The Biorevolution Podcast

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of the scientific process itself. Beyond analyzing data or predicting molecular structures, emerging AI co-scientists can generate hypotheses, critique ideas, search the literature, propose experiments, and interpret results. In lab-in-the-loop approaches, these computational systems are connected with wet-lab experimentation and automation, creating iterative cycles in which models learn from experimental data and suggest what to test next. Recent systems from Google DeepMind, FutureHouse/Edison Scientific, and Stanford s illustrate how quickly this field is developing. Yet questions remain around scientific novelty, data quality, hallucinations, bias, and whether faster science necessarily means better science. With Dr. Thibault Geoui, life-science and AI expert at Zühlke and host of the Tech and Drugs podcast, we discuss the rise of AI co-scientists and self-driving labs, where the real bottlenecks in AI-driven drug discovery lie, and how the role of human scientists may change as AI moves from software tool to scientific collaborator. Find Thibault here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibaultgeoui/ Listen to the Tech and Drugs podcast here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLALYPui2n_zY5D4atXf3KbIcPUSQcWN7-A&si=V5-C6KIIOMpGonI7 Read Thibault’s Newsletter here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7036361021543866369/?displayConfirmation=true Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow 1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10644-y 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10658-6 3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10652-y 4. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/openai-launches-biotech-specific-ai-model-gpt-rosalind 5. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.07.25331008v 6. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02028-5 7. https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.09403 8. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02218-z 9. https://valutric.com/googles-ai-co-scientist-vs-openais-deep-research-vs-perplexitys-deep-research/ 10. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00343-5 11. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02842-3 12. https://sakana.ai/ai-scientist-first-publication/ 13. https://www.wired.com/story/ai-scientist-ubc-lab/ 14. https://research.google/blog/accelerating-scientific-breakthroughs-with-an-ai-co-scientist/ 15. https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.18864 16. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01485-2 17. https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/evaluation-deep-research-performance 18. https://modernsciences.org/openai-deep-research-agent-ai-tool-limitations-february-2025/ 19. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00377-9 20. https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.13740 21. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01684-3 22. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-023-00002-4 23. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10700133/ 24. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09922-y 25. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01551-3

The BioRevolution podcast has now reached 50 episodes. One topic, however, has come up again and again: artificial intelligence. AI is enabling new biotechnologies, driving new business models across biotech, pharma, and MedTech, and even opening new possibilities for enhancing humanity itself. Sixteen of our episodes have focused specifically on AI, and it has also featured prominently in many others. Does AI make us smarter or less capable? Does it make us more productive, or simply more dependent and lazy? Do we still need humans to write and read texts, formulate research hypotheses, and carry out experiments? And how long will it be before we connect our brains directly to the cloud? On the BioRevolution podcast, we have explored these questions from many different angles, together with a wide range of guests. In Episode 50, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow revisit past episodes and discuss how AI will shape the future of biomedicine and biotech. Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

