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The Hitchhiker's Guide to Immunotherapy

Dr. Liz Wayne got her start as a cancer hunter, searching for rogue cells running loose through the bloodstream. But she started to notice something strange – everywhere she found cancer cells, she found immune cells, too. Today, a big issue with cancer therapy is that some cancer sites are really hard to reach, but immune cells have no problem getting there. Dr. Wayne thought, why not hitchhike cancer-fighting drugs onto immune cells to get them straight to the places they’re needed most? Listen to this month’s episode to find out how her research may pave the way for a cheaper, more accessible kind of cancer immunotherapy. Plus, stick around after the credits to hear the origin story of Dr. Wayne’s podcast, PhDivas.

Hosted by Kelsey Hickey and Ben Mansky
Produced by Kelsey Hickey and Ben Mansky
Editing help from the CTOR team

Original music by Arda Mizrak
Pinball machine sound effect from mapleleaf on Freesound.com

Pitch Imperfect: The Quest to Improve the Bionic Ear

To date, cochlear implants are the most successful electronic device for restoring sensation in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss. Yet these devices are not without flaws. For instance, pitch perception is extremely poor in these devices, and that can affect an implant user's ability to distinguish sounds in a noisy room. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Charles Limb, a UCSF ear surgeon who specializes in hearing loss and performs these cochlear implant surgeries. By incorporating complex elements of music, Dr. Limb and his team hope to improve the current cochlear implant model so those with hearing loss have a wider range and more sensitive ability to hear.

Hosted by Ramie Fathy and Devika Nair
Produced by Devika Nair, Anna Lipkin, and Ramie Fathy
Editing help from the CTOR team

Music used in this episode:
"The Zeppelin," "Shift of Currents," and "Heliotrope" by Blue Dot Sessions
"Western Tanager" and "Yellow-rumped Warbler" by Chad Crouch
"Aim is True," "All The Ways," "In My Head," "Intermezzo," "Paper Boat," "Ringling," "Surface Tension," "Clair de Lune (Synth Arr.)," "Clair de Lune (Felt Piano, Rhodes and Drum Machine Arr.)"and "Window Shopping" by Podington Bear
Beethoven -Symphony no 9 in D minor, opus 125 - Movement 2 performed by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra

Implants and IUDs: A Renaissance of Birth Control

Let's talk about sex, baby. Wait, minus the baby. This month, we interviewed a science historian and a current provider, as well as our friends and family, to learn about the scientific and cultural factors that shape contraceptive use in the US.




Hosted by Anna Lipkin and Nancy Cai
Produced by Anna Lipkin, Nancy Cai, Jina Lee, and Iris Bachmutsky
Editing help from the CTOR team

Music in this episode:
"Pulsars," "In My Head," and "Paper Boat" by Podington Bear
"Plague," "Crying Earth," and "Moonlight Reprise" by Kai Engel
"Your Mother's Daughter" and "Candlepower" by Chris Zabriskie
"As I Figure" and "Camille Saint-Saens Danse Macabre--Isolated Harp" by Kevin MacLeod
"Quel Augelin Che Canta" by Claudio Monteverdi, performed by the Tudor Consort
"Siesta" by Jazzhar
"Frozen Egg" by Lame Drivers

Episode Art adapted from NCHS Data Brief No. 188 (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db188.htm)

Rx Friendship: Treating the social deficits in schizophrenia

Forming strong social relationships with others is critical to our mental health and well-being. But what happens when our ability to form these vital connections is impaired? In this episode, Dr. Josh Woolley explores the social deficits in patients with Schizophrenia, and how oxytocin may hold the key to developing a better treatment.

Hosted by Devika Nair and Meryl Horn
Produced by Devika Nair, Meryl Horn, and Samantha Hindle
Music attribution: Intermezzo, Sunset Stroll, 60s Quiz Show, Silver Sliver, A Thought, Gathering, Ringling, Lope and Shimmer, and Well and Good, by Podington Bear, Gone by Dana Boule, and The Hangover by David Szesztay

Extending the Thread of Life with Dena Dubal

If you could swallow a pill that would give you twenty extra years of healthy life, would you do it? In this episode of CTOR, we talk to Dr. Dena Dubal, a neurologist and neuroscientist at UCSF. Her research on a protein discovered completely by accident may hold the key to living longer, healthier lives more resilient to heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.

