Podcast · Tech & Science

The Genetics Podcast

by Sano Genetics · English · Tech & Science

Exploring all things genetics. Dr Patrick Short, University of Cambridge alumnus and CEO of Sano Genetics, analyses the science, interviews the experts, and discusses the latest findings and breakthroughs in genetic research. To find out more about Sano Genetics and its mission to accelerate the fut

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 40 min
Latest: 8 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026 · 45 min

EP 260: How AI is reshaping genomics, disease prediction, and biosecurity with Jeffrey Barrett of the University of Helsinki

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Barrett, Group Leader at the Ellis Institute Finland and the University of Helsinki. They discuss using AI and federated biobank data to stratify common chronic diseases, how LLMs reading clinical notes in Finland's health registries can reveal treatment response, how AI is changing the way scientists research and train, and what the UK's COVID genome sequencing effort means for biosecurity. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Jeff 02:08 Jeff's research focus for his new lab, including molecular…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

1 Oct 2026 · 39 min
EP 259: A patient community driving awareness and research for Danon disease with Jenny Hsieh of the Danon Foundation
Summary This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Jenny Hsieh, Co-Founder and President of the Danon Foundation. They discuss how Danon disease affects males and females, why it is so often misdiagnosed, the current therapy landscape and research priorities, and how families can make informed decisions about gene therapy trials. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Jenny 01:28 An overview of Danon disease 02:34 Sex differences in Danon disease and severe disease in females 05:15 Why Danon disease is misdiagnosed and how it may be spotted earlier 08:50…
24 Sep 2026 · 39 min
EP 258: The mutations hiding in healthy tissues with Inigo Martincorena of the Wellcome Sanger Institute
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Inigo Martincorena, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. They discuss the discovery of widespread cancer-driver mutations in normal tissue, the role of somatic mutations in autoimmune disease, new sequencing technologies transforming the field, and the therapeutic potential of targeting these mutations. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Inigo 01:46 How Inigo's eyelid skin study revealed widespread cancer-driver mutations 07:14 Findings from a follow-up study on esophageal tissue 10:02 How…
17 Sep 2026 · 39 min
EP 257: Managing hereditary cancer risk and medical uncertainty with Marleah Dean Kruzel of the University of South Florida
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Marleah Dean Kruzel, Professor of Communication at the University of South Florida. They discuss her personal path from watching breast cancer move through her family to testing positive for a hereditary mutation herself, the ART framework she developed for managing uncertainty, and the complexities of communicating genetic risk within families. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Marleah 01:35 Marleah's family history of breast cancer across four generations 02:48 Marleah's childhood living through her…
10 Sep 2026 · 41 min
EP 256: Cutting through the AI hype in drug discovery with Dave Hallett of Recursion
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. David Hallett, Chief Scientific Officer at Recursion. They discuss the biggest shifts in drug discovery over Dave's three-decade career, where AI is genuinely transforming the field today versus where the hype outruns the reality, and how Recursion's perturbational maps have uncovered and validated a novel neurodegeneration target. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Dave 01:57 The biggest shifts in drug discovery over three decades 06:39 Where AI is delivering real wins across drug discovery today 12:19…
3 Sep 2026 · 37 min
EP 255: Turning long-read sequencing into a routine part of clinical care with Danny Miller of the University of Washington
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Danny Miller, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington and Attending Physician at Seattle Children's Hospital. They discuss the case for making long-read sequencing the first genetic test every patient receives, the reference dataset his lab is building from the 1000 Genomes Project to resolve structural variants, publicly available methylation signatures as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment response, and his vision for genome-informed care from newborn screening…
27 Aug 2026 · 42 min
EP 254: Triangulating genetic evidence and dodging bias to pick winning drug targets with Brent Richards of 5 Prime Sciences
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Brent Richards, CEO and Founder of 5 Prime Sciences and Professor of Human Genetics, Epidemiology, and Medicine at McGill University. They discuss how to triangulate different types of genetic evidence to validate a drug target, why herd psychology often drives which targets get funded, why strong genetic support didn't save the Zeus IL-6 trial, and how collider bias can distort genetically stratified clinical trials. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Brent 01:43 How company size shapes access to genetic…
20 Aug 2026 · 37 min
EP 253: The genetics of brain size, growth, and aging with Andrew Jackson of the University of Edinburgh