DNA nanotechnology treats DNA not primarily as a carrier of genetic information, but as a programmable material. Based on the predictability of Watson–Crick base pairing, DNA nanotechnology allows researchers to encode specific structural information. DNA origami, in particular, is an interesting approach for reproducibly folding complex two- and three-dimensional DNA nano-objects. The potential of DNA origami structures shows their versatility, from biosensing and diagnostics to drug delivery, biomaterials, DNA data storage, and computing — even though the field is still at a comparatively early stage, with a number of interesting biotechs emerging. With DNA nanotechnology expert and science writer Marco Lolaico, we discuss the fascinating field of DNA nanotechnology, with structures from DNA smileys to DNA bunnies, to movable DNA machines. We ask Marco how big “huge” is through a nanotech lens, and whether we can expect a Nobel Prize for the technology. Find Marco here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-lolaico/ Find his “Plenty of room” newsletter here: https://plentyofroom.beehiiv.com/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow References: 1. Nature Research Intelligence DNA Nanotechnology and Biomedical Applications. https://www.nature.com/research-intelligence/nri-topic-summaries/dna-nanotechnology-and-biomedical-applications-micro-2491 2. Seeman NC. Nucleic acid junctions and lattices. 1982. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/link_gateway/1982JThBi..99..237S/doi:10.1016/0022-5193(82)90002-9 3. Rothemund PWK. Folding DNA to create nanoscale shapes and patterns. 2006. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/link_gateway/2006Natur.440..297R/doi:10.1038/nature04586 4. Seeman NC, Sleiman HF. DNA nanotechnology. 2017. https://www.nature.com/articles/natrevmats201768 5. Zhan P et al. Recent Advances in DNA Origami-Engineered Nanomaterials. 2023. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00028 6. Dunn KE. The Business of DNA Nanotechnology: Commercialization of Origami and Other Technologies. 2020. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/2/377 7. https://plentyofroom.beehiiv.com/p/molecular-hard-drives-dna-origami-rewrites-data-storage 8. Zhang C. Linked data storage using DNA origami nanostructures. 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66274-x 9. https://plentyofroom.beehiiv.com/p/dna-origami-boosts-anti-hiv-antibodies-vaccine-breakthrough 10. Romanov A. DNA origami vaccines program antigen-focused germinal centers. 2026. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx6291

From Biohacking to Healthcare- the growing pain of the Longevity Industry Shownotes the BioRevolution podcast episode 48 For most of human history, “living longer” mainly meant not dying early but this has changed drastically with significantly increased life expectancy in the 20th century. This raises a new question: how can we live longer, individually and as a society, without simply shifting the burden into more years lived with chronic disease? Researchers are increasingly reframing the problem away from purely disease-by-disease fixes and toward the underlying biology of ageing that contributes to multiple conditions, such as cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and metabolic disease. While the field is only beginning to untangle the complex, and likely multifactorial process of aging, a fledgling longevity industry has emerged around various hypotheses of aging mechanisms. The longevity industry spans therapeutics that target ageing-linked mechanisms, biomarkers and “clocks” that aim to measure biological ageing, and delivery models (clinics, digital platforms, consulting) that package measurement and interventions into services. In episode 48 of the BioRevolution podcast, we talk to Niko Hems, Growth Lead of Berlin-based longevity company YEARS and longevity writer and podcaster. Find Niko here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niko-hems/ Find Niko’s “Beyond the Hype” course here: https://beyondthehype.kit.com/niko Find Niko’s podcast “Return on Health” with Miguel Medina here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3UmkL9XmmCGIs3jrxSV9CY?si=a74386952a2940f8 Find YEARS here: https://www.years.co/de Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Sources 1. https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/global-average-life-expectancy-has-more-than-doubled-since-1900 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-024-00702-3 3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39418098/ 4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36599349/ 5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37118377/ 6. https://pharmaphorum.com/news/billionaire-backed-rejuvenation-start-up-altos-labs-launches-operations 7. https://blog.newlimit.com/p/newlimit-raises-130-million-series 8. https://pulse24.ai/news/2025/8/22/20/ai-boosts-cell-rejuvenation 9. https://www.biopharmatrend.com/news/fda-greenlights-first-human-trial-of-epigenetic-rejuvenation-therapy-for-vision-loss-1483/ 10. https://shiftbioscience.com/shift-bioscience-raises-16m-to-advance-ai-virtual-cell-platform-for-cell-rejuvenation/ 11. https://clock.bio/ 12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40563501/ 13. https://www.pharmiweb.com/press-release/2025-09-17/rubedo-life-sciences-announces-us-fda-clearance-of-ind-for-selective-gpx4-modulating-lead-drug-can 14. https://longevity.technology/news/senisca-raises-3-7-million-for-rapid-development-of-senotherapeutic-platform/ 15. https://dogagingproject.org/ 16. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-025-02932-1 17. https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_400 18. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251216261885/en/Aeovian-Pharmaceuticals-Raises-%2455-Million-to-Advance-First-in-Class-Selective-mTORC1-Inhibitor-for-Tuberous-Sclerosis-Complex-Related-Epilepsy 19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34425083/ 20. https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/novo-nordisk-a-s-evoke-phase-3-trials-did-not-demonstrate-a-statistically-significant-reduction-in-alzheimers-disease-progression 21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37179335/ 22. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250111808660/en/Immunis-Closes-%2425-Million-Series-A-1-Financing-Round

