SKRAPS: Deep Dive

And then came the microelectrode...!

Caprino Studio — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 06:30:00 +0000

How do we even know what constitutes the heart beat? What was the reason for all those abnormal rhythms of the heart? Why does it happen? The answer lies in the small, cylindrical glass tube called the micropipetter, which was used to create a microelectrode. Here it is, on how the microelectrode changed the face of cardiology.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar

Social Media:

Twitter: @skrappyscience
Whatsapp Channel for announcements
Instagram Profile: FibrillatorySkraps

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Sudor Anglicus: The English Sweating Sickness

Caprino Studio — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

What connects Tudor England, Ann Boleyn, Henry the VIII, autonomic nervous system and a flash mob like wave of a deadly disease? There is only way to find out.

Inspired by this paper and Dr. Ali Christy's X thread.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

R.I.P ... CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service

Caprino Studio — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 06:30:00 +0000

This story was inspired by the post on X by Dr. Farsad Mostashari.

Center for Disease Control has been at the forefront of many of the alerts (true and false) and now it's officially gone...

This is a sombre take on what has happened.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

Sympathetically, Un-sympathetic

Caprino Studio — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This is conclusion of the mini-series!

In this episode, we uncover the question, is the "cholinergic anti-inflammatory reflex" nerves entirely vagal? The answer is not so straightforward. Building on good work by Davide Martelli and Robin McAllen, we uncover crucial role of the efferent arm of the reflex to "also" be sympathetic.

And at the end, we also talk about the importance of understanding the referral and implantation pathway and why we remain muted in the ability of neuromodulation for immune-inflammation to be uptaken widely anytime soon.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

The Inflammation

Caprino Studio — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

With the set up of how vagus signalling was deduced by careful and meticulous experiments of Linda Watkins, who built on some amazing results from Hugo Besedovsky, we turn our attention to how the hypothesis moved from tackling acute inflammatory models (e.g. Sepsis) to chronic inflammatory models and disease conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis.

We are joined by Tony Arnold, ex-CEO of SetPoint Medical and Dr. Paul-Peter Tak who pioneered the clinical trials in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Also, we cover some shocking moral plaigiarism from Feinstein Institute and Dr. Kevin Tracey in managing their public image. We now know that he was not the single pioneer of the transition to Arthritis and IBD trials as the news media claims or potrays him to be. It actually had many people's hand, especially Paul-Peter Tak's.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

Las Vagus, Baby!!

Caprino Studio — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 06:34:00 +0000

What happens in the vagus, stays in vagus?? Not with us at SKRAPS.

“Science Is a Team Sport”

If we truly mean this - I mean, really and truly mean that science is a group effort and not the effort of one person, let’s really dive in to this and embrace our opportunities to set the record straight. And I mean let’s start right now!

As we endeavor to understand The Wanderer, we must also strive to understand the contributors - and not just the marquee names. We hope to shed light on the nerve, the possibilities, the history, and all of the major players - not just a solo artist. After all, as we near the end of another American football season, I think we can appreciate that Joe Montana was better because of Jerry Rice - Troy Aikman thrived with Michael Irvin, and Tom Brady is the GOAT because of his myriad weapons.

Let’s be true to our intent to make science a team sport and go beyond the lip service.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE or you can buy us a coffee - here

Trailer - The Inflammatory Wanderer

SKRAPS Studio — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Can you tell me the last time that you know of that we eulogised and attributed even the most difficult concepts to a single eureka moment?

Was it yesterday?

Was it last week?

Was it last month?

We have this image of a human jumping out of a bathtub and running naked, shedding your rica or an apple falling from a tree or in the case of psychedelic medicine, the famous bicycle trip of Albert Hoffman.

If you think you love this romanticised version, let me break this idea for you.

Website: www.skrapspodcast.com/season-5

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

History of Serotonin - Lessons in how science and innovation works!

SKRAPS Studio — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

JoJo and Arun are producing some key content that will make you turn your heads in disbelief. Until then, we thought it would be good to get your mind focussed on that wonderful molecule - serotonin that has received fresh life due to its impact on mental health, be it with psychedelics or with electrical stimulation for depression etc.

This episode details some wonderful history of how our body is complicated and yet so wonderful and how there are lessons for everyone irrespective of whether you are a pharmaceutical scientist or a bioelectrician.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

BCI's On The Grill 🥩 - Candid Questions in Bioelectronic Medicines (Part 2)

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

What Is a BCI? And just as importantly, what isn’t a BCI?

This is an unusual episode and an incredibly fun one. Arun and JoJo enlisted some of the field’s top folks to talk through what’s in and what’s out in this exciting field. Amy Kruse is a general partner at Prime Movers Lab and a self-professed Founder turned Funder (and a neuroscientist by training), Matt Angle is the founder and CEO of Paradromics - developing high data rate BCIs, and Marcus Gerhardt is the co-founder and CEO of Blackrock Neurotech and is hoping that their BCIs will disrupt the standard for patient care for the 600 million people that suffer from neurological disorders.

This episode has it all - technical glitches, laughter, ruffled feathers (Arun’s specialty), and some tantalizing discussions around definitions, dystopia, and delivering on the promise of this incredible technology.

Arun picks at and Matt defends the valuations of BCI companies - replete with funny characters and great voice acting. Amy chimes in with her point of view (plot twist: she’s on the side of massive market potential) while Marcus makes the claim that BCI companies are, in fact, under valued.

In short, this episode is pretty much your best chance at eavesdropping on a tantalizing conversation among some truly brilliant people on a fascinating topic.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, under-appreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

Why did Merck KGaA venture into Bioelectronics? - Candid Question in Bioelectronic Medicines (Part 1)

SKRAPS Studio — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

At SKRAPS, we are always looking to get behind the veil of the happenings in the field. We want to go beyond the facade of the news headlines.

In recognition of this, we are now reading the slug for part 1 of candid conversations or plainly put - “Cutting through the crap in Bioelectronics”.

So, we are joining Dr. Robert Spoelgen, Head of Bioelectronics at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, 🇩🇪 (They are very particular about this as Merck and Merck KGaA are two separate entities) about their entry, reason, strategy, tactics and thoughts. All references in this episode is to Merck KGaA.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

It's time for DANC - “Dynamic ANC (Active "Nerve” Cancellation)”

SKRAPS Studio — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 14:29:00 +0000

Julia Child was a master. She was not a classically trained chef, but pursued cooking as a hobby. Her super power? Passion. A passion for making gastronomy accessible, to deliver an honest and attainable presentation, and she possessed a pure, unadulterated joy for her craft. While Michael Ackermann isn’t a neurotechnolgy hobbyist, he does share other qualities with the inimitable Child. He brings a passion for neurotechnology, mixes it with technical expertise picked up at Case Western Reserve University, panache earned through his time at Stanford BioDesign, and pairs it with an excellent vintage of management style.

Hungry yet? We thought you might be. Ackermann was actually one of our early targets for an interview on Skraps. Perhaps it was his humility and desire to keep the focus on the science instead of the personalities that caused him to decline our first plea invitation to record with us, but maybe as we grew in our professionalism and track record, Michael became just a tiny bit more comfortable with the idea. But he did it. We did it. We finally got him on the podcast. I promise, it’s worth the wait.

Listen on for the behind the science peek at Ackermann’s time in the BioDesign Program, check in as he deftly maneuvers Oculeve to success, and check out what’s happening now at Presidio Medical and beyond. Who knows what’s next? Perhaps a chocolate soufflé for his wife’s recent birthday (I know this because he was unable to join the Cleveland NeuroDesign faculty in person.)

Bon appétit!

Papers of interest:

Presidio's published research
Michael Ackermann's Patents on Nerve Block

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

It's the Second Anniversary of Skraps Podcast

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 22:16:00 +0000

Skraps is turning two. Or is it our second anniversary? I can't quite decide so let's celebrate both.

Join us as we walk down memory lane with some highlights (and hopefully no lowlights) of the past two years of their audio partnership. Re-live some of our favorite moments - laughter, tears, learning, and even occasionally, listening. We revisit early episodes (and see how far we've come) with Kit Parker, Stanton Rowe, Sandy Greenberg, and more.

With so many hours under our belts, it is impossible to pick "favorites" but we'd love to hear what some of your favorite moments have been, what you'd like to hear more of, and what we can leave on the cutting room floor (that's a reference for an increasingly limited audience - Arun and I are old.)

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we, on your behalf, explore unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology, and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

Our British Podcast Awards Nomination Tape

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Hello friends and dear listeners,

Recently, we were urged by a couple of our British listeners and experienced audio producers in the podcasting space, to nominate our last season’s science documentary podcast on Psychedelics for the British Podcast awards.

Without further adieu, here is the 30 minute tape we sent for the second stage of the nomination.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

European Innovation Council & NeuroTechnology/MedTech funding

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Funding for Bioelectronic Medicines does not come from traditional venture capital. It also comes from grant funding agencies. While the most well known grant funding bodies are NIH and DARPA in this area, there is also a renewed deeper interest in funding early research to develop products for clinical applications from the EU as well.

So we invited, Dr. Enrique Claverol-Tinture (Enric), Program Manager of the Medical Technologies Program to talk about their most recent EIC pathfinder and accelerator challenges that they ran (2021 Pathfinder challenge results here). EIC is a new body and Enric has autonomy to propose new grant funding ideas for Medical Technologies (MedTech) and run funding cycles. He, inspired by the DARPA model can oversee a MedTech idea from conception to fruition.

