#323 - CRISPR and the future of gene editing: scientific advances, genetic therapies, disease treatment potential, and ethical considerations | Feng Zhang, Ph.D.
Release Date: 10/28/2024
#324 ‒ Metabolism, energy balance, and aging: How diet, calorie restriction, and macronutrients influence longevity and metabolic health | Eric Ravussin, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Eric Ravussin is a world-renowned expert on obesity, metabolism, and aging whose pioneering research has shaped much of what we understand today about energy balance and caloric restriction. In this episode, Eric shares insights from his cutting-edge work on energy expenditure—a critical factor in understanding how our bodies regulate weight and appetite. He discusses methods for measuring energy output, energy balance, food intake, and appetite regulation, and explores key studies on macronutrient manipulation. Eric then delves into the CALERIE study on caloric restriction, highlighting...
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#323 - CRISPR and the future of gene editing: scientific advances, genetic therapies, disease treatment potential, and ethical considerations | Feng Zhang, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Feng Zhang, a professor of neuroscience at MIT and a pioneering figure in gene editing, joins Peter to discuss his groundbreaking work in CRISPR technology, as well as his early contributions to optogenetics. In this episode, they explore the origins of CRISPR and the revolutionary advancements that have transformed the field of gene editing. Feng delves into the practical applications of CRISPR for treating genetic diseases, the importance of delivery methods, and the current successes and challenges in targeting cells specific tissues such as those in the liver and eye. He also covers the...
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#322 - Bone health for life: building strong bones, preventing age-related loss, and reversing osteoporosis with evidence-based exercise | Belinda Beck, Ph.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Belinda Beck, founder of The Bone Clinic and a leading authority on exercise physiology and bone health, delves into the science of osteoporosis, bone density, and the lifelong importance of maintaining skeletal health. In this episode, she explains how the foundation for strong bones is established during childhood, offering valuable advice for parents on optimizing bone health for their kids. She also explores how bone remodeling occurs throughout life, driven by activity, nutrition, and hormones. Belinda highlights the power of resistance training in improving bone strength, even for...
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#321 – Dopamine and addiction: navigating pleasure, pain, and the path to recovery | Anna Lembke, M.D.
The Peter Attia Drive
Anna Lembke is the Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic and author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. In this episode, Anna dives deep into the biochemistry and neurobiology of addiction, exploring the critical role of dopamine and the prefrontal cortex. She shares her framework for diagnosing and treating addiction, providing real-world examples involving alcohol, gambling, cannabis, social media, and more. Anna outlines the risk factors for addiction, including inherited and nurture-based risks, explores the rise of addictions in...
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#320 – AMA 64: New insights on GLP-1 agonists (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) - efficacy, benefits, risks, and considerations in the rapidly evolving weight-loss drug landscape
The Peter Attia Drive
In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter dives back into the increasingly popular topic of GLP-1 agonists, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, which have garnered widespread attention for their ability to promote weight loss. Peter covers the latest findings in this rapidly evolving landscape, including new insights into their long-term efficacy, side effects, and what happens when the drug is discontinued. Peter also explores their impact on body composition and how resistance training interacts with these treatments. Additionally, he compares different GLP-1 receptor agonists and...
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#319 ‒ Peter's key takeaways on liver health, heart rate variability, AI in medicine, klotho, and lactate metabolism | Quarterly Podcast Summary #2
The Peter Attia Drive
In this quarterly podcast summary (QPS) episode, Peter summarizes his biggest takeaways from the last three months of guest interviews on the podcast. Peter shares key insights from each episode, covering diverse topics such as liver health with Julia Wattacheril, heart rate variability with Joel Jamieson, artificial intelligence with Zak Kohane, klotho for brain health with Dena Dubal, and lactate and lactate metabolism with George Brooks. Additionally, Peter shares any personal behavioral adjustments or modifications to his patient care practices that have arisen from these engaging...