Nature has “gifted” us proteins that carry out a vast array of functions in cells, shaping the lives of all organisms, ecosystems, and ultimately the planet. In the age of synthetic biology, researchers are pushing beyond the catalogue of naturally evolved proteins by redesigning or even de novo designing proteins to make them more suitable for human goals—improving function, stability, specificity, manufacturability, or even creating entirely new capabilities. Artificial intelligence is becoming an important ally in transforming protein engineering from a trial-and-error process into a more predictive discipline, where deep learning models help predict the structure and function of a novel protein directly from its sequence. This enables faster generation and optimization of sequences for desired functions and reduces expensive and time-consuming wet-lab cycles. In this episode of the BioRevolution Podcast, Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler speak with Ingmar Schuster, AI expert and CEO of the protein design company Provolut, about the hopes, myths, and real potential of AI in protein design. Find Imgmar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingmar-schuster/ Find Provolut here: https://provolut.bio/ Learn more about how they approach protein design for their clients here:https://provolut.bio/case-study-max-planck-insitute/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Sources 1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590093525000177 2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-025-00349-8 3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11427-024-2906-3 4. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acscentsci.3c01275 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03819-2 6. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02211-5 7. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add2187 8. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02123-4 9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36702895/ 10. https://www.profluent.bio/platform 11. https://provolut.bio/case-study-max-planck-insitute/ 12. https://provolut.bio/provolut-partners-with-ginkgo-bioworks/ 13. https://biopharma.ginkgo.bio/resources/blog/ginkgo-technology-network-launches-providing-an-integrated-rd-experience-with-capabilities-from-over-25-inaugural-partners

Animal models have been the mainstay for testing hypotheses about human diseases and their treatment in academic research and drug development. However, these models raise ethical concerns and are costly and time-consuming. Most importantly, animal models often have low predictive power for the behavior of novel treatments in humans. Ethically, animal testing is arguably justifiable only if it can meaningfully predict outcomes in humans. Financially, committing millions of dollars and years of development to models with limited informative value is equally hard to defend. As governments and regulators, such as the US FDA, push to reduce animal testing, researchers from academia, pharma, and biotech are increasingly turning to new approach methodologies (NAMs) for preclinical and nonclinical testing. In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler discuss what is needed to shift from animal testing to NAM models which could be more meaningful for human biology. In particular, AI-based approaches offer a scalable alternative to animal testing that can make predictions based on a variety of data sources to provide a better understanding of human disease biology. Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow References 1. https://www.biopharmatrend.com/business-intelligence/from-animals-to-algorithms-how-ai-brings-drug-testing-closer-to-human-biology/ 2. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00298-9/fulltext 3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39805539/ 4. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-025-02690-0 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03344-6 6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35865092/ 7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32868897/ 8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32324077/ 9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18357347/ 10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9100373/ 11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31291566/ 12. https://aacrjournals.org/cancerdiscovery/article/8/9/1069/10253/Fundamental-Mechanisms-of-Immune-Checkpoint 13. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-025-02068-1 14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33356151/ 15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39836754/ 16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37676606/ 17. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence/articles/10.3389/frai.2023.1269932/full 18. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-31169-8 19. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/vioxx-rofecoxib-questions-and-answers 20. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pds.1207 21. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42933-9