In this episode, we talk about:

How the EIC interest in NeuroTech came to be?
How does it operate?
What did the last pool of successful applicants look like?
How the proposals are evaluated?
How does the project move from early feasibility to proof of concept to a clinical application?
Trials and tribulations of establishing something from ground up.

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

Sleep Apnea: ft. Napoleon, Churchill, Brahms, Stalin & Queen Victoria

SKRAPS Studio — Sun, 29 May 2022 07:35:00 +0000

“Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone” is a famous quote from the author Anthony Burgess.

Sleep Apnea affects 425 million adults over the age of 40. Yet, good treatments are unavailable. In this episode we address how Bioelectronic Medicines helps to alleviate the problem.

Links as promised:

Inspire Medical - the first hypoglossal nerve stimulation product on the market.
Kingman Strohl’s lecture
A Ted Talk on Didgeridoo

SKRAPS is your podcast, where we on your behalf explores unsaid, underappreciated and sometimes, untold stories of sparks of brilliance in science, technology and innovation.

Show Credits

Created & Produced by: Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt
Editing: Arun Sridhar
Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam
Sound mixing and mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Social Media:

You can help us fund the production costs by donating as little as $5 or £5 or in any currency of your choice as a one time or a recurring payment HERE

S4 E7: Investing (exclusively!!) in Bioelectronic Medicines

SKRAPS Studio — Wed, 04 May 2022 17:00:00 +0000

We are joined by Imran Eba of GlaxoSmithKline's Bioelectronic Medicine fund - Action Potential Venture Capital to talk about investing in Bioelectronic Medicines. APV is the only fund that invests exclusively in bioelectronic medicines - and they've been here since the beginning.

This leads to the ongoing question: what is and what is not a bioelectronic medicine (hear all three answers.)

After we get through the personal grooming habits of the hosts and our guest as well as the obligatory cricket references (it's hard to put JoJo on her heels in professional sports parlance - but Arun and Imran manage to keep her quiet for a record time) we launch into a casual conversation about what's happening in neurotech investing.

We talk about the trials and tribulations of how the world perceives Bioelectronic Medicines, what it should be, and what the reality is. Generously, Imran also shares with us some insights that every investigator, inventor, and investor should consider when preparing to raise funds in the field of neurotechnology, wait, no - BCIs, no -neuromodulation, gah - I mean... bioelectronic medicine.

And if you are looking for the framework for Bioelectronic Medicine that we discuss, you can get it here.

Special thanks to our sound engineer, Mr. Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam for his artsy work on audio mixing/mastering and sound design for this episode.

Special thanks to our sponsors, CorTec Neuro & Cirtec Medical.

Podchaser: 6xQc3dDQaIFab7JcLAab

S4 E6: Research Pioneers ft. Ian Burkhart & Benjamin Stecher

SKRAPS Studio — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Most of us can pretty certainly say that we are alone within our heads. We may joke about inner voices, but what really happens when there genuinely is an external influence deep within a brain? The answer?

In the case of two research pioneers, Ian Burkhart and Benjamin Stecher, the answer is nothing short of a miracle. These two souls both underwent life altering surgeries - not just in terms of literally allowing a device to tap into their brains, but surgeries that would do for them what no pill, no prayer, and no person could do for them.

Ian Burkhart was paralysed after a spinal cord injury endured while on holiday. What should have been a celebratory day at the beach, enjoyed, recorded, and then stored in his memory bank for future reflection ended in severe physical disability. Ian now serves as a Vice President of the North American Spinal Cord Consortium and is an advocate, speaker, and research pioneer.

Benjamin Stecher was handed a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease at the impossibly early age of 29. He should have been enjoying what many of us believe are the prime years of adulthood when, instead, he was trying desperately to hold on to a “normal” life. He scoured manuscripts, spoke to experts, tested pharmaceutical cocktails to curtail the progression of his disease. Benjamin is an author, advocate, and chair of the Rune Labs Patient Advisory Board.

Both of these lionhearted men decided to do what few have done - they have invited a device to take up residence in their respective brains. Listen in to hear the first hand accounts of the what, why, and how they have gone to such lengths. We’ll share with you their stories and their triumphs, and certainly their challenges along the way. At the end of this tale, you will know that both are superhuman, but not for the reasons you may think. You’ll hear about their journeys that have turned them into authors and advocates, and above all, men of science.

Learn more about Ian Burkhart through the Ian Burkhart Foundation and read Benjamin’s book, “Brain Fables”.

Special thanks to our sponsors, CorTec Neuro & Cirtec Medical.

Research & Interviews: JoJo Platt

Script: Arun Sridhar

Editing: Arun Sridhar

Sound design: Arun Sridhar & Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

Audio engineering/mastering: Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam

S4 E5: The Killing

SKRAPS Studio — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 18:00:00 +0000

PUT YOUR HEADPHONES ON!

What does a 4 cm long and 25g in weight crustacean have to teach us about Bioelectronic Medicine and human health? And what does its feeding habits have to tell us about how we deal with tumours?

Well, there is more than what meets the eye! If we reveal more than this, we are breaking the plot to you and making your life easy.

So, it is time to do the hard yards and go on this underwater exploration first, before we figure out a new frontier for Ultrasound modulation of nerve tumours (in this case - glioblastoma). We cover Dr. Vijay Agarwal and his company - Alpheus Medical for what they are dreaming of, having been inspired by this seemingly innocuous crustacean that has links to World War II, submarines, symbiotic relationships and sonodynamic therapy?

Can Alpheus Medical help treat cancer? There is only way to find out. But first, listen to this journey!

Our deepest thanks to CorTec Neuro and CirTec Medical for their kind help in bringing these episodes to you.

Useful links:

Our website: www.skrapspodcast.com
Donation Page: www.skrapspodcast.com/donate
Our LinkedIn
Our Twitter

S4 E4: The Ultrasounds of Silence

SKRAPS Studio — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 06:00:00 +0000

The saying, as grotesque as it might be, goes "there's more than one way to skin a cat." In our case, there's more than one way to stimulate a nerve and we've gathered some experts leading the charge (pun very much intended.) Gather around the fire, bring some marshmallows and listen in as we chat with Hubert Lim of the University of Minnesota, Christopher Puleo of GE Research, and Mikhail Shapiro of CalTech about the power and the fury of ultrasound.

There are two things that are guaranteed with this group - you will laugh and you will learn something. So, please forgive our indulgences as we dig into the when, the why, and the how this unlikely team came to be and all that they've accomplished so far.

To kick off the laugh track, Hubert and Mikhail were kind enough to share some wicked awesome dance moves from each of their respective labs. The Solid Gold Dancers have been put on notice.

Our deepest thanks to CorTec Neuro and CirTec Medical for their kind help in bringing these episodes to you.

Useful links:

Our website: www.skrapspodcast.com
Donation Page: www.skrapspodcast.com/donate
Our LinkedIn
Our Twitter

S4 E3: Basic Bench - Bedside Considerations For Bioelectronic Medicines

SKRAPS Studio — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered what decisions go behind deciding if a pharmaceutical is to be administered either orally or intravenously or via inhalation. Who decides that? Well, the short answer is that it is decided based on a tested pharmaceutical developmental framework that has stood the test of time. First, it is determined by a clinical need, then by what the drug does to the body (pharmacodynamics) and what the body does to the drug (pharmacokinetics) married with other commercial question.

Now, if we flip it to Bioelectronic Medicines, we have realized that the field does not have an established framework that is available for everyone to discuss. So we sought to establish that via this episode.

We are joined by Dr. Victor Pikov, who unpicks these crucial questions, as it pertains to Bioelectronic Medicines. We discuss all the crucial questions that needs to be discussed and considered.

Special thanks to Laura Szklarski for providing us with a great testimonial and some key actions for you to consider.

Our deepest thanks to CorTec Neuro and CirTec Medical for their kind help in bringing these episodes to you.

SKRAPS will always remain free, but production of SKRAPS is not. We appreciate kind, recurring donations to help produce such content. You can find more information HERE.

S4 E2 Depression Rx: The Tale of SAINT Magnus

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Join Arun & JoJo as they go behind the wall of the science that underpins new treatments for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

While MDD is the leading cause of both personal and societal disability, there are still inadequate treatment options. But the advent of two very areas are bringing hope! The first area is psychedelic assisted psychotherapy that we covered in our psychedelic series - Episode 7 and Episode 8. And second, more exciting and frankly a profound option is the use of the language that the brain uses to communicate and turn that into a treatment.

In this episode, we are joined by two wonderful individuals - Dr. Nolan Williams, Asst Professor at Stanford University and Dr. Brett Wingeier.

Nolan is both a psychiatrist and a neurologist and with an impressive training. He takes and compresses (quite literally) all the learnings from deep brain stimulation and Transcranial Magnetic stimulation into developing a bespoke theta burst stimulation, and identifying it for a distinct patient population for its first adaptation - in hospital, psychiatric emergency.

Brett Wingeier, the CEO of Magnus Medical is spearheading the development and commercialisation of the SAINT (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Trial) technology via his company, Magnus Medical. In fact, based on the results of their most recent trial, Magnus Medical was offered a breakthrough device designation by FDA.