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Andrew Jackson, Programme Leader at the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh. They discuss how his lab discovered that gain-of-function DNMT3A mutations cause both microcephalic dwarfism and an accelerated aging syndrome, and what that reveals about the shared biology of growth and aging. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Andrew 01:34 The origins of Andrew's work linking brain size and aging 02:54 The genetics of mammalian size range and epigenetic factors regulating growth 05:02 How…
13 Aug 2026 · 38 min
EP 252: The diagnosis that became a mission to cure rare disease: Advancing genetic medicine using AI with Stevie Ringel of Nome
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Stevie Ringel, co-founder of Nome and founder of the Kizuna Foundation. They discuss Stevie's own ultra-rare disease diagnosis and shaped his path to founding Kizuna Foundation and Nome, how Nome's AI agents help scientists navigate the operational complexity of small-batch drug development, the technical and business model advantages underpinning Nome's accuracy, and what it will take to build a sustainable funding model for ultra-rare disease. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Stevie 01:37 Stevie's…
6 Aug 2026 · 39 min
EP 251: Cracking the delivery barrier in genetic medicine with Jagesh Shah of Mirai Bio
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Jagesh Shah, Chief Scientific Officer at Mirai Bio. They discuss why delivery is a central bottleneck holding back nucleic acid medicines, how Mirai's lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform is built to reach tissues like adipocytes and T cells, and the machine learning feedback loop the company uses to engineer LNP formulations. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Jagesh 01:40 Why delivery is the main bottleneck for gene therapies 03:42 Easier vs harder tissues to target for delivery 06:40 Overview of Mirai's…
30 Jul 2026 · 42 min
EP 250: Redefining rare disease realities with Sharon Terry of the Genetic Alliance [Re-run]
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Sharon Terry, President & CEO of Genetic Alliance. They discuss how Sharon established a layperson-led biobank, her long-term work on rare diseases and patient advocacy, and her program to bring genetic technology to patients in low- to middle-income countries. We’re re-running this episode for its enduring lessons on patient advocacy, rare disease parenting, communication, and citizen science. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Sharon and a discussion of the personal experience with rare disease that started…
23 Jul 2026 · 42 min
EP 249: Building the world's most detailed genetic map of inflammatory bowel disease with Carl Anderson of the Wellcome Sanger Institute
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Carl Anderson, Senior Group Leader and Head of the Human Genetics Programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, where he leads the Genomics of Inflammation and Immunity Group. They discuss IBDVerse, the single-cell atlas Carl's team built to map genetic effects on gene regulation across gut cell types, how coding and non-coding variants converge on shared biological pathways in inflammatory bowel disease, and Carl's vision for longitudinal multi-omics cohorts built around the sickest and most underrepresented hospital patients. Show…
16 Jul 2026 · 48 min
EP 248: The blood mutations rewriting cardiovascular risk: Clonal hematopoiesis and polygenic risk with Pradeep Natarajan of Massachusetts General Hospital
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Pradeep Natarajan, Director of Preventive Cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. They discuss the discovery of clonal hematopoiesis as a driver of cardiovascular disease, the inflammatory mechanisms and emerging therapies targeting it, the growing clinical case for polygenic risk scores, and Pradeep's upcoming move to lead cardiometabolic and human genetics research at Amgen. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Pradeep 01:30 The origin…
9 Jul 2026 · 38 min
EP 247: Why neurons accumulate mutations like clockwork: Somatic mosaicism and neurodegeneration with Christopher Walsh of Boston Children's Hospital
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Christopher Walsh, Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Chief of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children's Hospital, and HHMI Investigator. They discuss his path from neurobiology to human genetics, how somatic mosaicism in the brain drives disease from epilepsy to Alzheimer's, and what this reveals about new therapeutic targets for neurodegeneration. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Chris 01:18 Chris’ path from neurobiology to human genetics 04:55 How collaboration and…
2 Jul 2026 · 34 min
EP 246: Turning a fatal diagnosis into a cure strategy: Accelerating C9orf72 ALS research with Yentli Soto Albrecht of CureC9
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Yentli Soto Albrecht, physician-scientist in training and founder of CureC9. They discuss how losing her father to C9orf72 ALS, and later learning her own genetic risk, reshaped the direction of her career. The conversation explores the biology linking the C9 repeat expansion to ALS and FTD, and how CureC9 is removing barriers across biomarkers, therapeutics, and patient samples to accelerate progress toward a cure. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:58 Welcome to Yentli 02:34 How Yentli's father's C9 ALS diagnosis and her…
