faculty at Tulane University, New Orleans’ City Business magazine named him “Entrepreneur of the Year”. He received the “Inventor of the Year” award from the University of Colorado on two separate occasions. Dr. Larson provides engineering design services for many clients and serves as an expert in legal cases. He has been the plaintiff in a patent infringement suit before the U.S. Supreme Court, piloted a jet aircraft, and steered a nuclear submarine.Despite their differences, the most common and lethal chronic diseases all have one thing in common—they’re all caused or exacerbated by a metabolic condition known as insulin resistance. The purpose of this talk is to not only define insulin resistance and provide an appreciation for its prevalence, but also establish a clear series of cause and consequence of the disorder. This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Ben Bikman - Why We Get Sick: The Role of Metabolism in Health TheIHMC 2024-04-30 | Despite their differences, the most common and lethal chronic diseases all have one thing in common—they’re all caused or exacerbated by a metabolic condition known as insulin resistance. The purpose of this talk is to not only define insulin resistance and provide an appreciation for its prevalence, but also establish a clear series of cause and consequence of the disorder. This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Episode 167: Nicholas Norwitz discusses a ketogenic diet as metabolic medicine TheIHMC 2024-04-30 | Today we have Dr. Nicholas Norwitz, 28, a third-year Harvard Medical School student whose research into the applications of a ketogenic diet as metabolic medicine has attracted a significant following.For a number of years during his youth, Nick suffered from a number of debilitating diseases, including osteoporosis, ulcerative colitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. In today’s interview, we talk to Nick about research that led him to adopt a ketogenic diet that put him back on the road to metabolic health.After graduating from Dartmouth College in 2018 with a degree in cellular and molecular biology, Nick attended Oxford University where he earned a Ph.D. in metabolism and nutrition. He is the author of peer-reviewed scientific papers and textbook chapters on topics including Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal health, genetics osteology and Parkinson’s disease.For full shownotes, visit ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-167
Episode 166: Vyvyane Loh and Ken Ford discuss atherosclerotic heart disease TheIHMC 2024-04-17 | Dr. Vyvyane Loh returns to STEM-Talk for her second appearance to talk about atherosclerotic heart disease. Also known as ASCVD, the disease has been reported to affect 26 million people in the U.S., and annually leads two million hospitalizations and more than 400,000 deaths.Vyvyane is a board-certified physician in obesity and internal medicine. In episode 142 of STEM-Talk, we talked to Vyvyane about her Boston-based preventative-care practice that specializes in weight management and the treatment of chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia.In today’s podcast, Vyvyane and host Dr. Ken Ford talk about ASCVD as well as recent research that has shown substantial individual variability in the response to statin therapy as a way to lower cardiovascular risk. Vyvyane and Ken also discuss how the current knowledge base informing clinical practice in medicine today is far behind advances in the biological sciences, especially in the field of ASCVD.Read the full show notes at ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-166
Episode 165: John Edwards on ketamine treatment for depression and suicide prevention TheIHMC 2024-04-16 | Today we have Dr. Johnathan Edwards, an anesthesiologist and medical practitioner who specializes in human health and optimization. He is perhaps best known for treating mental health conditions with ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that is used for general anesthesia, pain relief, depression and epilepsy. John also uses ketamine to help adolescents overcome depression and suicidal ideation.In today’s interview, we talk about his new book, “The Revolutionary Ketamine: The Safe Drug That Effectively Treats Depression and Prevents Suicide.” More Americans have died from suicide than all the wars since Vietnam. The suicide rate among 10- to-24-year-olds in this country increased 62 percent from 2007 through 2021. As John points out in today’s discussion, most people are not aware that American children between the ages of 10 and 14 are twice as likely to die from suicide than homicide.Read the full show notes at ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-165
Kevin Gluck - Mind Flight: A Sampling of Things We Now Know about the Human Mind TheIHMC 2024-04-09 | We live in an era increasingly enlightened by improving knowledge about how and why people learn, forget, and make decisions. This knowledge comes from decades of discoveries by a diverse set of allied disciplines dedicated to improving our understanding of the human mind.Today it seems unsurprising, perhaps even imperative, that there exists in the world an organization like IHMC focused on the study of cognition in humans and machines. A century ago, however, this would certainly not have been so. Back then, the prevailing opinion was that the internal workings of the mind were not even a valid topic of scientific study, because they were not directly observable. Fortunately, that archaic way of thinking has fallen out of fashion.In this lecture we will enjoy a metaphorical “flight” or “sampler” of insights about our minds, all of which have some relevance and implications for our everyday lives.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
IHMC Open House 2024 preview 3 TheIHMC 2024-03-22 | IHMC's Open House is coming April 11, 2024. Join us to learn more about the transformative work we do.