Join us as we uncover the science of this wonderful field and how Bioelectronic medicine is moving from movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease to positively impacting mental health.

This is something that you will hopefully not get anywhere else in one piece.

S4 BONUS: NIH's NeuroMod Prize: A Good Idea?

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 11:00:00 +0000

The NIH's Neuromodulation Prize was announced on Jan 17, 2002. The $9.8 million dollar prize pot will be awarded over three phases.

So we did an interview for Ladan Jiracek & Neural Implant Podcast around this prize, purely because Arun has experience in working as part of the team that did the GSK Innovation Prize. If anyone has not listened to Ladan's podcast and if you work in the area of #NeuroTech, you should definitely catch up with his interviews. Hope this cross-promo gives you the motivation to check out his podcast.

In fact, this prize is modelled on the GSK Innovation Prize, for which Arun wrote the success criteria for. In fact, Arun spoke to Luminary Labs to provide his feedback as he does now after he was approached last year, based on his experience with the GSK Innovation Prize.

More information on his points can be found HERE.

Arun offers his frank comments and how this prize is not an optimal way to fund what NIH SPARC should be doing best, which is to unlock new targets for neuromodulation and bioelectronic medicine.

He doesn't just stop with the criticism of the field but also provides critical gaps in the SPARC program and what they should have and should probably fund. This is constructive criticism and appraisal of the area and should not viewed as a controversy.

Listen to our discussion with Ladan and make up your mind. Feel free to engage with us on Twitter or LinkedIn

Arun can be reached on twitter HERE.

S4 E1: What in the world is a Bioelectronic Medicine?

SKRAPS Studio — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 19:00:00 +0000

What in the world is a Bioelectronic Medicine?

As promised, link to schema below 👇🏻👇🏻

Link to Schema on Bioelectronics Medicines Framework: here
SKRAPS will remain free, but the production is not. If you would like to help us, please visit here.

Episode Description:

“Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What’s Montague? It is not hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.

For those of us in the field, we know conceptually what bioelectronic medicine is, but we’ve also spent a few years trying to clearly define it as it pertains to the larger fields of #neurotechnology and #neuromodulation. We all have an opinion. A theory. A thought. But in the end, which matters more? What we call it or what it is?

In our Bioelectronic Medicine Series, we will endeavour to build consensus around a definition for Bioelectronic Medicine while digging into the history, opportunities, and future. We’ll start today with some background and an overview that will allow new listeners and people outside of the field to join us for another amazing Skraps journey.

So, as Tim Dennison (Prof, University of Oxford and former head of engineering at Medtronic) is fond of saying (while toasting with an appropriate pint of suds) “Here’s to neuromodulation, in all of its forms.”

If you are thinking of supporting us, please visit here.

Recordings were mixed and mastered by Swaminathan Thirugnanasambandam. The content was created by Arun Sridhar & JoJo Platt and the episode was edited by Arun Sridhar.

Season 4 Trailer - SKRAPS: Bioelectronic Medicines

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 09:00:00 +0000

What is a Bioelectronic Medicine? How many of us really even know what it is and understand it?

This trailer serves as a primer to the season dedicated to Bioelectronic Medicines where our hosts go behind the veil to explore the idea of how medicines that get on your nerves are made.

Adieu 2021: PsychedeRx Series Sound Design - Part Deux

SKRAPS Studio — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

As promised last month, here is part 2 of the story of sound design for the PsychedeRx series - a documentary exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
This series in its entirety can be accessed here using this LINK and PODCAST PLAYER of your choice. The transcripts of every episode is located at our website: www.psychederx.com
Remember to rate us on Spotify and subscribe to our newsletter HERE

Visit our website: www.skrapspodcast.com for all historical episodes and we look forward to connecting with you in 2022 with even more exciting topics.

To support us, please visit: www.skrapspodcast.com/donate

Arun & JoJo.

The Art & Science of Science Communications with Jim Cavuoto

Arun & JoJo from SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 16:00:00 +0000

We talked before about the different ways to make a career in science. We've had people from finance, and entrepreneurs driving the start-up world. We've even had a scientific illustrator. There's one area of science and technology that we're covering for the first time today - this one is near and dear to our hearts because it's something that we at Skraps hope to achieve - and that's effective scientific communications.

Jim Cavuoto has been reporting on the field of neurotechnology for over 20 years. Neurotech Reports is the go-to source for industry news, institutional highlights, conference updates, original research and reporting, and more. Jim's a little bit like our very own Walter Cronkite.

Today, you'll get to hear the unlikely origin story of Neurotech Reports and the related conferences that Jim has built. He'll do some serious name dropping - including folks like Warren Grill, Tom Mortimer, Hunter Peckham, Ted Maiman, and even Forrest Gump. We'll also hear about Jim's newest venture, the BioElectRx Business Report - working to bridge the gap between pharma and the neuro device worlds.

And that's the way it is.

The story of PsychedeRx series' sound design

Arun & JoJo from SKRAPS Studio — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Recently, one of our loyal listeners sent a very kind message. It was extremely appreciate of our PsychedeRx series and asked a key question about how we went about doing the music as they referred to.

That's when I realized that what I had taken as a necessary and mandatory part of our podcast was appreciated by the listener. It was a very pleasant evening and I ended up smiling the whole evening.

I was urged by the listener to put out our thought process so that more people can appreciate our efforts. This is an effort to provide that background.

Our twitter ID: https://twitter.com/PodcastSkraps
Our LinkedIn page: Click Here

Host Twitter Pages: Arun (click here) and JoJo (click here)

Rerun: Why has the War on Drugs not worked? Lessons from Undercover Policing

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 14:00:00 +0000

This re-run was triggered by a news article of a horrible event in Ecuador where a prison riot killed 68 people.

Such type of events are becoming increasingly commonplace due to organised crime. The rioters and instigators must be dealt with appropriately to control the violence, but beyomnd that where does that leave us?

We can take one stance, which is drugs are bad and all drug dealers must be banned, drug consumers must be victimised and jailed for their infractions of law. While this view is probably justified, it doesn't help solve the drug problem. Why?

Because, decades of pursuing the bad guys and prohibiting the drugs has not helped eradicate the problem. In fact, it has made it worse says our guest, Neil Woods. Neil is someone who after two and half decades of being an undercover cop, is trying to go to the root cause of the problem and is arguing for evidence based drug policy.

In fact, before you make a judgement, Neil's comments will make both conservatives and libertarians happy. Not because, it is political but because he advises following the evidence and ensuring adequate regulations are in place to help people rather than pool all resources behind policing.

Rerun: Analytical Chemistry & Climate Change with Dr. Amanda Grannas

SKRAPS Studio — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 10:00:00 +0000

It's the climate change summit week. So in preparation for everyone, we wanted to re-run this crucial episode that we hope everyone gets to listen to.

She gives a personal viewpoint as a scientist, coming from a coal-mining family and being the first graduate in her family to going on to be the Vice-Provost and Chief Research Officer of Villanova University.

Dr. Amanda Grannas leads us a fantastic journey of her experiences as an analytical chemist and how analytical chemistry is a topic that most people don't think but still is such an important part of our life. It surrounds us yet we know so little about it. She re-lives some of the most personal journey of how climate change affects all of us and gives a very passionate defense of "why we must save our planet"?

Finally, she closes by how her experiences shapes her leadership both in the lab as a "vial labeller" and her current life as the "Chief Research Officer" of Villanova (via the VISIBLE program).

DISCLAIMER: Our sound quality in our early days was not as good as it is now, so with that caveat, we present the episode to you.

Amanda's Twitter ID: @AmandaGrannas
Her lab homepage: http://agrannas.clasit.org/

Chillies, Spices, Food and TR(i)Ps w/ Krish Ashok

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 10:00:00 +0000

It's the start of Season 4 of SKRAPS. So first, credit where it is due, thanks so much for the support!

Have you ever wondered where the food you eat comes from?

No, we do not talk about your carbon footprint or the location of the farm Food and flavour evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, likes and dislikes in our mind so much so that a particular flavour you smell, taste, love, dislike can evoke a have a strong feeling or a bittersweet memory, or a sweet aftertaste or even have disgust for.

Well, that's what we are here to talk about. We are joined by a fantastic food science geek to talk about the flavours of food and the science of cooking.

Krish Ashok is the author of Masala Lab. His book is a revelation but more importantly, while we touch on some key aspects of his motivation to write the book, the bulk of the episode is devoted to history of spices, what it means to cook, how to cook spices, what it gives, the relationship to what it means to have your mouth being on fire and many more nuggets.

You will also hear about his fantastic anecdotes of spice history. We are very grateful to Ashok for joining us and sharing such interesting nuggets and it definitely is a breezy listen.

Ashok also has a fantastic Instagram page where we routinely posts some cool factoids about food, the world around us and food science.

The two clubs that Ashok hosts rooms on clubhouse is located here:

What's a trip really like?

SKRAPS Studio — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 11:00:00 +0000

If you’ve listened to the PsychedRx series, or ever contemplated experiencing psychedelics, you’ve probably asked yourself what a trip is really like. Well, I’d very much like to tell you what it’s like, but it’s much like trying to describe an exact shade of purple velvet. It’s deep, rich, bright, dark, it changes as the light shifts. When you touch it, everything changes. It’s different in the morning than it is at night. It’s simultaneously warm and cool, comforting and challenging, but it’s something you can’t fully appreciate or describe without seeing it in person.

