Skinny Genes

High cholesterol and clogged arteries are the main cause of heart attacks. While modern medicine has developed ways to keep cholesterol down, these medications must be taken daily in order to be effective and come with their own list of side effects. This is where CRISPR comes in. Scientists have now developed a way to safely and durably reduce cholesterol in monkeys with a single injection of CRISPR gene therapy. In this episode, Dan and Derek discuss how this new therapy actually works, some of the interesting history behind it, and why it might be coming to a clinic near you sooner than you think...

Musunuru et al. In vivo CRISPR base editing of PCSK9 durably lowers cholesterol in primates. Nature, May 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03534-y

The information presented here is not medical advice. Consult your physician on any questions regarding your personal health.

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About the Podcast

Beyond the Abstract

Science and research for everyone

Hey science nerds! Welcome to Beyond the Abstract, a science podcast dedicated to discussion of the coolest cutting edge, basic science research papers in a way that just about anyone can understand. We're your hosts, Derek, Dan, and Ellen, three MD/PhD students coming from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Medical School who are passionate about science communication and bridging the gap between science and medicine.

In each episode, we’ll dive into a paper and talk about the experiments these scientists did, what it means for the future of research, and even potential impacts on human health and medicine. We've invited experts in these fields to help us understand and dissect these complicated but impactful papers.

We can't wait to share all this cool science with you.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and NOT intended as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and do not reflect the University of Pennsylvania.

Business contact: beyondabstractpod@gmail.com

About your hosts

Derek Sung, PhD

Derek is a 7th year MD/PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania interested in developmental and vascular biology with plans to apply into pathology. He received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2022. He is the founder, co-developer, and co-host of Beyond the Abstract.

In his spare time, he likes to listen to All Star by Smash Mouth on repeat, smile too big for photos, pretend to be a sommelier, and throw epic Halloween parties with his roommate.

Ellen White

Ellen is a 3rd year MD/PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania interested in microbiome research with the hopes of specializing in GI medicine. She is a co-developer and co-host of Beyond the Abstract. You can find her listening to Work by Rihanna (feat. Drake) on repeat, getting too invested in college basketball games, or shamelessly watching Real Housewives.

Dan Weiner

Dan is a MD/PhD student at Harvard Medical School. He recently completed his PhD in genomics! He is co-host of Beyond the Abstract.

In his spare time you can find him running, hiking, cooking and scrolling TikTok.