In our complex world, science can be an important guiding thread for decision-making—both for policymakers and for individuals—on how to shape the health and wellbeing of society and individuals. But science often gets lost in translation, making it hard to distinguish facts from myths and to find truth within the complex picture of modern science. Good science communication is key to demystifying science and enabling science-based decision-making for everyone. In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, we speak with Dr. Chandni Natalia Kumar, host of the Daily Dose of Honest Science podcast, a postdoc at the Biomedical Center Munich (LMU), and a proteomics enthusiast. Through her channel, Chandni shows what it means to communicate science honestly and accessibly in a world full of hype, myths, and self-optimization trends. We explore what it takes to bridge scientific research and science communication, and discuss the power of proteomics. Find Chandni here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-chandni-natalia-kumar-628b7316a/ Find the Daily Dose of Honest Science podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DDHS_Podcast And Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0CiSf91dGsvx6LX4NGGWmH?si=9439e1dcd01f4af4 Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

For decades, biology treated the human genome as a tidy instruction manual—genes neatly encoding proteins, surrounded by vast stretches of supposedly irrelevant DNA. As sequencing and molecular tools advanced, that picture fractured: scientists uncovered transposable elements, viral remnants, regulatory RNAs—and even unexpected, tiny non-canonical proteins, often called the “dark proteome.” Today, we know that much of this presumed “junk” DNA is biochemically active under specific conditions, forming an interconnected network of regulatory elements, mobile sequences, non-coding RNAs, and largely uncharacterized proteins. Some scientists believe this dark genomic layer acts as an adaptive reserve, helping genomes respond to stress, disease, and environmental change. In this episode Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow have a fascinating discussion with Dr. Sudhakaran Prabakaran, Associate Teaching Professor at Northeastern University, CEO of biotech NonExomics, and author of the upcoming book Eclipsed Horizons, which explores the dark genome, the proteome, evolution, and speculative futures for both humanity and the planet. Find Dr. Sudhakaran Prabakaran https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudhakaranprabakaran/ Find the Eclipsed Horizons https://sites.google.com/view/sudhakaranprabakaran/book Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image Unsplash via NASA Further Reading on the dark genome, proteome and beyond https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5065367/ 2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2998295/ 3. https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/educational-resources/fact-sheets/human-genome-project 4. https://www.nature.com/articles/538275a 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/512009e 6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7366731/ 7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15496913/ 8. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982212011542 9. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/genomics/encode-project.html 10. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269899103_Junk_or_functional_DNA_ENCODE_and_the_function_controversy 11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19213877/ 12. https://www.nature.com/articles/520615a 13. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11311765/ 14. https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pmic.202100211 15. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12701996/ 16. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9757701/ 17. https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms6429 18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32139545/ 19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38176414/ 20. https://panspermia.org/mcclintocknrg2023.pdf 21. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1912725116

We’re living in the big data age, surrounded by personal, scientific, and societal data that could help us understand the world, make decisions, and even forecast what comes next. But complex systems don’t fit neatly into human intuition, and we can’t “see” meaning in massive datasets without help. That’s where macroscopes come in: software tools designed to make complexity interpretable, explorable and allow users to “make sense” out of big, complex data. In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow have Katy Börner as a guest. Katy is Professor of Engineering and Information Science at Indiana University, leads the international Human Reference Atlas, and is one of the founders and curators behind the long-running Places & Spaces: Mapping Science exhibit. Together they discuss why visualization + interpretation + communication of data matter just as much as data collection—and how macroscopes can help us make sense of our complex world. Find Katy here: https://cns-iu.github.io/katy https://www.bihealth.org/en/notices/prof-dr-katy-boerner-connects-anatomy-and-disease-with-the-multiscale-human-reference-atlas https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-b%C3%B6rner-a03837/ Read more about data visualization and macroscopes here: https://scimaps.org/macroscopes https://bigthink.com/hard-science/macroscopes/ https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1807180116 https://dl.acm.org/doi/epdf/10.1145/1897852.1897871 https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3093338.3106387 https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262014458/atlas-of-science/ https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262028813/atlas-of-knowledge/ https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262045957/atlas-of-forecasts/ https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049924/atlas-of-macroscopes/ https://mcn.edu/resources/meet-the-macroscopes/ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0894439316643050 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27032088/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24626916/ https://archive.org/details/macroscopenewwor0000rosn dagstuhl.de/21152/places-spaces/ Envisioning Intelligences exhibit call is at https://scimaps.org/call-for-submissions Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