For additional exploration and examination, we’ve engaged a first-rate scientist and psychonaut of sorts to help us understand, as best we can…

With that, we’d like to thank Juan for sharing his experiences and perspectives with us. We’d also like to thank all of our participants for their time, dedication, talent, and insights. Finally, we’d like to thank each of you for taking this journey with us.

Hazzah!

Peeling the Onion: Nobel Prize 2021 announcement in Medicine & Physiology

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

October 4, 2021 marked the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine to Dr. David Julius and Dr. Ardem Parpoutian.

This episode goes behind the relevance of their findings and why it is such an important moment for a field that brings together biology, physics, chemistry and medicine.

Key Reviews to dig into:

TRP channels: Click here
Piezo channels: Click here

Building a perfect life (or Not) - #PsychedeRx Bonus Episode No. 2

SKRAPS Studio — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Hello all,
This is JoJo, your friend and co-host of SKRAPS.

I grew up around construction. Tradesmen and experts at the crafts of building and repairing homes were omnipresent in my childhood. From a very young age, I knew more about framing than I did about Barbie dolls. I was comfortable in the world of power tools and knew the importance of “measure twice, cut once” before I knew my multiplication tables.

Any contractor worth his or her salt will tell you that a sound foundation is the most important thing you need in any structure. A compromised foundation will compromise everything that you build on top.

People have foundations, too. Our education, our family, our upbringing, our experiences and support systems all contribute to building our own foundations. Even with a solid foundation, it can become cracked when the earth below us shifts or when external forces push us too hard. Theses cracks and shifts are sometimes the cause of immense pain - pain so deep that no amount of paint and putty and window dressings can fix the real problem. Oh, we can try and DIY our way out of it - watch a few episodes of “Flip or Flop”, dress up our homes and ourselves, but the cracks remain. And the cracks eventually get bigger.

Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, we can find the tools to fix the cracks and bring the foundation back to a sound a solid state. But all too often, we lack the proper tools and skills and the pressures are just too much. The foundation finally gives way and our structures come tumbling down.

Why am I speaking in construction metaphors? To demonstrate to you that our tool kit is inadequate. That the chaos and destruction of unaddressed mental health issues are ruinous and that they need a shopping spree at Home Depot. If we can expand our mental health tool kit to include tools like psychedelic medicines, maybe we can salvage a few more homes.

Thank you Lindsay for sharing your story of your journey with Justin and for inspiring us to support meaningful research that can give us more, better, and different tools.

-JoJo Platt

SKRAPS NeuroTech NewsHour: Sep 21

SKRAPS Studio — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Join us to listen to the bi-weekly news round up on all things #NeuroTech and #BioelectronicMedicine.

This week we talk about academic news with Cleveland NeuroTech Entrepreneurs workshop, UConn hiring spree in Engineering with focus on NeuroTech.

On industry side, we cover Rune Labs, Tivic Health, Opinions on Nyxoah and their FDA breakthrough designation, Axonics/ Medtronic Patent Rulings.

Plus we are joined by Victor Pikov of Medipace & TRI, Khalid Ishaque of Bioinduction for the new around.

Join us for our biweekly Newshour on Clubhouse. We post details on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Psychedelics: When is it a bad idea? - #PsychedeRx Bonus Episode No. 1

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Over the ten episodes in this series, it’s clear that we are enthusiastic about the future of psychedelic medicines. There are so many potential applications for responsible, physician-assisted therapies that it almost seems as though psychedelics are a silver bullet, or a little black dress - perfect for any occasion and applicable to myriad diseases and conditions.

Not to contradict ourselves, but there are definitely situations in which psychedelic medicines are not only ineffective, but ill-advised or flat out a bad idea. We hope to provide responsible and balanced information to our listeners and believe that we have done so. The PTSD episode, you heard from the leaders of Heroic Hearts and Heroic Hearts UK about their non-negotiable exclusion criteria. But the same way you heard emotional personal stories about their success, we thought it imperative to share with you a story about why not everyone and not everything can be helped with psychedelic medicines and why responsible use is the only possible solution.

We give our special thanks to Dr. Erika Ross for sharing the story that changed her life. This one is for Kreg.

#PsychedeRx Episode 10: Investing in New Frontiers of the Psychedelic Renaissance

JoJo and Arun — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 19:00:00 +0000

New molecules, new IP, new opportunities. How can investors be induced to support the massive, but necessary funds required to support the important and carefully regulated research necessary to bring psychedelic therapies to market. Not to be crass, but if something isn’t going to bring a profit, it’s unlikely to receive much funding, regardless of how much good it might do, certainly not enough to cover the massive costs of bringing a disruptive therapy to market. Companies like Cybin and Bright Minds Bio are looking at modifications to create new IP, improved efficacy, and new delivery mechanisms.

With investment validations now taken care of, we need to address issues around delivery of care. Are we prepared to shift to a model of care that moves from weekly one-hour sessions to intensive, multi-hour sessions that require new paradigms that have never been tried? Before you answer, let us ask you another question: with between 11 and 20 out of every 100 US Veterans suffering from PTSD, how can we afford not to try?

Clara Burtenshaw, co-founder of Neo Kuma Ventures created the first European Fund dedicated to psychedelics shared with us her motivations, both professional and personal, for focusing on this space. We visited with Wavepaths CEO Mendel Kaelen about their founding principles and objectives; we explore Kernel’s entre into the psychedelic research space, and we revisit Doug Drysdale, CEO of Cybin. These are the folks to watch for the future of psychedelic medicines and the healthcare revolution that is coming your way.

It has been our pleasure to bring to you this series - this passion project to understand and share the opportunities, challenges, history, and future of psychedelic medicine.

Humbly,

Arun and JoJo

This series is only possible because of the generosity of spirit, time, resources, and dreams of our guests and contributors. A special thanks to Sharena Rice for her excellent research. Romeo Racz for technical support. Last but not the least, the unsung hero of our podcast series is our sound engineer, Mr. Swaminathan ThiruGnanaSambandam who did the mixing and mastering of audio.

#PsychedeRx Episode 9: New Frontiers in Psychedelic Drug Discovery: What, Why & How?

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Mushrooms changed the world in the 20th century, some say. Others say, psychedelics are older than humankind. But instead of synthesising molecules and providing it people in a clandestine manner, what if, proper systematic drug discovery and development was done to make psychedelics better?

In this penultimate episode of PsychedeRx, we explore a few more stops before we part ways from this extraordinary project. As we all know, drug trials and molecule development require money and vision and fortitude. So, who exactly is driving the commercialization of psychedelics for responsible clinical use? We’ll hear from Doug Drysdale, CEO of Cybin. as well as Ian McDonald and Gideon Shapiro, CEO and VP of Discovery of Bright Minds Bio respectively. This is not just a hot stock tip, but rather a primer on what the future of the financial side of the psychedelic research and clinical studies. When we said we would cover all aspects of psychedelics in research, we meant it.

#PsychedeRx Episode 8: New Frontiers in Psychedelics for Addiction and Depression

SKRAPS Studio — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Zeus gave Sisyphus the eternal punishment of forever rolling a boulder up a hill in the depths of Hades for his crimes of being a trickster and twice cheating death.

“Then I witnessed the torture of Sisyphus, as he wrestled with a huge rock with both hands. Bracing himself and thrusting with hands and feet he pushed the boulder uphill to the top. But every time, as he was about to send it toppling over the crest, its sheer weight turned it back, and once again towards the plain the pitiless rock rolled down. So once more he had to wrestle with the thing and push it up, while the sweat poured from his limbs and the dust rose high above his head. (Odyssey, Book 11:593)”

His tale sounds woefully close to the trials of addiction and depression. Just when you see the light, just when the journey appears as though it will end in success and the completion of a herculean task, life turns that boulder right around and sends you back to the foot of the mountain - only to start the task all over again with nothing more than your corporeal toolkit.

But what if Sisyphus had real tools? Not just his hands and brute strength, but genuine tools like levers and pulleys? What if he had a partner to help him brace the boulder while he lassoed it with the rope that could be manipulated to make the work of one man equal to two? and to mitigate the back-roll?

Depression and addiction, much like PTSD from episode seven, have benefitted little from new discoveries. The tool kits haven’t changed much lately while the rates of incidence climb without check. Is there a way that psychedelics can offer a good old fashioned Craftsman-style revolution? We talk with Celia Morgan (https://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/staff/profile/index.php?web_id=Celia_Morgan), Laurie Higbed (https://theorg.com/org/awakn-life-sciences/org-chart/laurie-higbed ) and others about where the research stands. We’ll walk through the history of psychedlics in addiction and depression, and we’ll hear from people like Mary Ann Dimond with a poignant reminder that these are not problems, not boulders, not numbers, but people who are struggling, people who are loved, and all to often, people who are gone.

Recording: NeuroTech NewsHour session on Clubhouse

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 09:00:00 +0000

JoJo and I do a fortnightly (bi-weekly) newshour session on all things Neurotech spanning the academic and industry updates.

This week we covered a few updates.

Most important of all, it is the first women led chairing of Gordon Research Seminar Series as an add-on for Neuroelectronic Interfaces GRC. One of the co-chairs, Nikki Pelot joined us to give us an update for the session.