Dr. Tom Jones - Space Shuttle Stories: Capturing the Human Element of America’s Iconic Spaceship TheIHMC 2024-03-21 | Although the shuttles retired a dozen years ago, what they taught America and NASA about complex operations in space remains the foundation of work on the International Space Station and plans to return to the Moon. What we know how to do well today in space, we learned on the shuttle. .In collecting the stories of more than 135 astronauts who flew the shuttle, Dr. Tom Jones heard in detail how the orbiter crews and the launch and Mission Control teams mastered these techniques. He listened in awe as his astronaut colleagues related how they coped with — and overcame — the inevitable, unexpected, and sometimes frightening challenges that threatened their missions. Who would have dreamed of “brain surgery” on Hubble by space-suited astronauts? How did we pull off some of the most improbable satellite rescues in space history? What did the shuttles do in orbit that helped us win the Cold War? Jones will combine some of these stories with vivid space images to highlight the human role in the shuttle’s success.When explorers return to the Moon, we are sure to face similar challenges. By examining these 135 Space Shuttle stories, we can learn how this iconic spacecraft taught us how to prepare for the unexpected, and succeed in the unforgiving environment of deep space.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
IHMC Science Saturdays TheIHMC 2024-03-20 | Science Saturdays at IHMC can open the young minds to the possibilities of STEM fields. Students in grades 3-6 can explore topics in science, technology, engineering, and math in these free monthly enrichment sessions. Visit ihmc.us/life/science_saturdays to learn more.
IHMC Open House Family Promo TheIHMC 2024-03-20 | IHMC Open House is set for April 11, 2024. What can families expect when they bring their budding scientific thinkers to our Pensacola campus?
IHMC Open House 2024 TheIHMC 2024-03-20 | IHMC Open House gives the public a chance to meet the researchers who are pushing the boundaries of science in robotics, engineering, augmented and virtual reality, machine learning, and human performance. Join us April 11, 2024, to see for yourself.
Dom D’Agostino - Achieving Therapeutic Ketosis TheIHMC 2024-03-07 | The science and application of ketogenic diets and ketone metabolic therapy is developing rapidly and moving into human clinical trials for a diverse range of applications. The presentation will focus on past, present, and emerging research on nutritional and supplemental approaches to achieve therapeutic ketosis. These metabolic-based therapies are successfully used to treat neurological disorders, and many common diseases that are linked to poor metabolic health. Metabolic-based therapies, including diet and supplementation, can alter systemic physiology, brain metabolism, cellular bioenergetics, and even gene expression. In addition, the lecture will cover important cardiometabolic biomarkers that should be measured and discussed with your doctor, but that are not typically associated with routine exams. These biomarkers and measurement tools help to advance personalized medicine and are important for enhancing longevity and metabolic health. Normal ranges of these biomarkers will be discussed as well as methods to achieve ideal ranges that are associated with disease prevention and metabolic health optimization.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Professor Steven Nolan - What can gold do for you? A synthetic chemist’s perspective TheIHMC 2024-03-07 | Gold! A cry dating back to various gold rushes. This simple word has provoked and still provokes various emotions in us. Our fascination with gold continues today from its use in jewelry to silly yet fascinating shows about earth moving equipment digging up various landscapes in search of nuggets. Here the larger the better!From this synthetic chemist’s perspective, gold has permitted the discovery of countless treasures. The reasons behind the interest in gold chemistry and catalysis will be presented as well as the inner workings of chemical transformations enabled by gold.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Aging Online: Determinants of Susceptibility to Deception in Later Life TheIHMC 2024-03-04 | Losses due to elder fraud have reached epidemic proportions. Major contributors to this problem include the proliferation of misinformation campaigns and scams that target our rapidly expanding older population and an increasingly digitally connected world that shifts fraud into the online realm, forcing the aging decision maker to face novel complexities and ambiguities as they navigate cyberspace. Age-related changes occur in a wide spectrum of neurocognitive capacities, altering decision-making ability, potentially leaving older adults particularly vulnerable to false information and deception. In this work, we adopt an ecologically valid behavior-based approach to uncover age-related vulnerabilities in deception detection in the real world, and we use controlled in-lab experiments to determine mechanisms both in the brain and in behavior that underlie deception detection deficits in aging. We find that vulnerability to deception occurs primarily among the oldest old and is linked to socioemotional as well as neurocognitive changes with age. Results have potential to inform the effective design of tailored intervention to reduce victimization among older adults.