BioTalk Unzipped

BioTalk Unzipped, hosted by Gregory Austin and Dr. Chad Briscoe, unzips the stories behind medical progress through candid, intelligent, and often entertaining conversations with leaders across biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, clinical research, bioanalysis, and drug development.Each episode explores the science, strategy, setbacks, breakthroughs, and human stories shaping the future of medicine. From first-in-human trials and biomarkers to oncology, rare disease, AI, regulatory strategy, and emerging therapeutic technologies, BioTalk Unzipped makes complex life science topics engaging, accessible, and relevant.The show feels like the conversation you would want to overhear after a great scientific conference: thoughtful, unscripted, curious, and grounded in real-world experience. We bring listeners inside the decisions, discoveries, and personal journeys behind the therapies and technologies that may one day reduce suffering and improve lives.

BioTalk Unzipped is a science podcast hosted by Gregory Austin, with 46 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Gregory Austin hosts BioTalk Unzipped, a science show with 46 episodes published.

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  Episode #47

  Is AI Changing Scientists? The Future of Pharma with Dr. Rob Dodge

  Oct 2, 202636 minS1

  Rob Dodge says AI has made him an expert Python programmer, even though he never took a class in it. But does having new capabilities change what it means to be a scientist? Dr. Chad Briscoe sits down with Dr. Robert “Rob” Dodge at the AAPS National Biotechnology Conference in San Diego to discuss how artificial intelligence and machine learning are changing pharmaceutical research. Thank you to our sponsors TruTechnologies provides real-time clinical trial oversight, helping research teams improve protocol adherence and protect biospecimen integrity. https://trutechnologies.ai/ Leucentra : Inspired by science, empowered by IT. https://leucentra.com/ About the conversation Rob remembers when spreadsheets changed how scientists calculated and plotted their results. Today, AI helps him write code and investigate scientific data with less reliance on specialist programming support. He and Chad discuss where these tools are useful, where they fall short, and what scientists still need to bring to the work. Their conversation covers assay development, access to clinical data, scientific writing, and the challenges of using AI in regulated bioanalysis. Rob also shares his predictions for how machine learning could change established modeling approaches, including quantitative systems pharmacology and design of experiments. Throughout the discussion, he returns to a familiar principle: scientists still need to develop hypotheses, test them, and question their results. In this episode How scientists are using AI to write Python programs What advances in mass spectrometry mean for complex drug modalities Machine learning for assay improvement and clinical data analysis Why data quality and laboratory experience matter Validation and quality assurance challenges in regulated research Using AI to draft and review scientific documents How independent consultants and smaller teams can use AI as a resource Rob’s predictions for the next year in pharmaceutical science About Dr. Rob Dodge Robert “Rob” Dodge, PhD, is an independent bioanalytical consultant focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning in regulated bioanalysis. His more than 30 years in pharmaceutical science include biologics manufacturing, bioanalytical testing, and leadership roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Novartis. He co-founded Princeton Bio Lab and previously served as Director of Immunochemistry and Cell Biology at Pharmanet Development Group. Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-dodge-phd/ About BioTalk Unzipped Hosted by Gregory Austin and Dr. Chad Briscoe, BioTalk Unzipped uncovers the stories and science behind medical progress through conversations with scientists and leaders in biotechnology and drug development. Find more episodes: https://www.biotalkunzipped.com/ Follow BioTalk Unzipped on your podcast app to hear new episodes as they’re released. If this conversation brings a colleague to mind, send it their way.

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  Episode #46

  Do Clinical Trials Take Too Much Blood? Patient-Centric Sampling with Joleen White