Secondly, we had the honour of hosting Mr. Juan -Pablo Mas of Action Potential Venture Capital who gave us the lowdown on their investment into Exo Imaging. Exo has just raised a massive $220 million Series C.

We then covered a bit of information on Tivic Health IPO and other topics that should matter to the Bioelectronic Medicine, Neuromodulation and Neurotech community.

RECORDING: Clubhouse Session with Author Mike Jay

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Mike Jay is a renowned cultural historian and author of 4 fine books. We recently invited Mike to join us on our SKRAPS club session on Clubhouse app.

We were also joined by Krish Ashok on the stage. Krish is the author of Masala Lab, a book on the science of Indian cooking.

Mike's website: www.mikejay.net

Find us on ClubHouse

#PsychedeRx Episode 7: PTSD and Psychedelics: Making "Unconventional" Conventional!

SKRAPS Studio — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +0000

A cast will help a broken bone to heal, a tourniquet will help to stop the bleeding in a limb, an aspirin will alleviate a headache, time (and ice cream) will help to heal a broken heart. But how do you heal a broken mind? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is but one of the psychiatric indications with inadequate, frequently ineffective treatment protocols, that has been in the psychedelic spotlight.

There’s no shortage of heartbreaking stories about men and women who have dedicated their lives to the service of their countries and endured unfathomable trauma. Add to this population the other sources of PTSD like car accidents, witnessing or experiencing violence - or even the threat of violence, sustained stress in traumatic situations (hello, COVID frontline workers - I’m looking at you), and you have an explosion in an untreated or treatment refractory population.

Enter psychedelics.

In this episode, we are privileged to hear from Jesse Gould, a former Army Ranger, and Keith Abraham, a former member of the UK’s Parachute Regiment. These gentlemen both served their countries in combat tours in the Middle East and have suffered the invisible injuries of war. Each found his way to ayahuasca as a means of resolving his PTSD when pharmacological, talk therapy, and wholistic approaches failed him. Ayahuasca healed them when nothing else could; now, through their connected organizations - Heroic Hearts Project and Heroic Hearts Project UK - they are helping other veterans gain access to this highly promising combination therapy of psychedelics and psychiatry in what is now known as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

In addition, we explore the story of how MDMA assisted psychotherapy, pioneered by MAPS' pivotal trials were done in an interview with Dr. Jennifer Mitchell

This episode will take you into the personal stories, the science, the history, the future, and the promise of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Grab a tissue, you’re going to need it. (And then go donate to Heroic Hearts Project so that we can help more people heal.)

🎉🎉🎉Announcement: Tying us close to you! .🎉🎉🎉🎉

JoJo and Arun — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +0000

You asked for it and you get it!

#PsychedeRx Episode 6: Sparking the Psychedelic Renaissance

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000

We discuss previously underappreciated personal stories of how the Psychedelic Renaissance was sparked since 1971.

Description:

1971 was the year when drug prohibition came into force. Did we tell you the story of how the tables were turned against the prohibition of drugs? Or did we tell you the hurdles that were needed to be overcome.

Well, that's exactly the point of the episode. We are here to bring to you how the road to psychedelic renaissance was built. And if you think, it came from overwhelming people with data, just like how a typical scientist thinks, you would be amazed at the personalities who paved the way, as much as the ones that broke it for themselves and for the world.

We discuss the unconventional paths taken by Amanda Feilding of Beckley Foundation, Rick Doblin of MAPS - Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and more importantly, the trailblazers who initiated the clinical studies before anyone did - The Heffter Research Institute. We interview the original members - Dr. Mark Geyer of UCSD to tell us the never-reported personal stories of the creation of Heffter Research Institute and the Psilocybin studies.

Lessons from Undercover Policing and #WarOnDrugs

SKRAPS Studio — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 10:00:00 +0000

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Help ‘Em

You can’t fight fire with fire. Or can you?

You can’t treat addiction with drugs. Or can you?

You can’t bandage bruises to a brain. Or can you?

You can never expect a cop to have compassion and fight the system. Or can you?

There are so many dichotomies when it comes to life and how we think it should be lived. We’re already starting to see the strange way that up is down and left is right. So, we’re ready to throw one more in your direction. Join us as we talk to Neil Woods, a former undercover police officer who spent 14 years infiltrating the narcotic underworld only to find that maybe the best way to beat ‘em is to join ‘em.

Ok, maybe joining them is not the answer, but fighting the drug dealers, the suppliers, and even the users the way that we have for the past 50 years isn’t working; it’s time for something new. Neil has seen the roughest people on some of the roughest streets and come out the other side - not with vitriol and hatred, but compassion and a new vision for a path forward. And he’s not alone. He’s spoken before legislators around the world to try to change the way we think about and manage recreational and problematic drug use. Even if you don’t agree, you can’t argue with a man who has risked it all and forgotten more than you or I will ever know about these wicked ways.

Neil is the author of “Good Cop, Bad War” and co-author of “Drug Wars: The Terrifying Inside Story of Britain’s Drug Trade.” He is a former undercover officer with the UK police, a board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnershiphttps://lawenforcementactionpartnership.org/ (LEAP) and an all around badass.

Recording on 50th Anniversary of "War on Drugs"

JoJo and Arun — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Conclusion: War on Drugs is wrong, unethical and impacts society in a bad way. There is no data to suggest it has worked.

In case you missed it, here are some golden nuggets to justify why the war on drugs has been a failure. We are joined by Dr. Julia Buxton, Dr. Jo Neill and Dr. Alex Belser of Cybin Inc for some candid Q&A on this policy.

In addition, there are some fantastic resources below:

https://twitter.com/BuxtonJulia/status/1406005245424058369?s=20
https://julianbuchanan.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/15-benefits-from-the-war-on-drugs/

#TwitterSpaces Live Q&A session on #WarOnDrugs, June 18, 2021 4 PM US ET

JoJo and Arun — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Tomorrow, it is the 50th anniversary of the war on drugs. But we know the evidence collected since has shown that prohibition has only increased the problems. Join us for a session with experts for a live Q&A on Twitter Spaces.
How do you get access to Twitter Spaces session:

Join Twitter,
Follow Arun, JoJo and SKRAPS.
You will see a purple logo at the top when it is time for the session.
Alternately, skip steps 2 and 4, by clicking on this link, set a calendar reminder - https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1mnxealWOkQxX?s=20

#PsychedeRx Episode 5: Basic Pharmacology of Psychedelics

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 14:00:00 +0000

We’ve spent some time already on the definition of psychedelic - and we’ll spend more time before this series is over. But, Skraps is a podcast whose roots are run deep in the sciences, we couldn’t ignore the topic of the basic pharmacology of psychedelics. This episode is a primer for citizen scientists and holds some intriguing information for the bonafide scientists among us.

As always, we don’t just deliver science, we are going to start with core science and intertwine the stories of the people who made the discoveries - ultimately ending with an understanding of how psychedelics work. We’ll feature the work of Dr. Joanna Neill, a pharmacologist and Chair of the Psychedelics Working Group for Drug Science UK. Dr. Bryan Roth also joins us; Bryan is a professor of pharmacology at the University of North Carolina studying psychedelics with a pretty serious DARPA grant.

For a special treat, you’ll get to hear JoJo absolutely butcher some basic biology and pharmacology terms. Please DM Arun and let him know that you’d like to get the bonus out-takes of PsychedeRx.

#PsychedeRx Episode 4: Oh, LSD! My Problem Child

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 08:00:00 +0000

“Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of men? The Shadow knows!”

But seriously - who knows? And are the men evil? Or is it their hearts? Or is it the means that they employ? Can their cause serve as cover? Can there be righteous justification for some of the horrendous things done in the name of self-preservation?

In the short gap between World War II and the Cold War, America was battling new enemies, both foreign and domestic. How could that be? How could the superpower that conquered the Nazis and fought off attacks from the Pacific suffer internal moral and ethical turpitude?

Fear. Fear causes people to do amazing and improbable things. Fear of an enemy, fear of an unknown. They are powerful motivators and ones that Syndey Gottlieb embraced with every fibre of his professional being. The same man whose family would have been Nazi victims engaged in some of the most insidious “experiments” known to man - experiments based on the knowledge and tutelage of the same Nazi scientists who deployed the gasses that would have killed his own family.

Join us as New York Times reporter and prolific author, Stephen Kinzer introduces us to the most diabolical personalities of the psychedelic journey to date. This episode includes nothing short of the best Bourne thriller - with murder, mayhem, science, spies, brainwashing, and oh so much more.

And then… let’s bring in Mr. LSD himself, Dr. Timothy Leary.

All of this came to a pinnacle, and contributed to the 1971 war on drugs. Join us as we explore paranoia, brutality, recklessness and glorification of recreational use led to where we are today.

#PsychedeRx Episode 3: The Doors Are Blown Open

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 25 May 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Drug discovery doesn’t happen in a vacuum. So much of the world’s geopolitical activities affect what happens both inside and outside of the lab. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide was such a curious drug that there were seemingly no limits to how and when it would be tested. Episode three of PsychedeRx kicks off with an LSD-laden military training exercise. Don’t laugh. It really did happen and we have the tapes to prove it. All in the name of science, right?