25 Jun 2026 · 44 min
EP 245: Developing targeted therapies for ALS with Eric Green of Trace Neuroscience [Re-run]
This week on The Genetics Podcast, we're re-airing our conversation with Eric Green, Founder and CEO of Trace Neuroscience, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Maze Therapeutics, and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Patrick and Eric discuss Eric's transition from cardiology to entrepreneurship, the role of highly focused biotechs in creating precision therapies, and the development of high-impact gene therapies for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We're revisiting this episode following Trace Neuroscience's recent…
18 Jun 2026 · 44 min
EP 244: Building the first n-of-1 ASO: The new frontier of rare disease with Timothy Yu of Boston Children’s Hospital
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Timothy Yu, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Physician/Researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital. They discuss how one child’s hidden genetic mutation led Tim into individualized ASO medicine, what it takes to develop n-of-1 therapies, and how new regulatory frameworks could expand treatment options for children with ultra-rare genetic disease. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Tim 02:05 How uncovering the genetic mutation underlying an ultra-rare disease led Tim into…
11 Jun 2026 · 48 min
EP 243: How BD² is using genetics and deep phenotyping to transform bipolar research with Cara Altimus and Ben Neale
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Cara Altimus, CEO of BD², and Dr. Benjamin Neale, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss how rare variant discovery is opening new routes into bipolar disorder biology, how BD² is combining genetics with longitudinal multimodal data, and how patient priorities are shaping a research model focused on faster diagnosis and more precise treatments. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:58 Welcome to Cara and Ben 01:57 The origin and aims of BD2 04:20 Major knowledge gaps…
4 Jun 2026 · 43 min
EP 242: Connecting dementia research, policy, and patient communities with Angela Bradshaw of Alzheimer Europe [Re-Run]
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Angela Bradshaw, Director for Research at Alzheimer Europe and honorary lecturer at the University of Glasgow. Following a series of recent episodes exploring Alzheimer’s disease research, we’re revisiting this conversation to bring in an essential patient advocacy and nonprofit perspective on the field. Patrick and Angela discuss how Alzheimer Europe partners in and supports pan-European dementia research, the heterogeneity of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the future of potential new gene therapies, and the critical role…
28 May 2026 · 46 min
EP 241: The hard-won lessons behind Encoded Therapeutics’ Dravet syndrome gene therapy with Salvador Rico [Re-run]
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Salvador Rico, Chief Medical Officer at Encoded Therapeutics. With Encoded’s Dravet syndrome gene therapy program recently reaching major clinical and regulatory milestones, we’re revisiting this conversation on Salvador’s journey into drug development, his work on gene therapy for X-linked myotubular myopathy, and the fundamental challenges and exciting advances shaping the future of genetic medicine. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:27 Welcome to Salvador and how he became involved in drug development 11:29…
21 May 2026 · 44 min
EP 240: Hijacking DNA repair machinery to treat Huntington’s disease with Vincent Dion of the UKDRI
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Vincent Dion, Group Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University. They discuss how repeat expansions drive Huntington’s disease and other neurological disorders, why DNA repair can sometimes worsen these mutations over time, and how CRISPR nickase editing could offer a new way to shrink disease-causing repeats rather than simply silence them. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Vincent 01:45 Working on origins-of-life chemistry in Stanley Miller’s lab 03:56 Vincent’s path to genetics…
14 May 2026 · 40 min
EP 239: What long-read sequencing reveals about Alzheimer’s and ALS with Paul Valdmanis of the University of Washington
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Paul Valdmanis, Associate Professor at the University of Washington. They discuss the impact of APOE4 on risk in Alzheimer’s disease, how long-read sequencing is uncovering hidden genetic variation in Alzheimer’s and ALS, and what rare variants and cryptic splicing can teach us about neurodegeneration. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Paul 01:40 Long-read sequencing and ancestry-specific APOE4 risk in Alzheimer’s disease 04:20 Key findings from Paul’s study on a protective APOE4-linked variant in…
7 May 2026 · 39 min
EP 238: Uncovering epistatic interactions in complex disease with machine learning with Bin Yu of UC Berkeley
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Bin Yu, CDSS Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley. They discuss how different statistical approaches, from linear models to random forests, can be used to study complex genetic traits, recent findings on epistasis in cardiomyopathy, and how improving robustness and reproducibility can lead to more reliable scientific conclusions. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Bin 01:47 Linear models as the foundation of genetic analysis 05:34 Using random forests and stability to identify gene–gene…