How is that possible? Listen to this month’s CTOR episode to find out! 


Produced by Peter Chisnell and Sam Ancona Esselmann 
Cover art by Michael Griffin Kelly

 Music:
"As Colorful as Ever" by Broke for Free
"Ice Climb," "Down and Around," "Aim Is True," "Big Blue," and "Onward" by Podington Bear
"Seikilos Epitaph with the Lyre of Apollo" by Lina Palera
"Still On" by VYVCH
"Le Songe d'Hacolhii" by Sunhiilow
"You Know Who You Are" by Alan Singley

Jazz Bands and MRI Scans: How brains are creative

Have you ever wondered what’s going on in a musician’s head while they improvise? In our latest episode, Dr. Charles Limb gives us a window to peer into the process of creativity as it happens: scanning the brains of jazz musicians and rappers as they improvise. Tune in to learn what brain processes allow creative thought, why creativity matters, and whether or not you might compose the next great rock ballad.

Hosted by Ramie Fathy
Produced by Anna Lipkin and Ramie Fathy
Editing by the CTOR Team

Music:
"Maggot Brian" by Funkadelic
"Stormy Blues" by Arne Bang Huseby
"nostalgia of an ex-gangsta rapper" by deef
and original improvisations/compositions by Michael Bruschi

Honey, I Shrunk the Data

The world’s data is stored on millions of computers, or servers, that take up buildings’ worth of space and consume about as much electricity as France. How do we keep up with the increasing amount of data that we are generating? In this episode, we talk to Dina Zielinski, a bioinformatician, about her unexpected solution: storing digital data on DNA.



Music: "Lode Runner" and "Onward" from Poddington Bear.

Your Brain on Music

Carry The One Radio goes live, at the California Academy of Sciences. We talk sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll with Dr. Indre Viskontas, a Neuroscientist and Opera singer, at Nightlife: Brain and Body. Hear why the music industry is obsessed with your brain, why drug addicts often die in hotel rooms, and why "The Wheels on the Bus" becomes intensely annoying as you grow up.

Credits:

Diana Deutsch's spoken word to music example. More information about this study can be found here

Dwayne Christie: customized music to support the Diana Deutsch spoken word to music piece

Barber Adagio for Strings: hear the full score here

Interesting links:

Dr. Indre Viskontas' podcast Cadence and Ensemble Project. You may also be interested in Indre's podcast Inquiring Minds (Co-hosted by Kishore Hari)

California Academy of Science Nightlife is a 21+ nighttime event at the California Academy of Sciences every Thursday. Check out their upcoming events here

Hosted by Samantha Hindle and Ben Mansky. Produced by Samantha Hindle.

Free Will! at the Disco

How does a three pound ball of flesh inside your skull lead to your thoughts, your hopes, your feelings...and your sweet dance moves? There are more cells in your brain than there are people on Earth. Billions of neurons making trillions of connections. Trying to figure out how your brain works would be like trying to understand every conversation that’s going on in the world, all at one time…ten times over!

So how can we tackle this monumental task?

Most scientists simplify the problem by focusing on a single part of the brain, but what if we took a different path? What if we could understand everything that’s going on in a brain, all at the same time?

In this episode, Saul Kato explains how he’s doing just that.

Learn more about Saul Kato's work here: http://profiles.ucsf.edu/saul.kato

Follow Saul on Twitter: @neurotheory

Watch a worm brain in action!

The video shows multiple dots, which are each a 3D representation of the activity all the neurons in a single worm. Many of these "neural space" dots are present in the video, each showing the neural activity of the same worm at different times. With multiple dots shown together in this video allow you to see that the worm's "neural space" shows a similar repetitive pattern that sometimes diverges (in this video the divergence seen is when the worm took a left turn or a right turn).