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#318 ‒ Cycling phenom and Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar reveals his training strategies, on-bike nutrition, and future aspirations
The Peter Attia Drive
Tadej Pogačar is a three-time Tour de France champion and one of the most dominant cyclists of his generation. In this episode, he shares insights into his 2020 Tour de France victory, his historic 2024 season winning both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, and the struggles he faced in 2022 and 2023. He also dives into his training regimen, nutrition, and the key metrics he tracks, like power, VAM, and heart rate variability. Tadej offers a glimpse into his goals for the future and what it takes to stay at the top of the sport. We discuss: 2020 Tour de France win [4:30]; Learning...
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#317 ‒ Reforming medicine: uncovering blind spots, challenging the norm, and embracing innovation | Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H.
The Peter Attia Drive
Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and New York Times bestselling author, returns to The Drive to discuss his latest book, Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health. In this episode, Marty explores how a new generation of doctors is challenging long-held medical practices by asking critical new questions. He discusses the major problems of groupthink and cognitive dissonance in the medical community and delves into several of the "blind spots" raised in the book, including treatments for appendicitis, the peanut allergy epidemic, misunderstandings about...
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#316 - AMA #63: A guide for hair loss: causes, treatments, transplants, and sex-specific considerations
The Peter Attia Drive
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Improve your decision-making, frameworks for learning, backcasting, and more | Annie Duke (#60 rebroadcast)
The Peter Attia Drive
In this episode, former World Series of Poker champion and author Annie Duke explains how poker is a pertinent model system for decision-making in the real world, a system which blends imperfect information with some unknown percentage of both luck and skill. Annie breaks down the decision-making matrix, revealing how we often focus too narrowly on just one of the four quadrants, missing out on valuable learning opportunities in the remaining 75% of situations. She delves into how our tendency to evaluate only negative outcomes leads to a culture of risk aversion. This mindset, she argues,...
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Feng Zhang, a professor of neuroscience at MIT and a pioneering figure in gene editing, joins Peter to discuss his groundbreaking work in CRISPR technology, as well as his early contributions to optogenetics. In this episode, they explore the origins of CRISPR and the revolutionary advancements that have transformed the field of gene editing. Feng delves into the practical applications of CRISPR for treating genetic diseases, the importance of delivery methods, and the current successes and challenges in targeting cells specific tissues such as those in the liver and eye. He also covers the ethical implications of gene editing, including the debate around germline modification, as well as reflections on Feng’s personal journey, the impact of mentorship, and the future potential of genetic medicine.
We discuss:
- Feng’s background, experience in developing optogenetics, and his shift toward improving gene-editing technologies [2:45];
- The discovery of CRISPR in bacterial DNA and the realization that these sequences could be harnessed for gene editing [10:45];
- How the CRISPR system fights off viral infections and the role of the Cas9 enzyme and PAM sequence [21:00];
- The limitations of earlier gene-editing technologies prior to CRISPR [28:15];
- How CRISPR revolutionized the field of gene editing, potential applications, and ongoing challenges [36:45];
- CRISPR’s potential in treating genetic diseases and the challenges of effective delivery [48:00];
- How CRISPR is used to treat sickle cell anemia [53:15];
- Gene editing with base editing, the role of AI in protein engineering, and challenges of delivery to the right cells [1:00:15];
- How CRISPR is advancing scientific research by fast-tracking the development of transgenic mice [1:06:45];
- Advantages of Cas13’s ability to direct CRISPR to cleave RNA and the advances and remaining challenges of delivery [1:11:00];
- CRISPR-Cas9: therapeutic applications in the liver and the eye [1:19:45];
- The ethical implications of gene editing, the debate around germline modification, regulation, and more [1:30:45];
- Genetic engineering to enhance human traits: challenges, trade-offs, and ethical concerns [1:40:45];
- Feng’s early life, the influence of the American education system, and the critical role teachers played in shaping his desire to explore gene-editing technology [1:46:00];
- Feng’s optimism about the trajectory of science [1:58:15]; and
- More.
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