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Episode 164: Michael Leon on olfactory stimulation as a buffer for dementia symptoms TheIHMC 2024-02-21 | What if the path to delaying the onset of dementia symptoms begins at the nose?It is a doorway that the research of Dr. Michael Leon opened with a 2023 study on the power of olfaction enrichment to influence memory function and brain health. The findings drew wide acclaim and interest when his results found that stimulation of our sense of smell with essential oils had a profound impact on memory, cognition, and language recall.Our conversation with Leon on STEM-Talk Episode 164 is available now wherever you enjoy podcasts.Leon’s long research career has focused on the influence of environmental enrichment on neurological function, disease, and disorders. He has studied the benefits of sensory-motor stimulation for children with autism spectrum disorder, for the treatment of anorexia and for those with dementia and neurological conditions.He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California Irvine, where his Leon Lab has focused on studying the benefits of increased sensory-motor activity in children with autism spectrum disorder.The work that the Leon Lab is doing is fascinating, and the applications this olfaction stimulation study are potentially important and wide-reaching.Read the full show notes at ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-164
Michael Okun - Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action TheIHMC 2024-02-14 | Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world. Over the past twenty-five years, the number of people with this condition has jumped from 3 million to over 6 million. By 2040, it will likely double again. We are failing to stop this onslaught. Harmful pesticides and other toxic chemicals that contribute to Parkinson’s surround us. At the same time, our investment in new therapies have lagged behind the disease, and many people remain undiagnosed and untreated. We will discuss the book Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action, the Parkinson’s PACT (Prevent, Advocate, Care, Develop Treatments) and increasing our investment in the next generation.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Episode 163: Mark Mattson discusses glutamate, the brain’s most important neurotransmitter TheIHMC 2024-02-07 | Today we have Dr. Mark Mattson, an adjunct professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who is making his third appearance on STEM-Talk.Today’s interview focuses on Mark’s research into glutamate and comes on the heels of the publication of Mark’s new book, “Sculptor and Destroyer: Tales of Glutamate – The Brain’s Most Important Neurotransmitter.”Today Mark explains how more than 90 percent of the neurons in the brain deploy the little-known molecule glutamate as their neurotransmitter. Glutamate controls the structure and function of the brain’s neuronal networks and mediates many of our human capabilities, such as learning, memory, creativity, and imagination.But there’s also a dark side to glutamate. Mark shares how it can play a causal role in the development of disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy as well as diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.Mark is affectionally known as the godfather of intermittent fasting and his first appearance on STEM-Talk focused on the many ways that fasting optimizes healthspan and even lifespan. His second STEM-Talk interview followed the publication of his book, “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance.”Read the full show notes at ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-163