  Sep 10, 202648 minS1

  Clinical trials often collect far more blood than an assay actually needs. Dr. Joleen White asks a more disciplined question: What information is required to make a sound decision, and how little sample can be collected without compromising that decision? In this episode of BioTalk Unzipped, recorded at the 2026 AAPS National Biotechnology Conference in San Diego, Dr. Chad Briscoe sits down with Joleen to explore patient-centric sampling, dried blood microsampling, global bioanalytical capacity, and the values behind better drug development. Joleen traces her path from a childhood friendship with someone living with cystic fibrosis to a career spanning BioMarin, BMS, Biogen, EMD Serono, the Gates Medical Research Institute, and BioData Solutions. She explains why bioanalysis became her way to help patients, why she eventually moved beyond the bench, and how global health work changed the way she thinks about laboratory infrastructure and clinical-trial design. The conversation then turns practical. Joleen defines patient-centric sampling, describes the Mitra dried blood collection device, and discusses a first-in-human RSV monoclonal antibody study in which paired dried-blood and serum samples led to aligned PK conclusions. She and Chad examine regulatory acceptance, remote collection, pediatric sampling, local laboratory capacity in African countries, scientific inclusion, career choices, AI, mass-spectrometry sensitivity, and whether long-standing sample-volume and stability expectations still serve patients. Sponsors TruTechnologies provides live clinical trial execution and oversight through point-of-care data capture. Learn more: https://trutechnologies.ai/ Leucentra provides specialized IT consulting and services for life sciences and healthcare. Learn more: https://leucentra.com/ In this episode, you will hear • How a personal connection to cystic fibrosis shaped Joleen's patient-first career • Why bioanalysis connects analytical rigor to decisions about drug safety, exposure, and patient benefit • What patient-centric sampling means beyond simply collecting less blood • How dried blood microsampling can support PK, immunogenicity, and viral-neutralization assessments • What Joleen's team learned by comparing dried blood with serum in a first-in-human study • Why smaller samples and remote collection can reduce burdens on patients, caregivers, sites, and enrollment • Why sustainable global health research depends on locally led scientific and laboratory capacity • How legacy automation can slow innovation and create opportunities for newer laboratory networks • Why inclusion and access expand both the scientific workforce and the quality of science • How personal values can guide career decisions more effectively than a rigid five-year plan • Why advances in mass spectrometry should prompt a fresh look at sample volumes and stability expectations Guest and host Dr. Joleen White is a Senior Bioanalytical Consultant at BioData Solutions with more than 20 years of experience across regulated bioanalysis, ligand-binding assays, immunogenicity, cell-based assays, neutralizing-antibody assays, and data science. Connect with Joleen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joleenwhite/ BioData Solutions: https://www.bdatasolutions.com/ Dr. Chad Briscoe is the co-host of BioTalk Unzipped and conducts this onsite conversation from AAPS NBC. Connect with Chad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadbriscoe/ Resources mentioned Open-access RSM01 dried blood microsampling study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39696004/ Patient Centric Sampling Interest Group: https://www.pcsig.org/ Follow BioTalk Unzipped Website and all episodes: https://www.biotalkunzipped.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BioTalkUnzipped BioTalk Unzipped unzips, unlocks, and uncovers the real stories behind medical progress.

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  Episode #45

  Why Gene Therapy Is Still So Hard to Manufacture at Scale | Phillip Ramsey

  Aug 8, 202611 minS1

  Why is gene therapy still so difficult to manufacture at scale after decades of progress? Phillip Ramsey, Chief Technical Officer at Sangamo Therapeutics, joins BioTalk Unzipped for a candid conversation about one of the central challenges facing advanced therapies: turning extraordinary science into reproducible, scalable medicines. Thank You to Our Sponsors Leucentra - https://leucentra.com/ Inspired by Science. Empowered by IT. Leucentra provides specialized IT consulting and services for life sciences and healthcare, helping organizations use technology more effectively to support innovation. TruTechnologies - https://trutechnologies.ai/ Clinical Trial Execution, Live. TruTechnologies provides live clinical trial execution technology that gives sponsors greater visibility into protocol activities, samples, and study data as they happen. About This Episode Recorded onsite at the AAPS National Biotechnology Conference in Boston, Phillip explains why gene therapy manufacturing has not yet reached the maturity of monoclonal antibody production. As technologies have evolved across retroviral vectors, lentiviral vectors, adenovirus, AAV, lipid nanoparticles, and other advanced modalities, development teams have repeatedly been required to rethink fundamental manufacturing and analytical questions. Phillip discusses why analytics are critical, why experience across multiple manufacturing lots and products matters, and why there simply is no shortcut to developing the scientific knowledge necessary to manufacture advanced therapies reliably. He also reflects on the uncertainty of biotechnology. Early in his career, Phillip was walking down a hallway when his CFO asked if he had cashed his paycheck. When he said no, she told him not to. It's a remarkable story that captures something rarely discussed about biotechnology: behind transformative science are people willing to operate through considerable uncertainty while trying to build something that has never existed before. Gregory and Phillip Discuss • Viral vector manufacturing and scale-up • Why analytics are essential to gene therapy development • AAV manufacturing challenges • Lentiviral vectors and other evolving delivery technologies • Lipid nanoparticles and changes in advanced therapy manufacturing • Why gene therapy cannot simply adopt the established monoclonal antibody manufacturing playbook • Building process knowledge across lots and products • Career resilience in biotechnology • Progress across AAV, CAR-T, and other advanced therapies • Gene therapy affordability • The importance of therapeutic durability • Outcomes-based payment models for advanced therapies Phillip's message for scientists and industry leaders is straightforward: don't assume the manufacturing problem has already been solved simply because a technology has existed for decades. The field is still evolving, and some knowledge cannot be shortcut. About Phillip Ramsey Phillip Ramsey is Chief Technical Officer at Sangamo Therapeutics and brings more than 35 years of experience across biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing, technical development, operations, quality, and advanced therapies. Connect with Phillip Ramsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-ramsey-a2074711/ Sangamo Therapeutics: https://www.sangamo.com/ Connect With BioTalk Unzipped Gregory Austin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryaustin1/ Dr. Chad Briscoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadbriscoe/ BioTalk Unzipped: https://www.biotalkunzipped.com/ BioTalk Unzipped unzips, unlocks, and uncovers the stories behind medical progress through conversations with scientists, executives, entrepreneurs, and innovators advancing biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology. Recorded onsite at the AAPS National Biotechnology Conference in Boston. Special thanks to AAPS and Rebecca Stauffer for supporting the BioTalk Unzipped interview series.