The Hidden Addiction

From the basic biology to public policy: in this episode we tackle sugar. Find out what happens in our bodies when we eat sugar, as well as the disturbing tactics corporations use to get people hooked on products like soda and junk food. We then talk about soda taxes and other strategies Dr. Laura Schmidt and her colleagues are using to battle against the sugar industry.

Read more about Dr. Laura Schmidt's work, including her blog, here. 

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, Devika Nair, and Sam Ancona Esselmann. 

Music attribution: Club Delirio Habanero by Laszlo Harsanyi, Latin Rhythm by Sunsearcher, An Opus in Ab, Third in Line, Dirt Bike Lovers, Just Below the Surface, Red City Theme, and The, Zeppelin by Blue Dot Sessions, Still On by VYVCH, Intermezzo, Lope and Shimmer, and 60s Quiz Show by Podington Bear, Le Songe d'Hacolhii by Sunhiilow, Scenery and Summer Days by Kai Engel, and El Juego by Javomarin

Where Ebola Hides

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Joe DeRisi, UCSF’s resident Sherlock Holmes of infectious diseases. You’ll hear about a surprising discovery that could have enormous implications for controlling - or even preventing - future Ebola outbreaks. One of the big mysteries surrounding Ebola has been where it hides between outbreaks. Here, Dr. DeRisi uncovers an unexpected culprit that could be harboring this deadly virus.

Produced by Sam Ancona Esselmann and Sam Hindle

Special acknowledgements:
First author on the BioRxiv manuscript Greg Fedewa

N.B. We acquired permission from the registered veterinary technician specialist on the phone call in the episode to use the conversation's audio.

Photo by James Tinius from here

Additional resources:

Click here to find out more about Dr. DeRisi's deadly menagerie

Here is an example of the effects of Avian Keratin disorder, as described in this episode. More information about this disorder can be found here

The following tracks were from Audio Library – YouTube:

Music:
Darkening Developments, Faceoff, and Intuit256 by Kevin MacLeod are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Search And Destory by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license

Lurking, Birds, and Slow Shock by Silent Partner

Sound effects:
Mouse Squeaking
Farm Morning with Sheep
Jungle Atmosphere Late Night
Woodpecker Pecking Fast
Woodpecker Pecking on Tree
Phone Ringing Untraditional

Clinical Trials and Tribulations: Steve Hauser's quest to cure MS

Photo Credit: NIAID

In this episode, a team of researchers disprove a decades-old dogma. The result? The first ever FDA-approved drug for primary-progressive multiple sclerosis. In this inspiring story spanning decades of research, you’ll hear all the science, and all the dramatic twists, behind this radical new treatment.

If you want to learn more about the science, visit this link to find a list of Dr. Steve Hauser's publications.

Music Used:

El Fuego and The Itis by Polyrhythmics; Juliette, Submerging Blue-Black, Three Colors, Whiplash String Swell, Theme in G, and Sincerely Yours by Podington Bear; Palestrina - Sicut lilium inter spinas by the Tudor Consort; The Temperature of the Air on the Bow of the Kaleetan and Cylinder Nine by Chris Zabriskie; I Knew a Guy by Kevin MacLeod; Morning Four, Take Care and Snow by David Szesztay; Tarantella Lucana by Italian Village Music and Dance; Sunday Lovers by Monday Night Fever; As Colorful As Ever by Broke For Free; Puddle of Infinity by Young And Old Know Love; A String (Instrumental) by Loch Lomond; Samba Whistle by Reinsamba ; PSA audio was from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Building Breasts and Brains from the Bottom Up

Scientists usually study biology in animals such as lab rats, but their discoveries do not always translate between species. What if we could study human biology specifically? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Jurgen Knoblich and Dr. Zev Gartner about their efforts to create organoids, which are miniature, simplified versions of organs created from human cells. Using these organoids, Drs. Knoblich and Gartner can study how human organs develop and how they are affected by disease. How do they make these organoids, and what will organoids mean for our future health?

