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Artwork for Research Renaissance: Exploring the Future of Brain Science

Research Renaissance: Exploring the Future of Brain Science

Karen Toffler Charitable Trust
Alzheimer's Disease
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Parkinson's Disease
Neuroscience
Patient Advocacy
Dementia
Mental Health
Cura Strategies
Blood-Brain Barrier
Neurodegeneration
Healthcare Communications
Immune System
Neurology
Drug Development
Clinical Trials
Biomedical Research
Philanthropy
Artificial Intelligence
Opioid Addiction
Aging Population

Welcome to Research Renaissance, presented by the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust. We invite you into the stories, struggles, and breakthroughs shaping the future of human health. From cutting-edge brain science to discoveries transforming how we heal, adapt, and thrive, we explore the ideas that matter and the people behind them.

Each episode features early-career researchers driven by curiosity,... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes74Founded2 years ago
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MedicineHealth & FitnessLife SciencesScience

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Artwork for Research Renaissance: Exploring the Future of Brain Science

Latest Episodes

Are you trading your long-term brain health for late-night screen time? Dr. Paul Chung, physician and researcher at Northwestern University, joins host Deborah Westphal to reveal why sleep is far more than rest - and why ignoring it could cost you de... more

What if the key to understanding autism isn't one gene — but thousands working together?

In this episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal sits down with Dr. Daniel Gershwind, Gordon and Virginia McDonald Distinguished Professor of Huma... more

What if one of the most promising frontiers in Alzheimer's research isn't just about what's building up in the brain - but how the brain clears it out? In this episode of Research Renaissance, host Deborah Westphal sits down with Dr. Tirth Patel, a n... more

The Hidden Genome Inside Every Cell

Most of us learned that mitochondria are the “powerhouse of the cell.”

What we didn’t learn?

They carry their own DNA — and that DNA may hold crucial answers to aging, neurodegeneration, and rare childhood diseas... more

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Recent Guests

Tirth Patel
Neurologist and physician-scientist at UCLA; Toffler Scholar 2025
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Episode: The Brain's Plumbing Problem: A Neurologist-Scientist's Quest to Clear Alzheimer's Proteins
Stefan Isaac
Assistant Professor at Boston University; 2025 Toffler Scholar
Boston University
Episode: The Hidden Genome: How Mitochondrial DNA Shapes Aging and Disease
Jacob Hooker
Neuroscientist and entrepreneur, founder/leader of Sensorium Therapeutics
Sensorium Therapeutics
Episode: Rewiring Mental Health: Nature-Inspired Brain Medicine with Dr. Jacob Hooker
Scott Russo
Director, Brain Body Research Institute
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Episode: Rethinking Depression: Why Mental Health Is a Whole-Body Disease
Art Caplan
Bioethicist and head of the section of Medical Ethics at NYU
New York University (NYU) Langone Health
Episode: Bioethics at the Bedside and Beyond: How Ethics Shaped Modern Medicine
Zachary Sorrentino
Neuroscientist and physician-scientist
University of Florida
Episode: Can We Halt Parkinson’s Progression? Targeted Brain Therapies Explained
Rebecca Wallings
Assistant Professor in Neurology at Indiana University, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute
Indiana University
Episode: Is Parkinson’s a Whole-Body Disease? Rethinking the Immune System’s Role
Micaelly Alves
Ph.D. candidate focusing on cerebral amyloid angiopathy and microRNAs
Temple University
Episode: How MicroRNAs Could Change Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
Julianne McCall
CEO of the California Council on Science and Technology; neuroscientist turned science policy leader
California Council on Science and Technology
Episode: From Neuroscience to State Policy: How Science Shapes Decisions in California

Host

Deborah Westphal
Host guiding discussions on brain science and the future of brain health; associated with cutting-edge research and strategic initiatives.

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How MicroRNAs Could Change Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
Q: How do you balance advancing potential therapies with safety across organs when manipulating microRNAs?
Because microRNAs can affect multiple pathways, therapies must preserve brain health while minimizing risk to other organs, which requires careful selection of targets, context-dependent studies, and comprehensive preclinical testing.
How MicroRNAs Could Change Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
Q: What makes your biomarker panel for cerebral amyloid angiopathy particularly important for personalized medicine?
CAA-specific panels would differentiate patients who have amyloid-related vascular changes from those with purely classic Alzheimer's pathology, enabling tailored treatments and better diagnostic precision as part of a broader move toward personalized medicine.
How MicroRNAs Could Change Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
Q: Can you explain what a microRNA is and why it matters for Alzheimer's disease?
MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by guiding and binding to messenger RNAs, thereby influencing protein production and cellular pathways. In Alzheimer's, certain microRNAs are downregulated in the brain and blood, suggesting they play a role in disease progression and could serve as early biomarkers or therapeutic targets.
From Lived Experience to Life-Changing Innovation: How Praxis Reimagines Spinal Cord Injury Solutions
Q: What is PLEX and why was it created?
PLEX is a term for persons with lived experience in spinal cord injury, created to foreground their active, equal role in shaping research and innovation rather than being passive recipients.
The Hidden Genome: How Mitochondrial DNA Shapes Aging and Disease
Q: What is the central hypothesis being tested about mitochondria in different parts of the cell?
The hypothesis is that mitochondria perform different functions depending on their location within the cell, affecting RNA production and genome replication in situ, and that these spatial differences influence overall cellular health and disease susceptibility.

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What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Explores breakthroughs and real-world impact across brain science, health equity, aging, and neurological diseases through conversations with researchers, clinicians, nonprofit leaders, and industry pioneers. Episodes highlight community resilience, drug repurposing, regenerative biology, sex differences in neurodegenerative risk, neural engineering, and the interplay between policy, funding, and science translation. The show frequently centers on how cutting-edge science can improve patient outcomes, with practical examples of collaboration across academia, healthcare, advocacy, and enterprise, making complex topics accessible to a broad audience. A notable strength is assembling diverse experts—from early‑career researchers to CEOs and fu... more

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These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Hidden Brain
2. Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

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this podcast launched 2 years ago and published 74 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Tirth Patel
2. Stefan Isaac
3. Jacob Hooker
4. Scott Russo
5. Art Caplan
6. Zachary Sorrentino
7. Rebecca Wallings
8. Micaelly Alves

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