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  Episode #44

  Her Daughter’s Brain Tumor Turned Her Into a Biotech Founder | Tracy Ryan

  Jul 19, 20261h 4mS1

  A mother’s search for answers to her daughter’s relentless brain tumor led her into natural killer cell biology, cancer immunotherapy, and biotech entrepreneurship. Sponsored by Leucentra, https://leucentra.com/ Inspired by science, empowered by IT. Leucentra helps life science and healthcare organizations evaluate, implement, and get more value from technology that supports innovation. Tracy Ryan, co-founder of NKore BioTherapeutics and former chief communications officer, joins Gregory Austin and Dr. Chad Briscoe to explain how her daughter Sophie’s pediatric brain tumor transformed her from a parent searching for options into a cancer advocate, research fundraiser, and biotechnology founder. The conversation examines the scientific reasoning that moved Tracy from medical cannabis advocacy toward NK-cell immunotherapy. She describes an immune-system finding involving Sophie’s natural killer cells, the work of the late UCLA scientist Dr. Anahid Jewett, and the development of an experimental allogeneic NK-cell platform designed to enhance immune activity without genetic engineering. The episode also explores the practical realities of translating an early scientific hypothesis into a therapeutic program, including donor selection, cell persistence, manufacturing, treatment outside the United States, regulatory requirements, clinical evidence, and the difficulty of raising capital for an emerging cell-therapy company. At the center of the discussion is a difficult question: how do scientists, founders, regulators, and families preserve urgency when patients need better options, while still requiring the controlled evidence needed to determine whether a therapy is safe and effective? What you will learn: • How Sophie’s pediatric brain tumor changed the direction of Tracy Ryan’s life • Why natural killer cells are important in immune surveillance and cancer biology • What differentiates allogeneic NK-cell approaches from CAR-T and CAR-NK therapies • How NKore’s experimental platform was designed to activate donor-derived NK cells • Why persistence, donor biology, manufacturing, and lymphodepletion matter in cell therapy • Why early human observations must remain distinct from controlled clinical-trial evidence • How regulatory pathways and capital constraints shape whether promising science reaches patients • What parents facing pediatric cancer need from the scientific and medical community About Tracy Ryan: Tracy Ryan is a pediatric cancer advocate, entrepreneur, public speaker, and biotechnology co-founder. She formerly served as chief communications officer of NKore BioTherapeutics. Her daughter Sophie was diagnosed with a brain tumor during infancy, leading Tracy and her family into more than a decade of advocacy, research support, fundraising, and therapeutic exploration. Tracy and her husband also established Saving Sophie to support pediatric cancer research and help families pursue care. Their family’s experience with medical cannabis was featured in the documentary Weed the People. Connect with Tracy Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyryan23/ Connect with Gregory Austin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryaustin1/ Connect with Dr. Chad Briscoe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadbriscoe/ Watch more BioTalk Unzipped episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@BioTalkUnzipped/videos Visit BioTalk Unzipped: https://www.biotalkunzipped.com Learn more about NKore BioTherapeutics: https://www.nkore.com Support Saving Sophie: https://www.savingsophie.org This episode is brought to you by founding sponsor Lucentra. Lucentra provides information technology consulting for life science and healthcare organizations, helping teams modernize infrastructure, strengthen security, and build scalable technology environments that support scientific innovation. Subscribe to BioTalk Unzipped for conversations with the scientists, founders, regulators, and business leaders shaping the future of medicine. Medical and scientific disclaimer: This conversation is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment guidance. The therapies and outcomes discussed may be investigational, preliminary, or based on individual experience. Early observations do not establish safety or efficacy. Patients and caregivers should consult qualified healthcare professionals before making medical decisions. #CancerImmunotherapy #NKCells #PediatricCancer

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  Episode #43

  The Future of Oncology Drug Development | Dr. Lakshmi Amaravadi

  Jun 11, 202630 minS1

  <p>Oncology drug development is becoming more complex, and bioanalysis can no longer be treated as simple drug measurement.</p><p>Sponsored by Leucentra, https://leucentra.com/</p><p>Inspired by science, empowered by IT. Leucentra helps life science and healthcare organizations evaluate, implement, and get more value from technology that supports innovation.</p><p>In this episode of BioTalk Unzipped, Gregory Austin and Dr. Chad Briscoe speak with Dr. Lakshmi Amaravadi, Head of Oncology Bioanalysis at AstraZeneca, live from AAPS PharmSci 360 in San Antonio.</p><p>Dr. Amaravadi unpacks why biomarker validation is not one-size-fits-all, how context of use...

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