30 Apr 2026 · 40 min
EP 237: How genetics and environment shape neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's with Sarah Marzi of King’s College London
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Sarah Marzi, Senior Lecturer at King's College London and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute. They discuss the impact of genes and environment on neurodegenerative disease, including: how APOE genotype shapes microglial function, how cell type-specific epigenomics of postmortem brain tissue is revealing the role of microglia and oligodendrocytes in Alzheimer's disease, and how pesticide exposure drives selective dopaminergic neuron loss and neuroinflammation in Parkinson's. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics…
23 Apr 2026 · 45 min
EP 236: Fixing access and design in rare disease drug development: Insights from experts and patient advocates
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Lindsey Wahlstrom, Co-Founder and Chief Momatologist of Rona’s FUN LAB, Jimi Olaghere, sickle cell disease patient advocate and early CRISPR gene therapy trial participant, and Rachel Smith, Vice President and Head of Rare and Genetic Diseases at Parexel. They discuss the realities of developing and delivering advanced therapies in rare disease, how funding models, regulation, and trial design shape access and outcomes, and why embedding patient experience early is critical to building therapies that are not only effective but scalable,…
16 Apr 2026 · 40 min
EP 235: Inside Alzheimer’s disease: Blood biomarkers and predicting symptoms with Suzanne Schindler of Washington University
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Suzanne Schindler, Associate Professor of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. They discuss how blood-based biomarkers like p-tau217 are transforming our ability to detect and stage Alzheimer’s disease, how “clock models” can estimate when symptoms may begin, and how combining biomarkers with clinical phenotyping could improve trial design, prognosis, and patient care. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Suzanne 01:35 Neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and how it differs from dementia 06:22…
9 Apr 2026 · 43 min
EP 234: Inside rare disease trial operations: The role of CROs in an evolving landscape with Derek Ansel of Worldwide Clinical Trials
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Derek Ansel, Global Vice President and Therapeutic Strategy Lead for Rare Disease and Oncology at Worldwide Clinical Trials. They discuss how contract research organizations design and run rare disease trials, the challenges of selecting endpoints and patient populations, and how emerging approaches like n-of-1 therapies, regulatory flexibility, and AI are reshaping clinical development. Show Notes 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Derek 01:38 The role of Contract Research Organizations (CROs) in clinical development…
2 Apr 2026 · 33 min
EP 233: Unlocking early detection in liver disease with data and genetics with Tim Jobson of Predictive Health Intelligence
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Tim Jobson, consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Medical Director of Predictive Health Intelligence (PHI). They discuss the rising burden of metabolic liver disease and how routine clinical data can be used to detect disease earlier and prevent late-stage presentation. They also discuss the LiveWell study, a collaboration between Sano Genetics and PHI, and what it reveals about layering genetics and other data types to improve risk stratification and clinical trial recruitment. Show Notes…
26 Mar 2026 · 24 min
EP 232: How ethics and law shape reproductive technology and AI in medicine with Glenn Cohen of Harvard Law School
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Glenn Cohen, Professor at Harvard Law School. They discuss the evolving legal and ethical landscape of reproductive genetics, why regulation in areas like embryo selection remains limited, and questions arising around the use of AI in healthcare. Show Notes: 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59 Welcome to Glenn 01:35 An overview of the courses Glenn teaches at Harvard Law School 02:29 Glenn’s areas of expertise across biomedical ethics 03:20 Ethical considerations around reproductive medicine and polygenic risk scores 10:37…
19 Mar 2026 · 36 min
EP 231: From polygenic scores to AI-driven medicine with Andrea Ganna of the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Andrea Ganna, Associate Professor at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM). They discuss the promise and limits of polygenic risk scores for disease prediction and clinical trials, how large-scale electronic health records and AI models could transform medical research and healthcare planning, what Finland’s national health data infrastructure enables for population-scale studies, and how genetics can be used to strengthen trial emulation in observational data. Show Notes: 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 00:59…

About The Genetics Podcast

The Genetics Podcast is a English tech & science podcast from Sano Genetics. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Sano Genetics
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 40 min
Latest episode: 8 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1462418412
Rights: Sano Genetics

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