The Biorevolution Podcast
Cells are the basic units of life. For over a century, understanding cellular processes has been the basis for understanding human development and disease, and for deciphering the actions of novel disease treatments. But there’s a caveat: wet-lab studies in cells take time and money, they are often reductionist. To overcome those challenges of the wet lab, researchers have for some time tried to model cellular processes mathematically, in so-called virtual cells. With the availability of large-scale datasets and sophisticated AI models, virtual cells are advancing into useful tools for researchers. In episode 41 of the BioRevolution podcast we spoke to Prof. Fabian Theis, Chair of Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems at TU Munich and director of the Institute of Computational Biology at the Helmholtz Zentrum München. With Fabian we discussed the convergence of mathematics and biology into virtual cell models and their potential use cases in basic research and drug development. You can find more on Fabian's research here: Theis Lab: https://www.helmholtz-munich.de/en/icb/research-groups/theis-lab Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow
Erschienen: 07.11.2025
Dauer: 00:42:42
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Virtual cells - Decoding life's basic units"
The biorevolution podcast #40
Every second man and every third woman will experience a cancer diagnosis during their lives. Getting the news can be devastating and paralyzing, but making the right decisions about treatment, care, mindset and lifestyle is a crucial part of finding a cure. In her book “The 8 Essentials for Overcoming Cancer - Cancer, I can” medical doctor and pharma executive, Stefanie Walther describes her very personal journey and gives holistic advice for battling a cancer diagnosis, from finding the right treatment center and medical team, to finding the right diet, exercise plan and sleep schedule. In the newest episode of the BioRevolution podcast Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow spoke to Stefanie Walther about her story, her book and about the outlook of eradicating cancer as a disease in the future. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Find Stefanie Walther: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-stefanie-walther-ab871966/ Order “The 8 Essentials For Overcoming Cancer - Cancer, I Can” here: https://www.amazon.de/Essentials-Overcoming-Cancer-Can/dp/B0FNMDZT5Y Further reading on the topics we discussed during the episode and found in the book can be found in here: CANCER FACT AND FIGURES https://www.cancer.org/cancer.html https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk/lifetime-probability-of-developing-or-dying-from-cancer.html https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2025/2025-cancer-facts-and-figures-acs.pdf https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27196525/ https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/more-evidence-that-a-healthy-lifestyle-might-help-prevent-cancer https://www.who.int/activities/preventing-cancer ESSENTIAL 1: CALM DOWN https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/survivor-facts-figures.html ESSENTIAL 2: ASK FOR HELP https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31123497/ ESSENTIAL 3: NAME THE DISEASE https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30822350/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5038982/ ESSENTIAL 4: FIND A CANCER CENTER FOR ERADICATION AND REHABILITATION https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12648693/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6132422/ ESSENTIAL 5: I STAY MENTALLY STRONG https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22438289/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31024362/ ESSENTIAL 6: CHOOSE HEALTHY FOODS https://www.aicr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/summary-third-expert-report.pdf https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/healthy-eating/new-american-plate/ ESSENTIAL 7: ACTIVATE YOUR BODY https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2019/cancer-survivors-exercise-guidelines-schmitz https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34213826/ ESSENTIAL 8: NORMALIZE YOUR SLEEP https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29032088/ OUTLOOK https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1204479 https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(19)37684-7/fulltext
Erschienen: 20.10.2025
Dauer: 00:43:31
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The 8 Essentials For Overcoming Cancer"
The biorevolution podcast #39
This time Louise and Andreas invited the artist Annette Goessel into the show to discuss the once united forces of art and science that seem so seperate in our day and age. And: For the first time since the beginnings of the show we speak German once more (apologies to the non German speakers) In dieser Episode diskutieren wir die faszinierende Verbindung zwischen Kunst und Wissenschaft. Wir erkunden, wie Neugier und Emotionen sowohl Künstler als auch Wissenschaftler antreiben und welche Rolle der kreative Prozess dabei spielt. Zudem betrachten wir die Herausforderungen und Chancen, die Künstliche Intelligenz für beide Disziplinen mit sich bringt. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Annette Goessel You can find Annette Goessel's art here: https://www.annettegoessel.de/
Erschienen: 01.10.2025
Dauer: 00:42:03
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Creative Matter: Where Art Meets Science"
The biorevolution podcast #38
It sounds promising: AI chatbots acting as scientists, condensing the work of weeks, months, or even years of reading, debate, and hour-long lab meetings into minutes. Researchers at Stanford University and Google DeepMind have released multi-agent AI “scientist” systems. But how good are they, really, and will they overcome current limitations of large language models like OpenAI’s GPT or Google’s Gemini—such as the lack of robust reasoning capabilities, which are crucial for scientific discovery? In the 38th episode of the BioRevolution Podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow discuss the promise and the reality of AI scientists. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Igor Saikin via Unsplash
Erschienen: 01.09.2025
Dauer: 00:29:38
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Out of the Lab, Into the Code: An Age of AI Scientists?"