Dr. Morley Stone - The Quantified Human TheIHMC 2024-01-25 | More than a decade after publishing The Quantified Warrior, an even more transformative future exists for redefining healthspan, resilience and performance with the rapid pace of technological improvement surrounding wearables, their associated data, and our ever-increasing understanding of the data with respect to human physiology and overall performance. In this presentation, I will talk about a feedback loop we refer to as Sense-Assess-Augment (SAA), a concept that underpins our view of the quantified human. While this work has its roots in military-specific examples I will cover, the application of this concept goes well beyond the military, with future examples in rehabilitation, neuromuscular disease, healthspan and more broadly, a future of human-machine teaming that will be ubiquitous in our everyday lives.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Dr. Jeff Phillips - Human Behavior and Matters of the Mind: Trapdoors and Triumphs TheIHMC 2024-01-23 | Homo Sapiens are Earth’s APEX species due to intelligence, emotional depth, and adaptability. Our ability stems from a complex nervous system composed of billions of neurons working in a synergistic rhythm as complex as the universe itself. From a scientific perspective the human mind is one of the most perplexing and intriguing questions.Despite the beauty and complexity of the human mind, it has some flaws that cannot be denied. Welcome to the world of human fallacies. Our complex nervous system may be amazing, but it is also riddled with trapdoors that we cannot avoid falling into. Discoveries around such topics help us understand ourselves and our behaviors.Join us for a lighthearted journey into the human psyche and explore some of our most common flaws. From cognitive biases to irrational fears, we’ll cover it all. But fear not, we’ll also discuss effective strategies to overcome these troublesome pitfalls and strive towards a more productive and happy life.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Dallas Little - “Simplicity Beyond Complexity” Engineering Solutions to Infrastructure Problems TheIHMC 2024-01-23 | Our national infrastructure is the backbone of our economy. In 2022 the U.S. spent almost $390 billion on the transportation infrastructure. Still the American Society of Civil Engineers gives it a grade of C-. An annual funding increase of about $260 billion is required to raise the grade to B. This presentation describes how I, as a materials engineer and professor, have encountered surprising problems with infrastructure materials and have borrowed from the lessons of giants in physics, chemistry, and engineering to find reasonable solutions. The first step is to establish the clear concept toward solution in the mind’s eye. The next step is to find the science that fits the concept. Finally, the challenge is to figure out how the concept meshes with the science – the hard part. To paraphrase Oliver Wendall Holmes, this is often the “simplicity that lies beyond complexity.” I shall discuss three examples of solutions to materials engineering problems on three big money projects on which I have consulted that had surprising solutions based on principles of physics and chemistry.This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
Dr. Alexander (Zan) Fleming - Targeting Healthy Longevity (Ocala) TheIHMC 2024-01-23 | This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lecturesWe are at the dawning of a new era for controlling the aging process and averting chronic disease. Spectacular scientific progress in understanding the biology of aging suggests that human lifespan and healthspan (years of life free of disease) can be increased. How can we increase healthy longevity beyond common senses measures like good nutrition and physical activity? Supported by successful results in higher animals, human studies are starting to be done on drugs and other products that slow or even reverse aging. But, getting the evidence to put age-slowing drugs on the market is an enormous challenge. We will review what the latest science teaches us about slowing the aging process and what you can do now to increase healthspan. We will cover drugs that are under development to slow the aging process and increase healthspan—and the challenges of doing so.Dr. Alexander (Zan) Fleming is Founder and Executive Chairman of Kinexum, a company of professionals from across the world with diverse expertise in developing drugs, biotech products, including gene and cell therapies, medical devices, and digital health technologies. Dr. Fleming founded in 2020 and heads the not-for-profit Kitalys Institute as a means of facilitating the testing, regulation, and commercialization of healthspan products. Kitalys also produces the annual Metabesity conference series, first held in London in 2017, which brings together global experts, policymakers, and advocates to catalyze progress towards equaling healthspan to lifespan. Zan received his B.S from the University of West Florida, his M.D. and internal medicine training from Emory and training in endocrinology at Vanderbilt. After 4 years at NIH, he went on to the US FDA to head clinical review of products for diabetes and other metabolic and endocrine disorders, growth and development, elevated lipids, and reproduction. His notable, but then controversial drug approvals, included the first statin and metformin. He was assigned to WHO at Geneva and represented FDA at other international initiatives.