The Rare Lens: AI-based image recognition for rare disease diagnoses There are around 6000 rare diseases, which affect over 300 million people worldwide. Rare diseases are often difficult to diagnose, and people affected by a rare disease wait an average of five years or more for a correct diagnosis, which can be a heavy burden on patients and also hinders rare disease research and drug development. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help address these diagnostic challenges. One promising approach is Next-Generation Phenotyping (NGP), which uses AI to detect disease-specific phenotypic patterns – such as distinct facial features – commonly associated with rare diseases, to support diagnosis and guide genetic testing. In the newest episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow spoke to two researchers from the University of Bonn working on next-generation phenotyping approaches: Dr. Adele Ruder, MSL for GestaltMatcher, and Dr. Behnam Javanmardi, Group Leader: AI for Rare Diseases and Head of Bone2Gene. We explored the potential of AI-driven diagnosis for rare diseases and what this could mean for people affected by rare diseases, their physicians, and researchers and drug developers in the rare disease space. Find Adele and GestaltMatcher here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adeleruder/ https://www.gestaltmatcher.org/ Find Behnam and Bone2Gene here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/behnam-javanmardi/ https://bone2gene.org For further reading explore the following references: 1. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(24)00056-1/fulltext https://www.nature.com/articles/s41431-024-01604-z 2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19627523/ 3. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-2110140/v1 4. https://elifesciences.org/articles/02020 5. https://www.face2gene.com/ 6. https://facematch.org.au/home 7. https://cliniface.org/ 8. https://www.gestaltmatcher.org/ 9. https://bone2gene.org/ 10. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-018-0279-0 11. https://www.nature.com/articles/s10038-019-0619-z 12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-021-01010-x 13. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10030218 14. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41431-025-01787-z https://doi.org/10.1007/s00112-024-02118-0 15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36779427/ 16. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-023-01469-w 17. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.23290887v4 18. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-02894-w 19. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03050-7 20. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-024-01232-3 21. https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202414507 22. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.06.23290887v4.full.pdf Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

Cells are the basic units of life. For over a century, understanding cellular processes has been the basis for understanding human development and disease, and for deciphering the actions of novel disease treatments. But there’s a caveat: wet-lab studies in cells take time and money, they are often reductionist. To overcome those challenges of the wet lab, researchers have for some time tried to model cellular processes mathematically, in so-called virtual cells. With the availability of large-scale datasets and sophisticated AI models, virtual cells are advancing into useful tools for researchers. In episode 41 of the BioRevolution podcast we spoke to Prof. Fabian Theis, Chair of Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems at TU Munich and director of the Institute of Computational Biology at the Helmholtz Zentrum München. With Fabian we discussed the convergence of mathematics and biology into virtual cell models and their potential use cases in basic research and drug development. You can find more on Fabian's research here: Theis Lab: https://www.helmholtz-munich.de/en/icb/research-groups/theis-lab Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image Aden Lao via unsplash