Rebroadcast: How the Bat Brain Knows Its Place

Have you ever spaced out while traveling somewhere but still made it to your destination effortlessly? Our brain is amazing at calculating exactly where we are relative to things around us, but this is a skill we often take for granted. In this episode, Producer Sama Ahmed talks with Dr. Michael Yartsev about how we know where we are in the world, how we make memories, and how we make decisions. Dr. Yartsev is uncovering all of this utilizing a rather unconventional and totally awesome animal: the bat! This episode is a re-release of an episode from 2013.

Science against the clock: short talks to ignite your curiosity

In this episode we bring you short talks from ten young, passionate scientists eager to tell you about their cutting-edge discoveries. Each scientist is given just three minutes to launch their audience to new horizons and bring them back to earth, ready for the next exciting journey. Come with us as we explore new horizons in disease prevention, ways that our bodies could one day produce their own treatments, how scary spiders can actually help us reduce pain, and much, much more. Intrigued? Let's begin our countdown to science!

Lights, Blights, and Deathly Insights: close encounters of the fungal kind

In this episode we’ll explore humanity’s, and the entire animal kingdom’s, fraught relationship with its closest biological cousins, fungi. We will hear about how we can’t live without them, how they’re trying to wipe us off the face of the planet, and how at least one company thinks they’re the key to changing how we view our own mortality.

This one of our largest single episodes, comprised of four parts!

First, Dr. Dennis Desjardin of San Francisco State University will tell us about his lifelong relationship with fungi and some of the bizarre organisms he has discovered. Next, we’ll talk to Dr. Margo Daub of North Carolina State University about a deadly pathogen that threatens our food security. Third, we will hear from Dr. Anita Sil of UCSF about a deadly fungus that uses our own immune system against us, and finally, Claire McNamara from the startup Coeio will explain how their product can leverage the power of fungi to create a radical shift in our view on death.

How to Build a Human: Part 3

In this episode we bring back Professor Terrence Deacon, a biological anthropologist at the University of California, Berkeley, to talk about language. He tells us one possible story of how language first evolved, and why he believes language is a uniquely human capability. Listen to find out how language is about a lot more than just speech.

Producer: Meryl Horn

How to Build a Human: Part 2

In Part 2 of “How to Build a Human”, we continue our investigation of our unique features that set us apart from other animals. We spoke to Dr. Nathan Young from the University of California San Francisco, who studies the development of the human skeleton and looks at how the variations in our skeletal structure have contributed to our evolution and the development of human civilization.

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for our newest installment of Headlines, the Carry the One Radio newscast. Each month (give or take), Headlines hosts Nick Weiler and Arezu Sarvestani bring you the latest research news from around UCSF. In this month's episode, guest host Liz Droge-Young fills in while Arezu attends a hacker conference in Las Vegas. Nick and Liz check out stories about why aspirin may help prevent certain forms of cancer, how cutting down on sugar yields remarkable benefits for kids' heart health, and whether pale skin might be the result of evolutionary laziness. Happy Listening!

Music:

• Loll—Podington Bear
• Danse Macabre, Opus 40—University of Chicago Orchestra
• Monkeys Spinning Monkeys—Kevin MacLeod
• Pink Gradient—Podington Bear
• Camp—Podington Bear
• Gathering—Podington Bear
• Firefly—Podington Bear
• Sidecar—Podington Bear
• Patched In—Blue Dot Sessions

Sound Effects:

• “Splash Rock in Lake Sound”—www. Soundbible.com; Public Domain
• “Bite into and Chew Apple”—http://freesfx.co.uk
• “Alien Siren”—www. Soundbible.com; Public Domain

How to Build a Human (Part 1)

We humans like to think of ourselves as pretty different from other animals. Language, philosophy, art, technology - we do things it seems like no other animal is capable of. But what makes us this way? In part one of our investigation, we focus on two features of the brain that seem to be particular to people. We start with Arnold Kriegstein of the University of California, San Francisco, who studies a type of stem cell that does something special during human brain development. We then turn to Kira Poskanzer and Anna Molofsky, also of UCSF, who believe the secret to human-ness might lie with a totally different, often neglected kind of brain cell.