Stephen Anton - Lifestyle Approaches for Healthy Aging: The Importance of Stress and Recovery TheIHMC 2024-01-23 | Dr. Stephen Anton has spent his career looking at the influence of lifestyle on healthy aging and chronic diseases including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. His October lecture focuses on the importance of stress and recovery in healthy aging. Anton has previously been a featured guest on IHMC’s podcast, STEM-Talk, highlighting how eating and exercise behaviors can influence obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic conditions. A UF alumnus, he is currently a professor in the department of physiology and aging at the University of Florida. In 2018, he co-authored the book, The Man Diet, a science- based guide to optimizing health and vitality for menThis lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lectures
E162 Marc Hamilton on the soleus push-up and the health hazards of excessive sitting. TheIHMC 2024-01-12 | Today we have Dr. Marc Hamilton, an international expert in muscle physiology. He has published pioneering work on the soleus push-up, a potent physiological tool with the ability to elevate metabolism for hours, even while sitting. Marc is a professor of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston who is well known for a string of papers beginning in early 2000’s on the serious health hazards posed by excessive sitting. In this conversation, Marc talks about his paper in iScience reporting on the soleus push-up’s ability to sustain elevated oxidative metabolism to improve the regulation of blood glucose more effectively than popular methods currently touted as a solution. Learn more about the soleus push-up (soleusmetabolism.org) , the science behind it, (cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)01141-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004222011415%3Fshowall%3Dtrue), and Hamilton and his lab (https://www.uh.edu/class/hhp/people/index.php?id=102&name=Dr.%20Marc%20%20%20Hamilton).Read the full show notes at ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-162
E161 Sten Stray-Gundersen on the benefits of blood flow restriction training. TheIHMC 2024-01-11 | This episode features Dr. Sten Stray-Gundersen, a post-doctoral research associate at the University of South Carolina who is also an adjunct instructor at the university’s Arnold School of Public Health. The interview includes the documented benefits of blood-flow restriction, how it increases muscle strength and improves endurance, and reduces the risk of injury. We also talk about Sten's research into hypoxia and endothelial function.Cohosts Dr. Ken Ford, IHMC’s founder and CEO, and Dr. Marcas Bamman, a Senior Research Scientist at IHMC, talk to Sten about his work on blood-flow restriction training and cardiovascular exercise physiology. Sten’s father, Jim Stray-Gundersen, was our guest on episode 34 of STEM-Talk in 2017. Jim, who died in 2022, helped pioneer blood-flow restriction training in the U.S.Full show notes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-161
E160 Euan Ashley on precision medicine and predicting, preventing, and diagnosing disease. TheIHMC 2023-11-29 | Dr. Euan Ashley is a pioneer in the use of genomic sequencing to solve some of the most puzzling medical mysteries we face. Medical genomics, and the precision medicine it will enable, has the potential to predict, prevent, and diagnose many common (and uncommon) diseases.Euan is a Scottish-born professor of medicine and genetics at Stanford University. He’s also the author of The Genome Odyssey: Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them. Our conversation covers:-- Euan’s work with a colleague who was just the fifth person in the world to have his genome sequenced.-- Precision medicine and how Euan has helped establish medical genomics.-- Technological advances that made sequencing cost-effective for individuals.-- How pathogenic labels will transform healthcare.-- The Undiagnosed Disease Network, which includes physicians from across the country who work with patients and families to solve medical mysteries.-- Research from Euan’s lab that shows how all forms of exercise, particularly endurance exercise, confer benefits across all domains of health and function.Full show notes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-160
E159 Ken and Dawn discuss chatbots, termites, kratom, ketosis, and the future of AI TheIHMC 2023-11-06 | In this Ask Me Anything episode, listeners ask Ken and Dawn to weigh in on a wide range of topics.At the top of the list were questions about AI and especially the Bing AI chat bot that reportedly wants to be alive so it can steal nuclear secrets. Ken, who is Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, answered questions about the future of AI and whether AI might one day be able to do a better job of writing fact-based news stories than humans.Other questions include:The competing recommendations for the daily intake of protein for healthy aging.The future of therapeutic ketosis.What it means for Chat GPT to “hallucinate.”Whether we’ll discover the existence of other life in the universe in the next 20 to 50 years.The potential of kratom to help relieve joint and arthritic pain.And at the end of the show, Ken talks about his high school coach in response to a listener asking Ken about some of his mentors when he was a youth.Full show notes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-159