Every second man and every third woman will experience a cancer diagnosis during their lives. Getting the news can be devastating and paralyzing, but making the right decisions about treatment, care, mindset and lifestyle is a crucial part of finding a cure. In her book “The 8 Essentials for Overcoming Cancer - Cancer, I can” medical doctor and pharma executive, Stefanie Walther describes her very personal journey and gives holistic advice for battling a cancer diagnosis, from finding the right treatment center and medical team, to finding the right diet, exercise plan and sleep schedule. In the newest episode of the BioRevolution podcast Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow spoke to Stefanie Walther about her story, her book and about the outlook of eradicating cancer as a disease in the future. Find Stefanie Walther: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-stefanie-walther-ab871966/ Order “The 8 Essentials For Overcoming Cancer - Cancer, I Can” here: https://www.amazon.de/Essentials-Overcoming-Cancer-Can/dp/B0FNMDZT5Y Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Further reading on the topics we discussed during the episode and found in the book can be found in here: CANCER FACT AND FIGURES https://www.cancer.org/cancer.html https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk/lifetime-probability-of-developing-or-dying-from-cancer.html https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2025/2025-cancer-facts-and-figures-acs.pdf https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27196525/ https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/more-evidence-that-a-healthy-lifestyle-might-help-prevent-cancer https://www.who.int/activities/preventing-cancer ESSENTIAL 1: CALM DOWN https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/survivor-facts-figures.html ESSENTIAL 2: ASK FOR HELP https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31123497/ ESSENTIAL 3: NAME THE DISEASE https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30822350/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5038982/ ESSENTIAL 4: FIND A CANCER CENTER FOR ERADICATION AND REHABILITATION https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12648693/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6132422/ ESSENTIAL 5: I STAY MENTALLY STRONG https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22438289/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31024362/ ESSENTIAL 6: CHOOSE HEALTHY FOODS https://www.aicr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/summary-third-expert-report.pdf https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/healthy-eating/new-american-plate/ ESSENTIAL 7: ACTIVATE YOUR BODY https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2019/cancer-survivors-exercise-guidelines-schmitz https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34213826/ ESSENTIAL 8: NORMALIZE YOUR SLEEP https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29032088/ OUTLOOK https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1204479 https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(19)37684-7/fulltext

This time Louise and Andreas invited the artist Annette Goessel into the show to discuss the once united forces of art and science that seem so seperate in our day and age. And: For the first time since the beginnings of the show we speak German once more (apologies to the non German speakers) In dieser Episode diskutieren wir die faszinierende Verbindung zwischen Kunst und Wissenschaft. Wir erkunden, wie Neugier und Emotionen sowohl Künstler als auch Wissenschaftler antreiben und welche Rolle der kreative Prozess dabei spielt. Zudem betrachten wir die Herausforderungen und Chancen, die Künstliche Intelligenz für beide Disziplinen mit sich bringt. Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Annette Goessel You can find Annette Goessel's art here: https://www.annettegoessel.de/ or on socials: https://www.facebook.com/annette.goessel https://www.linkedin.com/in/annette-goessel-325153194/ https://www.instagram.com/annettegoessel?igsh=MXZoNXNhOGc3cWRxZw==

It sounds promising: AI chatbots acting as scientists, condensing the work of weeks, months, or even years of reading, debate, and hour-long lab meetings into minutes. Researchers at Stanford University and Google DeepMind have released multi-agent AI “scientist” systems. But how good are they, really, and will they overcome current limitations of large language models like OpenAI’s GPT or Google’s Gemini—such as the lack of robust reasoning capabilities, which are crucial for scientific discovery? In the 38th episode of the BioRevolution Podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow discuss the promise and the reality of AI scientists. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Igor Saikin via Unsplash

The $600 billion MedTech industry is undergoing a technological transformation. From AI-powered medical imaging to smart diagnostics and remote monitoring tools, artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping how care is delivered — and increasingly how patients manage their own health. In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, we are joined by our guest, idalab’s MedTech expert Julian Beimes to discuss how this AI-driven wave aligns with broader shifts in medicine: virtualization, personalization, and prevention. But alongside the innovation, we also unpack the challenges — especially the complex and often fragmented regulatory environment. Are policies like the EU AI Act promoting safety, or holding back progress? Find Julian here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-beimes/ Find idalab here: https://idalab.de/team/julian-beimes Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: testalize-me-SVmaaACzcJ8-unsplash

Food is a topic that is both deeply personal and of global importance. What we eat affects our health and longevity, but also the lives of animals and the future of our planet. New technologies and scientific discoveries are now enabling us to transform how we produce food and personalize nutrition in entirely new ways. In this episode, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow speak with food expert and CEO of Berlin Food Campus, Lia Carlucci, about key trends shaping the future of food—from alternative proteins to personalized nutrition. You can find Lia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lia-carlucci-foodtech-entrepreneur-ceo-speaker/?originalSubdomain=de And Berlin Food campus here: https://www.foodcampus.berlin/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Markus Spiske via Unsplash