We bring back Mike Jay from Episode Two to bring some of the highlights from the lab of Albert Hoffman and how his cult-favorite bicycle “trip.” A day now celebrated around the world. We’ll see how Sandoz, the Swiss pharmaceutical company, passed out LSD to psychiatrists around the world in an attempt to find out just what the heck this chemical could really be used for - including as a possible cure for alcoholism.

As always, we want you to listen in and ask the hard questions. Were these incidents that shaped the reputation and the future of these substances use or misuse? Were they inherently bad, or was it their handling that earned the demonized notoriety?

Hoffman's Potion Documentary Link: CLICK HERE

#PsychedeRx Episode 2: Mescaline: The OG of Psychedelics

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 18 May 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Peyote crosses the border and causes a riot. Drug companies want their taste, and psychedelics reach the social elite. What could possibly go wrong?

In episode two of PsychedeRx, Peyote comes north to the good old US of A. And it’s not just for religious ceremonies anymore, either. Spanish conquistadors and European explorers, seeking to dominate the indigenous tribes, used Peyote to show force by banning its use and denying the tribes their spiritual practices. And we all know what happens when prohibitions are imposed - the use doesn’t stop, it just gets moved underground. James Mooney, an ethnographer dispatched by the Smithsonian Institute, is one of our best resources for this era. He committed to his diary first-hand accounts of the use of and backlash against peyote in tribal rituals.

As Peyote moved north, albeit underground, it became the catalyst for a series of events that were bloodier than an episode of Dexter. Wovoka and the Ghost Dance were the turning point. The execution of Sitting Bull led to the massacre at Wounded Knee - and it was all over peyote and freedom of religion - ain’t that an ironic twist?

Episode two also sheds light on the earliest interventions of the drug companies like Merck and Parke-Davis and their part in our little psychedelic drama. Arthur Heffter separates the resins from the alkaloids and isolates the first real information on dosing. We get a close-up look at how the psychiatrists and psychologists got involved - where they got it right, and where they got it all wrong. Psychedelics also make their way into the world of the social elites through folks like Aldous Huxley and Ken Kesey.

We’ll close out this week with our first peek at LSD. So remember to “Turn on, tune in, and drop out.”

#PsychedeRx Episode 1 - Psychedelics: The Fun, The Fantastical & the Facts!

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 11 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Where were you on June 18, 1971? Did you know that was when Richard Nixon, the United Nations, and other world leaders changed the course of popular culture, scientific experimentation, and mind exploration for the next five decades? Did you know that substances that have the potential to change the way we treat myriad diseases and conditions - ones that have little or no reliable treatments today - were fated on that day to be imprisoned like Hannibal Lecter?

Join us for the first of a series of Skraps Original episodes as we explore the use, misuse, and history of psychedelics. In this episode, we will cover the most important question of what these substances are, and begin to question why they were lumped in with other addictive substances by exploring the history of how curiosity-induced exploration on one side clashed with religious single-mindedness. This manifested itself in how these plant-based substances were viewed then and for centuries later, in the eyes of the western world.

PsychedeRx will cover the ancient history of plant-based psychedelics including their religious, ceremonial, tribal uses and the dangers imposed by the European views of those uses. We’ll experience murder, mayhem, executions, displacement, and more. We’ll talk to psychedelic historian Mike Jay to get the full story of the full journey - one that started long before Nixon and other world powers set their limited, short-sighted fear loose upon the world.

Subscribe to SKRAPS on your favorite podcast platform to make sure you don’t miss a minute of this riveting journey.

#PsychedeRx - Trailer

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 04 May 2021 16:00:00 +0000

This is PsychedeRx - A SKRAPS original podcast series detailing the journey of an improbable drug class (Psychedelics) and its journey - past, present and future.

S2 E14: A Skrappy Retrospective

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 13:00:00 +0000

After almost 40 episodes of a project that Arun apparently had little faith in, we're going to take a look back at some of our favorite episodes, some hints of what's coming up next, and what celebrity researcher intimidates JoJo the most.

After this episode, we're going to take a week or two sabbatical in order to wrap up our big project. In the meantime, have a listen to what we thought Skraps would be vs. what it has become - and maybe reach back and take a listen to one of our many, many amazing guests.

We also want to be sure to thank a few special people -

Sharena Rice, in addition to her many academic responsibilities and generally awesome professional life, volunteered to do a ton of research for the aforementioned project. What we suspected would be one episode has turned into a full-fledged series. Thanks, Sharena, we know you will be wildly successful in everything you do.

Romeo Racz is another magnificent human. He is taking our dinky website and making all of the necessary corrections to take our playdough version and rendering it in a fancy, user (and search-engine) friendly beast of Skraptacular greatness.

Swarna Solanki is not only wrapping up the Cleveland NeuroDesign Fellowship, she is also a new mom and still volunteering to work on post-production of some of our earlier episodes. Amazing focus and endless energy.

Thanks to Sharena, Romeo, and Swarna - and to everyone who has listened.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of Skraps!

-Arun and JoJo

S2 E13: Tackling the Other Pandemic - Opioid Use Withdrawal with Spark Biomedical

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Daniel Powell and Navid Khodaparast are getting on peoples' nerves. No, really. They're disrupting everything you know, or think you know, about opioid use disorders and tackling the hardest part of helping people break free of the vice grip of addiction - acute withdrawal.

Spark Biomedical has developed two systems to help alleviate the worst symptoms of withdrawal. Using transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation, their wearable devices are changing lives. Check out the story behind the story in this episode of Skraps.

S2 E12: Dr. Howard Levin - Pioneering neuromodulation in cardiology

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Join us for an invigorating chat with Dr. Howard Levin.

Howard is an MD and together with his friend and professional colleague, Mark Gelfand has created some of the landmark medical device companies in cardiology. Between them, they have created 10 companies via their incubator, Coridea and are inventor-founders of Ardian, Cibiem, Respicardia and Axon Therapies.

Recently, they joined hands with Deerfield Management to found a Medtech incubator called Deerfield Catalyst.

Join us for a conversation with one of the true pioneers in the field of neuromodulation, outside the brain and spinal cord.

S2 E11: Twenty Years of Neural Engineering Conference (#NER2021) - w/ Silvestro Micera and Thomas Stieglitz

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 13:00:00 +0000

There's not much in this life that the COVID-19 Pandemic hasn't changed, and that includes the 20th anniversary of the IEEE's Neural Engineering Conference (NER). NER began under the leadership of Professor Metin Akay as a way for members of the nascent field of neural engineering to gather, share ideas, share research, and yes, share a beer or two.

Now, twenty years later, the conference has grown into one of the preeminent gatherings for the field of neural engineering and was set to return to Italy. The original conference - you may have heard folk tales of the legendary event - was held on the island of Capri off the coast of Italy. Because of its sizeable growth, the conference no longer fits within the confines of the beautiful island and had been intended to be held in Sorrento - the mainland sister of Capri. Unfortunately, well, COVID (it's always stupid COVID - just go away already.)

Arun and JoJo sat down with this year's Conference Co-Chairs, Professor Thomas Stieglitz and Professor Silvestro Micera to find out what makes this particular conference so special (hint: you'll be singing this Sister Sledge song for the rest of the day), how they dealt with moving this beast online, and how young folks in the field can get involved in their favorite conferences, societies, editorial boards, and more.

Enjoy!

S2 E10: Interview with the fellows of the Cleveland NeuroDesign Innovation Fellowship

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Join us for part 2 of the coverage on what it means to be and feels like a fellow in the Cleveland NeuroDesign Innovation Fellowship Program run collaboratively by the Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic.

Here we are joined by the inaugural cohort comprising: Efstathios Kondylis, Swarna Solanki, Patrick Smith and Nick Couturier with strong recognition for a Case Western Biomedical Engineering Alum, Michael Ackermann.

The next cohort applications are now open: https://www.clevelandneurodesign.org/application

Each of them have a unique story that led them to this point. They walk us through what drove them here, how the process was, their experiences, what they learned, gained and more importantly implement moving forward.

This one is surely one not to miss, as it exposes what it means to be in a program that teaches scientists and engineers how to innovate based on need., a principle well documented by the Stanford Biodesign.

S2 E9: Cleveland NeuroDesign Fellowship - Part 1 w/ Andrew Cornwell

JoJo and Arun — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000

It is not often that we get to cover and you get to hear the story of an innovation design program. This is part 1 of the chat on Cleveland Neurodesign Innovation Fellowship Program with Andy Cornwell of Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic and the faculty at the program.

Part 2 will follow in relatively short notice tomorrow!

Link to Neurodesign Program website: https://www.clevelandneurodesign.org/application

S2 E8: Dr. Robert Sternberg and the Battle of Intelligence Vs. Wisdom

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000

What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom and why should you care? Dr. Robert Sternberg introduces us to his theories of adaptive intelligence and his triangular theory of love. He provides insights as to how our society misdirects and prioritizes our focus on exactly the traits that lead us down untenable social and political paths. He also proves to us once and for all that it's a bad idea to use an IQ test to get a first date.

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all." - Aristotle

Of course, intelligence is for naught if we fail to care for the heart; Dr. Sternberg has that one figured out, too with his appraisal of the types of love and how we can best find our match with The Love Multiverse (shoulda had this one on for Valentine's Day - sorry 'bout that!)

Take a listen while he walks us through his theories as well as the results he's obtained by applying his theories of learning to university administration policies.