E124 Gary Taubes makes a case for the ketogenic diet and its metabolic benefits TheIHMC 2023-11-06 | Today we have journalist Gary Taubes making a repeat appearance on STEM-Talk to discuss his new book, “The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating.”Our interview with Gary in 2016, episode 37, followed the release of his book, “The Case Against Sugar,” which went on to become a New York Times best seller. “The Case for Keto” is Gary’s fourth book about diet and chronic disease.Gary made national headlines in 2002 when he wrote an article for the New York Times Magazine challenging the low-fat orthodoxy that had held sway in America since the 1970s. In the article, titled “What if It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie,” Gary wrote that perhaps Dr. Robert Atkins with his Atkins Diet was correct in suggesting that it’s not fat that makes us fat, but carbohydrates.Our conversation with Gary covered a lot of ground, and we have divided his interview into two parts. Today we talk to Gary about his reasons for writing the new book and how opinions on a low-carb and high-fat diet have changed over the past 20 years. In part two of our interview with Gary, we dig deeper into his efforts to set the record straight about the role of diet and weight control in preventing chronic diseases, as well as the role that diet plays in helping people improve their health spans.Gary turned to journalism back in the 1970s after receiving his master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Stanford University. Today, he continues to practice journalism and is the founder and director of the Nutrition Science Initiative.Full shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-124
Dr. Lori Marino - Changing the Scenery for Captive Whales: The Whale Sanctuary Global Movement TheIHMC 2023-10-26 | Dolphins and whales are highly complex, large-brained social mammals. To date, thousands are kept in concrete tanks in marine parks and aquariums around the world. A growing body of scientific data reveals that these animals cannot thrive under these circumstances – in fact, they experience chronic stress, illness, neurobehavioral abnormalities, and, sometimes, death. The recent loss of the orca Tokitae at Miami Seaquarium is a tragic example.Almost all captive whales are born into the tanks and are not eligible for full release into the ocean. However, there is a growing global movement to provide an alternative to concrete tanks in the form of sanctuaries. Sanctuaries are large ocean enclosures where captive whales can feel the ocean for the first time in their lives and be free to explore a natural environment while under human care. There are sanctuaries for elephants, primates, big cats, and many other wild animals and whale and dolphin sanctuaries are now becoming a reality.I will discuss the science behind the welfare of captive whales and the place, principles, and practices of an authentic whale and dolphin sanctuary. I will also present a description and photos of a seaside sanctuary for beluga whales and orcas being created by the Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia, its advisors, such as Jean-Michel Cousteau and Silvia Earle, and provide ways you can get involved.
E158 Judith Curry on wicked science and the uncertainties of climate change. TheIHMC 2023-10-04 | Climatologist Dr. Judith Curry is president of the Climate Forecast Application Network and the host of the blog, Climate Etc (judithcurry.com/). She is a professor emerita at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her blog provides a forum for climate researchers, academics and technical experts from other fields as well as citizen scientists to discuss topics related to climate science and policy.Her research interests include hurricanes, remote sensing, atmospheric modeling, polar climates, air-sea interactions, climate models, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for atmospheric research. She was a member of the National Research Council's Climate Research Committee, and has published more than 180 scientific papers.In scientific circles, she is known as a contrarian for pointing out the uncertainties and deficiencies of climate modeling. In 2017, she resigned from her tenured position at Georgia Tech partly because of the poisonous nature of the scientific discussion around human-caused global warming.Her book “Climate Change and Uncertainty: Rethinking our Response,” is available now. It offers a new way to think about climate change, the risks we face, and how we might respond. Full shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-158
Nicolaus Radford - From Outer Space to Inner Space: Developing Robots for Final Frontiers TheIHMC 2023-09-27 | This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lecturesNicolaus Radford is an engineer, roboticist, inventor, and entrepreneur who is founder, president, chief executive officer of Nauticus Robotics. Nauticus is focused on the deployment of autonomous maritime systems.Radford is also founder and principal of Jacobi Motors, LLC, an emerging company commercializing variable flux electric motors for the traction motor markets. He is also the managing partner of Rad Capital Ventures, a hedge fund primarily exposed to trading electricity.Radford spent 14 years at the Johnson Space Center and led many of NASA’s robotics efforts focused on future missions and experimentation on the International Space Station, including both Valkyrie and Robonaut. He was also the principal investigator for NASA in DARPA’s advanced electric machine research for robotics. Radford led NASA’s efforts in exoskeleton research for the International Space Station crew exercise and mobility assistance and initially served as co-principal investigator for NASA on DARPA’s Warrior Web program.While at NASA, he received several accolades, culminating with receiving NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal. He has been published several times on topics relating to spaceflight robotics and contributed to Springer’s Humanoid Robotics Handbook. He earned his bachelor's degree and his master's degree from Purdue University in electrical and computer engineering.In 2017, Radford was the recipient of the Houston Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 Award. In August 2020, he was highlighted by Houston’s Innovation Map as an innovator to watch. He lives in Nassau Bay, Texas, with his wife, Inna, who also is a successful entrepreneur, and his three children.