Despite great hopes for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in biotech and pharma—with investments exceeding $50 billion over the past ten years—the question of when the technology will reach maturity remains difficult to answer. How can biotech and pharma leaders navigate this complex gray area, where hype around the technology obscures the outlook and few concrete milestones provide clear signposts for decision-making? In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler speak with their guest, idalab founder Paul von Bünau, about the potential of AI in biotech. They explore how leaders can adapt internal processes, support their teams in facing the challenges AI brings, and examine whether AI has the potential to make us better leaders. Find Dr. Paul von Bünau here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvonbuenau/ and idalab here: https://idalab.de/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Matteo Vistocco via Unsplash

More than 20 years after the Human Genome Project, enabled by new sequencing technologies, researchers are making progress in exploring the vast non-coding space that constitutes 98% of our genomes. This non-coding, or "dark," DNA harbors elements with important regulatory functions in health and disease. But pinpointing disease-relevant DNA elements within this massive DNA space can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. This difficult search can be eased by artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools, which predict the context-dependent relevance of certain DNA elements and highlight their role in different diseases, from cancer to rare neurodegenerative disorders. For Episode 33 of the BioRevolution podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow are joined by CTO and co-founder of Berlin-based biotech LUCID Genomics, Dr. Hossein Moeinzadeh, to discuss the exciting field of non-coding DNA and how LUCID’s AI algorithm can help make sense of non-coding DNA — and how this could improve diagnoses of rare diseases and beyond. Learn more about LUCID genomics AI tool here: https://www.lucid-genomics.com/technology Find Dr. Hossein Moeinzadeh here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhossein-moeinzadeh/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: via Unsplash.

When the Swiss chemist synthesized and tested the psychedelic compound LSD in the 1930s, he knew he had found a tool to explore the human mind. Indeed, before psychedelics became illegal in the late 1960s, a mountain of evidence had been produced, showing potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. After a decades-long hiatus, research on psychedelics as a treatment for psychiatric diseases is experiencing a renaissance—and initial results look promising. While the field has seen a setback with the recent request for more data by the FDA for the approval of MDMA for PTSD, research into different psychedelic compounds continues, promising new hopes to battle worldwide mental health crises. In the newest episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow discuss the history, the promise, and the risks of psychedelics as treatments for psychiatric diseases with neuroscientist, psychedelics expert, and executive coach Galyna Pidpruzhnykova https://www.linkedin.com/in/galynapidpruzhnykova/ https://www.galynapipdpruzhnykova.com/ Galyna also outlines her efforts to develop a psychedelics strategy to battle the mental health crisis in Ukraine, where the Ministry of Health published a draft law for research on psychedelic compounds just a few days after we recorded this podcast. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7308180815761330176/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

This time on the BioRevolution podcast: science itself. While recent surveys show persistently high trust in science worldwide, certain scientific topics have become the subject of intense societal and political debate. This politicization of science puts scientists in a difficult position when they are trying to argue based on facts. The value of facts and evidence-based science seems to be increasingly questioned by those in power and by those in control of assets. If those who make laws and regulate science don’t see evidence and consensus as reliable resources anymore, what will become of progress in biomedicine, which feeds innovation in biotech, pharma, and medicine? Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: via Photoshop AI. Further reading: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-04/EndlessFrontier75th_w.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03909-2 https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2024/11/14/public-trust-in-scientists-and-views-on-their-role-in-policymaking/?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00525-1 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8793038/ https://www.wissenschaftskommunikation.de/wie-lange-vertraut-man-uns-noch-83325/ https://www.nopatientleftbehind.org/defending-the-foundation-of-american-science https://theweek.com/science/distrust-science-politics-2024-public-trust-vaccines-milk-pandemic https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11004618/ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00238-x https://www.forbes.com/sites/innovationrx/2025/02/19/innovationrx-recursion-launches-fund-for-biotech-startups-hit-by-nih-funding-cuts/