Check out his recent cover story in New Scientist, "Rethinking Intelligence"

S2 E7: O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Stavros Zanos and Theo Zanos on SKRAPS

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000

There is a Vietnamese proverb that reads "Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet." Theo and Stavros Zanos are perhaps one of the best personifications of this notion. They are independent, they accomplish vastly different things, yet they are perfectly paired and, at the end of the day, part of the same system.

So, grab an espresso from Theo's lab and join us for a chat with the brothers of The Feinstein's Institute for Bioelectronic Medicine.

S2 E6: Dr. Robert Hamlin - A Living Legend (OR - Arun gets to interview one of his heroes!)

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

We try to capture myriad voices on Skraps, but this one is legendary. Truly. If you don't trust us, we have a few testimonials to prove it. Dr. Robert Hamlin is a DVM and Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University (please don't get Arun started on his Buckeyes) and he knows more about the heart (animals and humans) than any single person has a right to.

We dive into a fan favorite of his distinguished lectures - "'Slightly' Modified, Giraffes Would Make Great Fighter Pilots, and Bats, Great Cardiologists ... and Please Give Me a Heart That's Part Guinea Pig, Part Spider, Part Rat, and Part Goat ... or It's Lucky We're So Smart!" as well as his role in making sure that every drug you take is safe.

You can also learn about the most innovative use of a ball point pen - ever.

It was a genuine honor to spend time with this remarkable man.

S2 E5: The Fit and the Furious - TK Kozai from lab life to "Oh, no he didn't..."

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:00:00 +0000

TK Kozai is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. You can check out his prolific research publications here, but don't miss out on the story behind the investigator as we take on the peer-review process, lab culture and contracts (get that heart rate up!), being an outsider to both of your own cultures, sleep and exercise, and InequalityInSTEM (which his wife aptly points out should be STEAM!) an effort driven by Dawn Taylor that TK whole-heartedly endorses.

Believe me when I tell you, you'll understand the "Oh, no he didn't" when you hear this episode of SKRAPS.

S2 E4: The Room Where It Happens with Juan-Pablo Mas

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 13:00:00 +0000

"Two Virginians and an immigrant walk into a room

"Diametrically opposed
Foes

"They emerge with a compromise
Having open doors that were previously closed
Bros

"The immigrant emerges with unprecedented financial power
A system he can shape however he wants
The Virginians emerge with the nation's capital
And here's the pièce de résistance

"No one else was in the room where it happened..."

Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" may be dark on Broadway for now, but his light is shining brightly in people like Juan-Pablo Mas, a founding partner of Action Potential Venture Capital and founding board member of LatinxVC.

Arun and JoJo speak with Juan-Pablo about each of the portfolio companies funded by APVC (Axon Therapies, Cala Health, CVRx, EXO, Neuspera, Presidio Medical, Saluda Medical, and SetPoint Medical) and then dive head-long into what it's like to be a Puerto Rican American influencing the future of medicine, exploring what it took to get there, and what he'll do now that he as arrived. Answer: He's not just talking about it - "Hire someone, mentor someone, spotlight someone." Check. Check. Check.

S2 E3: Call Me By My Name - Anil Achyuta

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Arun and JoJo have a candid chat with Anil Achyuta - a founding member of TDK Ventures and recently ranked as #2 of the Global Corporate Venturing's Rising Stars of 2021- and yes, you'll get to hear how he feels about that.

You'll also get to hear about what's in a name? To some folks, an awful lot - to others, not so much. Have a listen and find out what it's like to fit into a new culture - how you need to adapt and how others should adapt to you.

We hear so much about diversity and inclusion these days, but we don't hear as much about what putting that into action looks like.

Sometimes we all just have to laugh at ourselves - and there's no shortage of that here.

S2 E2: Getting Your Foot and Pivoting In the Digital Health with Carolyn Casterton

SKRAPS Studio — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 14:00:00 +0000

How exactly do you get your foot in the door in digital health? I had a hunch you'd be asking that. And so did Carolyn Casterton, engineer, business person, and founder of Healthtech Hunches - a resource dedicated to learning and sharing about life in the digital health careers.

Casterton worked her way through the bigs (Edwards Lifesciences, Boston Scientific, Stryker, and Verily) and picked up a thing or two along the way. She's broken the land-speed record in medical device product development, built successful teams across continents, worked with Google, Verily and others to scale COVID testing sites in a pinch (entirely online, too), and is ready, willing, and able to share those lessons with you. She has also recruited some other impressive leaders to have a little fireside chat with you, too.

She has scaled the mountain - and now she's giving you the Cliff's notes (for you youngsters out there - those are basically cheat-codes) on how to do it yourself.

S2 E1: Human Composting - What Will Your Posthumous Carbon Footprint Be?

SKRAPS Studio — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 22:00:00 +0000

Join us as we talk to Professor Lynne Carpenter-Boggs about the new trends in final remains disposal - human composting (or more tactfully called Natural Organic Reduction). If you've tried to live a life of sustainability, why stop there? Why not let your final act of earthly love be 1.4 tons less carbon than cremation or burial?

Sound crazy? It is. It's crazy cool.

Carpenter-Boggs is a professor at Washington State University's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Her research is centered on sustainable and organic agriculture and is the foundation of the latest advances in NOR.

E19: What if you were a Psychopath? - w/ Dr. James Fallon

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered or seen someone and thought they could be a psychopath or have psychopathic tendencies? What if you found out if you really had the all the attributes of being a psychopath?

Does it make you question everything you have experienced and have been trhough wondering what if you had flipped and why you hadn't flipped yet?

This is exactly what happened to our guest., Dr. James Fallon. His journey, chronicled in the book (Link Here) outlines and we had a fantastic conversation with him. Listen in and find out about this stellar scientist and a great story teller.

E18: Cochlear Implants, Tinnitus, Ultrasound, Immune modulation and DougaWockeeZ with Hubert Lim

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Join Dr. Hubert Lim for a fantastic virtual fire-side chat where he talks about how his love for biomedical engineering starts off with wanting to understand music preferences a.la Napster, then branching to auditory implants, invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation. We talk about his fantastic journey into figuring out a treatment for Tinnitus via his company, Neuromod Devices. They published a fantastic study by performing bi-modal stimulation of the brain using tongue stimulation and sound to treat Tinnitus.

He also recounts how a lot of his sojourn into immune-modulation with his company Second Wave was an accident and luck (we call it hardwork and being tuned to opportunities).

Resources:

Link to Tinnitus Trial Data: https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/12/564/eabb2830.short
Full PDF copy at our blog post for this episode on www.skrapsofbrilliance.com
Hubert's team tribute to Doug Weber that he alludes to: https://youtu.be/sVPCe8Y5EnM

E17: Alissa Eckert - Designing the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Illustration

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 14:00:00 +0000

It's true. You can run but you cannot hide. Such is the power behind Alissa's SARS-CoV-2 illustration. As a wannabe vet and an artist who took up medical illustrations as a career, Alissa's career has surely been an unusual one. She has mastered the art of pushing beauty and uncovering of sense of awe and fear into people's minds with her illustrations of Zika, Ebola and now infamous - SARS-Cov-2.

Some incredible resources:

Alissa's Twitter: https://twitter.com/eckmulti
Lessons that Alissa knew and used but was described to the world in this piece: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-unveiled.html
CDC's antibiotic resistance information resource: https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/biggest-threats.html

E16: Bioethics and Bioelectronic Medicines - An Emerging Area of Intertwined Significance

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Have you ever realized that a neuro-surgeon could be faced with an interesting conundrum? The very patient that gave him consent might ask him to stop doing what he is doing when he is inserting an electrode to treat depression. Does the surgeon do what the patient says on table or does he work off the informed consent form that the patient signed?
What if, some of the data that is currently mined is used to inform a third observer of the state of mind? What if, this data can be used for purposes other than to treat the patient from whom it was obtained from?
Who does this data belong to?
Are regulations evolving at the same speed as the technology? Are the regulators even aware of the type of future implications of such data?

In a world where "your"data is commoditized, how willing should one be to provide access to their deeper brain activities? Who should benefit? Get an account for what is here and now with Dr. Paul Ford and Dr. Lauren Sankary, but we go into areas that we will revisit with them in the future.

E15: Scoring three-pointers with Graphene w/ Kostas Kostarelos and Carolina Aguilar

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Kostas Kostarelos and Carolina Aguilar join us in this fantastic hour where they narrate to us, their personal experiences with Graphene and why it provides a novel way to interface with the brain and other parts of the nervous system.

It is an interesting journey from liposomal drug delivery to looking carbon nanotubes to graphene in Kostas' case. While, in Carolina's case how her journey through deep brain stimulation and diabetes franchise shaped her outlook and leadership skills/capabilities.

It's an intriguing chat and one that will definitely make you marvel at the depth of their knowledge and more importantly, of basketball.

Resources:
INBRAIN Neuroelectronics
Graphene Flagship
Kostas Kostarelos
Carolina Aguilar

E14: "Meandering" Journey in Innovation with Kate Rosenbluth, Founder of Cala Health

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 13:00:00 +0000

This is one fantastic conversation that we are proud to state that no one has brought this story out to the listeners.

Join us to listen to one of the best storytellers whose career has experienced the amazing innovation that straddles engineering and medicine. To make it more interesting, she is the first person we know of, who has experiences in people from pioneers in silicon valley, biotechnology and bioelectronic medicines (including making a name for herself).