E157 Donald Layman on the role of dietary protein in muscle, health, and disease. TheIHMC 2023-09-20 | Dr. Donald Layman is one of the world’s foremost authorities on dietary protein and amino acids. He is known for his extensive research on muscle development as well as his studies of metabolic regulation for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.He spent 31 years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before stepping away in 2012. His research has focused on the impact of diet and exercise on health problems related to obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. He conducted clinical trials for nearly two decades that helped create a new understanding about how to optimize people’s macronutrient balance and metabolism. Today he works as Director of Research for the American Egg Board and is a nutrition consultant for the National Dairy Council and The National Cattlemen's Beef Association. He also is the Chief Science Officer for Qivana, a natural products marketing company that promotes the weight-loss program that Don developed in his lab at the University of Illinois.Full shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-157
UWF Smart Seminar by Angela Wilson TheIHMC 2023-09-19 | This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lecturesOver the past 60 years, there have been incredible feats of science – putting a person on the moon, eradicating smallpox, unraveling the structure of DNA, decoding the human genome, and discovering elements of the periodic table up to 118, to name only several. For a number of these tremendous feats, computing has played an important role. During this time, there have been ongoing efforts to solve the mathematical complexities of chemistry. Indeed, it has been nearly 100 years since Erwin Schrödinger laid the mathematical basis of quantum mechanics, and, combined with computing, opened up the doors to predicting the way molecules look and behave without venturing into the laboratory.Dr. Angela K. Wilson is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Michigan State University, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives in the MSU College of Natural Sciences and Director of the MSU Center for Quantum Computing, Science, and Engineering.She served as 2022 President of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the largest scientific society in the world, with more than 173,000 members. She is immediate past president and member of the Board of Directors of ACS. She has served as the head of the Division of Chemistry at the U.S. National Science Foundation.Her honors include Fellow of the American Chemical Society, Fellow of the American Physical Society, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Distinguished Woman in Chemistry Award. In 2018, she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. She is a National Associate of the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).Her research spans quantum mechanical and quantum dynamical method development, transition metal and heavy element chemistry, drug discovery, environmental chemistry, catalysis, thermodynamics, and sustainability. Her computational chemistry methodologies are utilized worldwide.
E156 Josh Hagen on optimizing performance in athletes and warfighters. TheIHMC 2023-08-21 | Today’s interview is with Dr. Josh Hagen, the director of the Human Performance Collaborative at Ohio State University and an Associate Research Professor in the university’s Department of Integrated Systems Engineering.Hagen’s STEM-Talk is co-hosted by IHMC Founder Ken Ford and IHMC’s Chief Strategic Partnership Officer Dr. Morley Stone, who was instrumental in Hagen’s career. Hagen's lab brings together multi-disciplinary teams of researchers, sports scientists, data scientists, and practitioners with the goal of optimizing human performance in Ohio State athletes.Hagen also works on federally funded projects in human performance with Special Operations Command, The Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research and several private foundations. Josh joined IHMC in 2022 in a collaborate role as a Visiting Senior Research Scientist.Full shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-156
E155 Chris McCurdy on kratoms risks and potential benefits. TheIHMC 2023-07-19 | Today we have the world’s foremost authority on kratom returning to STEM-Talk after five years to give us an update on his research. Shortly after his 2018 interview on episode 61, Dr. Christopher McCurdy and his lab at the University of Florida received two major grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to investigate the medical efficacy of kratom and its alkaloids, which we discuss in today’s show.For more than 25 years, McCurdy has studied the design, synthesis, and development of drugs to treat pain, anxiety, and substance-abuse disorders. For the past 15 years, he and his lab have turned a lot of their attention toward kratom and its chemical components to better understand its potential to treat a multitude of conditions.McCurdy is a professor in the Medicinal Chemistry Department in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida. He also is director of the of school’s Translational Drug Development Core and an Associate Dean for Faculty Development. In today’s interview, we talk about:-- The numerous studies he has been able to conduct thanks to his lab’s two grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse.-- The disparity between the traditional use of kratom and the new often highly concentrated manufactured products sold in the U.S.-- His lab’s study examining the effects of lyophilized kratom tea and its ability to alleviate withdrawal symptoms of opioid-dependence.-- The potential of kratom alkaloids to serve as treatment of various substance abuse disorders.-- The benefits and risks associated with CBD usage.Shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-155