Medical machines get smarter - AI in Medtech
The $600 billion MedTech industry is undergoing a technological transformation. From AI-powered medical imaging to smart diagnostics and remote monitoring tools, artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping how care is delivered — and increasingly how patients manage their own health. In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, we are joined by our guest, idalab’s MedTech expert Julian Beimes to discuss how this AI-driven wave aligns with broader shifts in medicine: virtualization, personalization, and prevention. But alongside the innovation, we also unpack the challenges — especially the complex and often fragmented regulatory environment. Are policies like the EU AI Act promoting safety, or holding back progress? Find Julian here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-beimes/ Find idalab here: https://idalab.de/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Igor Saikin via Unsplash
Erschienen: 01.08.2025
Dauer: 00:27:41
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The biorevolution podcast #37"
We are what we eat – The future of food
Food is a topic that is both deeply personal and of global importance. What we eat affects our health and longevity, but also the lives of animals and the future of our planet. New technologies and scientific discoveries are now enabling us to transform how we produce food and personalize nutrition in entirely new ways. In this episode, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow speak with food expert and CEO of Berlin Food Campus, Lia Carlucci, about key trends shaping the future of food—from alternative proteins to personalized nutrition. You can find Lia here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lia-carlucci-foodtech-entrepreneur-ceo-speaker/?originalSubdomain=de And Berlin Food campus here: https://www.foodcampus.berlin/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Markus Spiske via Unsplash
Erschienen: 02.07.2025
Dauer: 00:41:45
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The biorevolution podcast #36"
New tech, new talent, new challenges – pharma leadership in the age of AI
Despite great hopes for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in biotech and pharma—with investments exceeding $50 billion over the past ten years—the question of when the technology will reach maturity remains difficult to answer. How can biotech and pharma leaders navigate this complex gray area, where hype around the technology obscures the outlook and few concrete milestones provide clear signposts for decision-making? In this episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler speak with their guest, idalab founder Paul von Bünau, about the potential of AI in biotech. They explore how leaders can adapt internal processes, support their teams in facing the challenges AI brings, and examine whether AI has the potential to make us better leaders. Find Dr. Paul von Bünau here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvonbuenau/ and idalab here: https://idalab.de/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Matteo Vistocco via Unsplash
Erschienen: 02.06.2025
Dauer: 00:41:15
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The biorevolution podcast #35"
Illuminating the Dark Genome – New Insights into the Genetic Basis of Disease
More than 20 years after the Human Genome Project, enabled by new sequencing technologies, researchers are making progress in exploring the vast non-coding space that constitutes 98% of our genomes. This non-coding, or "dark," DNA harbors elements with important regulatory functions in health and disease. But pinpointing disease-relevant DNA elements within this massive DNA space can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. This difficult search can be eased by artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools, which predict the context-dependent relevance of certain DNA elements and highlight their role in different diseases, from cancer to rare neurodegenerative disorders. For Episode 33 of the BioRevolution podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow are joined by CTO and co-founder of Berlin-based biotech LUCID Genomics, Dr. Hossein Moeinzadeh, to discuss the exciting field of non-coding DNA and how LUCID’s AI algorithm can help make sense of non-coding DNA — and how this could improve diagnoses of rare diseases and beyond. Learn more about LUCID genomics AI tool here: https://www.lucid-genomics.com/technology Find Dr. Hossein Moeinzadeh here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhossein-moeinzadeh/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: via Unsplash.
Erschienen: 05.05.2025
Dauer: 00:38:11
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The biorevolution podcast #34"
The biochemistry of the mystical – a psychedelics renaissance?
When the Swiss chemist synthesized and tested the psychedelic compound LSD in the 1930s, he knew he had found a tool to explore the human mind. Indeed, before psychedelics became illegal in the late 1960s, a mountain of evidence had been produced, showing potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. After a decades-long hiatus, research on psychedelics as a treatment for psychiatric diseases is experiencing a renaissance—and initial results look promising. While the field has seen a setback with the recent request for more data by the FDA for the approval of MDMA for PTSD, research into different psychedelic compounds continues, promising new hopes to battle worldwide mental health crises. In the newest episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow discuss the history, the promise, and the risks of psychedelics as treatments for psychiatric diseases with neuroscientist, psychedelics expert, and executive coach Galyna Pidpruzhnykova https://www.linkedin.com/in/galynapidpruzhnykova/ https://www.galynapipdpruzhnykova.com/ Galyna also outlines her efforts to develop a psychedelics strategy to battle the mental health crisis in Ukraine, where the Ministry of Health published a draft law for research on psychedelic compounds just a few days after we recorded this podcast. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7308180815761330176/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow
Erschienen: 01.04.2025
Dauer: 00:42:21
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The biorevolution podcast #33"
A question of trust - Why we need science
This time on the BioRevolution podcast: science itself. While recent surveys show persistently high trust in science worldwide, certain scientific topics have become the subject of intense societal and political debate. This politicization of science puts scientists in a difficult position when they are trying to argue based on facts. The value of facts and evidence-based science seems to be increasingly questioned by those in power and by those in control of assets. If those who make laws and regulate science don’t see evidence and consensus as reliable resources anymore, what will become of progress in biomedicine, which feeds innovation in biotech, pharma, and medicine?While we’ve seen many scientific victories in past couple of years, from Covid Vaccines to cancer immunotherapy to Ozempic, the reality that scientists face is much less rosy than the news of scientific breakthroughs might suggest. Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: via Photoshop AI Further reading: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/2023-04/EndlessFrontier75th_w.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03909-2 https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2024/11/14/public-trust-in-scientists-and-views-on-their-role-in-policymaking/?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00525-1 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8793038/ https://www.wissenschaftskommunikation.de/wie-lange-vertraut-man-uns-noch-83325/ https://www.nopatientleftbehind.org/defending-the-foundation-of-american-science https://theweek.com/science/distrust-science-politics-2024-public-trust-vaccines-milk-pandemic https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11004618/ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00238-x https://www.forbes.com/sites/innovationrx/2025/02/19/innovationrx-recursion-launches-fund-for-biotech-startups-hit-by-nih-funding-cuts/
Erschienen: 03.03.2025
Dauer: 00:39:38
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The biorevolution podcast #32"