Kate recounts the story from her birth, to her varied upbringing, her interest in music and architecture, engineering to neuroscience. This is one amazing conversation.

Show notes are on our blog pages at www.skrapsofbrilliance.com

E13: Konstantinos Alataris : Nevro and now Vorso (nēsos) creation

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Join us to listen to Dr. Konstantinos Alataris' wondrous story of how he created Nevro. The company that challenged established players and in 5 years sneaked into the $2 billion dollar spinal cord market and became the "Big 4" in neuromodulation.

Konstantinos' diplomacy, critical reasoning and how he overcomes challenges is a lesson to many budding and established entrepreneurs.

He can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/konstantinos-alataris-phd-b77b915b/

E12: The story of Mission ISRO podcast

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Join us for an in-depth interview with the creators of the Mission ISRO podcast - Gaurav Vaz (Twitter handle: @GauravVaz) and Archana Nathan (@nathan_archana). Both Gaurav and Archana are part of a year old, media company called All Things Small (https://allthingssmall.in/).

This is a behind-the-scenes look at the journey that these wonderful people took to making this wonderful piece of scientific story-telling.

Breaking: Rune Labs Funding Announcement

JoJo and Arun — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Today's mini-episode is slightly different from what we normally do. We've decided to bring you a little bit of breaking news. Today, October 26, 2020 - Rune Labs announced the closing of their seed round of $5 million. While this is exciting in and of itself, the round was opened and completed during active quarantine for COVID19. Join us as we talk through how COVID has affected the fundraising process, how you can leverage some of the successful tactics, and what Brian Pepin and Rune Labs will get up to next.

E11: Analytical chemistry, Climate change and scientific leadership with Dr. Amanda Grannas

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Dr. Amanda Grannas leads us a fantastic journey of her experiences as an analytical chemist and how analytical chemistry is a topic that most people don't think but still is such an important part of our life. It surrounds us yet we know so little about it. She re-lives some of the most personal journey of how climate change affects all of us and gives a very passionate defense of "why we must save our planet"?

Finally, she closes by how her experiences shapes her leadership both in the lab as a "vial labeller" and her current life as the "Chief Research Officer" of Villanova (via the VISIBLE program).

Amanda's Twitter ID: @AmandaGrannas
Her lab homepage: http://agrannas.clasit.org/

E10: Drug Discovery and Resilience in Innovation with Dr. Robert Ruffolo Jr.

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Join us to talk about the discovery of some of the most amazing medicines that changed the face of treatment for patients with heart failure. Reducing the death sentence that congestive heart failure with a pharmacological drug is no mean feat. Our guest, Robert Ruffolo Jr has accomplished this feat as the lead scientist for Carvedilol, the first beta blocker ever to be approved for heart failure. He did this in the face of adversity and with a lot of scientific rigour and audacity.

This is a story of how science improves patient's lives, literally.

E9: Jarrod Kimber - Challenging an age-old system in sport with data. Lessons and musings from a sports analyst, writer and documentary film maker

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0000

DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK OUR BLOG

If you love baseball (dare I say, CRICKET), you will love this episode that talks about intersection of data and sport.

Jarrod Kimber is an award winning documentary film maker. From humble beginnings in Melbourne to becoming a well known sports writer and documentary film maker, Jarrod has constantly used data to point to the fallacies, assumptions and substantiate where the game should go.

His writings are so data driven, yet simple to read that it comes across like a scientific paper - Aim, Hypothesis, Methods of data collection, Results, Discussion and Conclusion. While sports reporting was headline and story driven, Jarrod's data driven approach made the readers, sports administrators, coaches and players sit up. It produced a new meaning for data driven decision making in sport.

If you love sport and science, this episode is one for you.

DISCLAIMER: There will be an education about cricket for you as well.

Jarrod's social media details:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajarrodkimber?s=20

LinkedIn (for the "acting" professional): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrodkimber/

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JarrodKimberYT/videos

Cricket with "balls": https://web.archive.org/web/20181224134625/https://cricketwithballs.com/

E8: Your data won’t leave your phone/device - Artificial Intelligence hardware, Nanotechnology and Memristors with Dr. Themis Prodromakis

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Imagine a world where there ia data deluge; much more than what it is today. What if there was a way to tap into this data without compromising privacy. While existing hardware and chip technologies do not have the ability to process information right on your device, they rely on sending this out to processing centers via the cloud.

What if your device (be it a consumer device (like a phone or a driverless car) or a medical implant) was capable of doing all of this on the chip and enable real-time decision making.

Our guest, Themis Prodromakis makes this possible via his research on memristors. To learn more, tune in. He is a professor at University of Southampton and has founded two companies - ArC instruments (which is revenue generating without raising equity financing and enables multiple chip manufacturers) and Sonet.ai

Some key handles for social media savvy to follow:
Centre for Electronics Frontiers that Themis directs :
@CElFrontiers

Themis is the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies:
@RAEngNews

ArC Instruments:
@ArcInstruments

University of Southampton:
@unisouthampton

FORTE programme Grant in relation to #memristors:
@FORTE_EPSRC

EPSRC: @EPSRC

Royal Society that supports Themis' work:
@royalsociety

E7: Hello Darkness, my old friend with Dr. Sanford Greenberg

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Most of you know "Cape of Good Hope" as the southern most tip of the Cape Peninsula. But our guest, Dr. Sanford Greenberg has overcome disability that affected him since he was a Junior at Columbia University. He has since overcome this limitation to chart an unprecedented success as an innovator, entrepreneur, in politics, administration and more recently, in philanthropy via his www.Endblindnessby2020.com campaign.

We join Sandy in walking through his adult life and listening to his reflections on his strong bonds in life, impressions from society and how he is giving back to society.

Do subscribe and rate us on your listening platform.

How to be a good human

JoJo and Arun — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 22:00:00 +0000

Our next episode of SKRAPS features Dr. Sanford 'Sandy' Greenberg. He shares beautiful stories about his life, love, career, friendships, and more all culminating with the path to the End Blindness by 2020 prize, a challenge sponsored by Sandy and his wife, Sue. It's a bold initiative to tackle a huge problem.

Contest details - ends September 24, 2020

JoJo and Arun — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 10:00:00 +0000

We are doing a SKRAPS giveaway contest. Whale fossil is the grand prize!

E6: Stanton Rowe - Pioneering the first transcatheter valve

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 10:00:00 +0000

The pioneer of transcatheter valve shares his story on how innovation is a lonely sport. He goes through in extensive detail how the licensing, development and ultimately sale of the company came to be. This one is for all that who crave for a lesson in meaningful innovation and created a multi-billion dollar industry.

E5: Jason Osborne - Paleontology, Dinosaur beer, Swamp Whales, Science, STEM education and Citizen Science

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Join us to listen to this fabulous innovator, Jason Osborne describe how he went from being a kid in South Central Pennsylvannia to scuba-diving for fossils. The story takes a palatable tale with BoneDusters Paleo Ale. While sipping beer, we move to discuss his next frontier - tackling STEM education and how he wanted to be IN the system to change it.

E4: Wars, Fashion, BBQ, Science and Creativity w/ Kevin Kit Parker

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Take a listen as this fascinating raconteur and an amazing leader stirs the calm waters of science.

From engineered cardiac tissue to ceramic barbecue to employing artists in a science lab, cuttlefish to fashion, employing counter-insurgency methods learnt in battlefields in Afghanistan to turn science on its head , need for after-action reviews in science, flexible chocolate and bubble gum making - Kit has got it all under control. Kit's insight into leadership is just a revelation!

E3: Neuromodulation and Bioelectronics w/ Prof. Warren Grill, Part 2

JoJo and Arun — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

In part 2 of the interview, Warren eloquently describes a neuromodulation theory in layman terms. Plus, we also ask him about his work on peripheral nerve stimulation efforts and more recent modelling efforts. Most notable is how he empowers his trainees to find their path through their graduate school. Finally, we end with the answer to the question - "What happened to the BMW?"

Warren Grill's biography: https://bme.duke.edu/faculty/warren-grill

Grill Lab: http://grill-lab.pratt.duke.edu/

E2: Neuromodulation and Bioelectronics w/ Warren Grill, Part 1

JoJo and Arun — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 14:00:00 +0000

In the first of our two-part episode with Professor Warren Grill, we learn how cars, a failed letter of recommendation, and sailing led him to where he is today. We discover P. Hunter Peckham's advice for networking, and more. Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon.

Warren Grill's biography: https://bme.duke.edu/faculty/warren-grill

Grill Lab: http://grill-lab.pratt.duke.edu/

E1: SKRAPS - A podcast about Science with a difference

JoJo and Arun — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 17:00:00 +0000

SKRAPS is a podcast that seeks to explore the stories behind the sparks of brilliance that led to many discoveries and innovation across industry and academia. In this episode, JoJo Platt and Arun Sridhar provide the listener a ring side seat reservation for the future episode. The goal is to inspire young minds, trainee scientists and established scientists to appreciate the stories of science and about scientists that rarely getthe headlines.

Come join us and hear about how the innovators got inspired to do WHAT and WHY they work in a given area.

SKRAPS - Introductory Trailer

JoJo and Arun — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 10:00:00 +0000

A brief summary of this episode