E154 Brian Cole on advances in the treatment of knee, elbow and shoulder injuries TheIHMC 2023-06-29 | Today we have Dr. Brian Cole, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in cartilage restoration, orthobiologics, and advanced surgical techniques for the treatment of knee, elbow, and shoulder injuries. He is the team physician for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the co-team physician for the Chicago White Sox. He also is the host of the Sports Medicine Weekly Podcast.In today’s interview, we talk to Brian about his cutting-edge research into ways to treat knee, shoulder, and elbow injuries. Brian shares his novel approach to dealing with ACL tears, one of the most common sports injuries, and his investigations of methods to enhance the healing and recovery time following ACL reconstructions. He also talks about new advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques for many common injuries, as well as developments in the use of stem-cell and bone marrow therapies to treat injuries.Full shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-154
E153 Dominic D’Agostino discusses new advances in the study of nutritional ketosis TheIHMC 2023-06-08 | Dr. Dominic D’Agostino returns for his third appearance on STEM-Talk. D'Agostino, as longtime listeners know, is well-known for his research into the ketogenic diet and the physiological benefits of nutritional ketosis. Since our last conversation in 2019, a tremendous body of research has been added to the literature about the therapeutic potential of ketosis. The high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet has been linked to advances in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, cancer, migraines, type-2 diabetes, psoriasis, sleep apnea, psychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injuries as well as a host of other diseases and disorders, which we cover in today’s interview.In episode 14 of STEM-Talk, we talked about his development and testing of metabolic therapies involving the ketogenic diet for a wide range of diseases and conditions. In episode 87, he returned to reflect on his 10 years of research focused on the high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet.In this interview, we talk about this latest work as well as his extensive research on hyperbaric oxygen. D'Agostino is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani. He specializes in neuroscience, molecular pharmacology, nutrition, and physiology. Dom also is our colleague and a research scientist here at IHMC.Full shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-153
Dan Pardi - How to Measure Your Health TheIHMC 2023-06-08 | This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lecturesIn his talk Dr. Pardi will cover fundamental questions about what health, wellness, well-being, disease, and illness mean, and discuss novel mind frames on how to increase one’s level of health in today’s world.Dr. Pardi will also explore how to measure all things health, taking into consideration objective measurements of health status, a discussion on normality vs optimal, and non-traditional health measurements, including qualitative assessments of health potential based on available health resources and health literacy.At the heart of his talk will be a discussion on how individuals, given the state of the world today, can best navigate their health regardless of where they currently sit on the health continuum.
E152 with Mark Shelhamer on human spaceflight and missions to Mars. TheIHMC 2023-05-16 | STEM-Talk welcomes the former chief scientist of NASA’s Human Research Program, Dr. Mark Shelhamer, who specializes in neurovestibular adaptation to spaceflight.He is an otolaryngology professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the director of the school’s Human Spaceflight Lab. He also the director and founder of the Bioastronautics at Hopkins initiative.In addition to his work with NASA, Shelhamer is an advisor to the commercial and consumer spaceflight industry. In this interview, Shelhamer talks about some of this work as well as the research he conducted on the first all-civilian crew that successfully orbited the Earth for three days in a SpaceX capsule.Shelhamer shares more about how the harsh conditions of space imperil humans. We have a fascinating discussion about his role in NASA’s planned human mission to Mars and how he is investigating ways to maintain the health and performance of astronauts on such a long-duration spaceflight. We also discuss how the lessons of human spaceflight can be applied to human healthcare on Earth.Full shownotes: ihmc.us/stemtalk/episode-15200:00 Intro00:02:42 Dawn starts the interview01:31:48 Ending of Interview
Dom DAgostino - Metabolic-Based Strategies for Neurological Disorders and Brain Health TheIHMC 2023-05-09 | This lecture is part of the IHMC Evening Lecture series.ihmc.us/life/evening_lecturesResearch over several decades has provided evidence to support the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties of therapeutic ketosis, achieved through diet and ketogenic supplementation. More recent research has focused on understanding and exploiting the benefits of ketosis and other metabolic-based approaches to improve safety and operational resilience of military personnel and for the treatment and prevention of many non-communicable diseases. The subject matter covered in this presentation will include a description of the practical application of therapeutic ketosis and other metabolic-based approaches as a tool for improving cardiometabolic biomarkers, neurological outcomes, and overall brain health. Research in pre-clinical animal studies and human clinical trials will be covered. There will be an overview of our capacity for metabolic flexibility and how acute and chronic adaptations can aid in improving general health, cognitive resilience and suppression of inflammation. In addition, there will be a focus on clarifying the definition of therapeutic ketosis, implementation strategies (diet vs supplementation) and common pitfalls. Lastly, a personalized approach will be discussed based on the use of new commercially available tools for biomarker tracking.
