Blood, Biotechnology and Well-Being – Overviews of Genetics, Cellular Therapies and Aging.
Week of November 27, 2021
Discover the provoking and revolutionary technologies that will not only treat each of us more precisely but will drive longevity and healthier communities.
Blood, Biotechnology and Well-Being – Overviews of Genetics, Cellular Therapies and Aging.
Over the past 20 years, biological discoveries and healthcare technologies have evolved at breakneck speed. It is now possible to read your entire genetic blueprint in a few hours, reprogram your immune cells to kill cancer, and mine amounts of data never before imagined, all to more effectively treat us more precisely as individuals. Individuals and communities will live longer and healthier lives, and it all starts with our blood!
Blood, Biotechnology and Well-Being – DNA and Genetics.
The discovery of the molecular basis of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1952 has cracked wide open the understanding of our genetic blueprint, how single molecular changes in our DNA can cause disease, how our DNA directs how we respond to therapies, and how we can now edit our DNA to eradicate disease, with technologies such as CRISPR. DNA sequencing and editing technologies applied to agriculture and microorganisms, bacteria and viruses, will enable us to realize both precision medicine and more importantly precision health.
Blood, Biotechnology and Well-Being – Cellular Therapies.
Pharmaceutical development is at an amazing inflection point, using cells to replace damaged and diseased tissues. Cellular therapies are just now being applied clinically, after the earlier waves of chemical drugs, such as aspirin, and biologics, such as antibodies (i.e. Humira). The treatment of cancer has followed drug development and now it is possible to leverage and even reprogram your own immune system to fight cancer.
Blood, Biotechnology and Well-Being – Aging.
While cancer involves the aberrant growth of cells, cell senescence, or aging, occurs through similar genetic changes. Scientists now believe our bodies were designed to live longer than we actually do, and it’s the inhibition of disease that will enhance longevity. Will genetically manipulating individual cells allow us to live both disease-free and longer? In this program we will also briefly review the biology of skincare and wound repair.
David Wellis PhD is a nationally known cell biologist, innovator and entrepreneur with over 30 years of engagement in the life science industry. David currently serves as the CEO of the San Diego Blood Bank. David joined SDBB following his tenure at a variety of companies that developed antibody therapeutics and tools for biomedical research, diagnostic and applied markets. David received his B.S. from UC Irvine, an M.S. and Ph.D. from Emory University, postdoctoral training at Tufts University and UC Berkeley, and business training at Santa Clara University and UC Berkeley. David serves on the Executive Committees of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute at UC San Diego, and the All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. David also holds board and committee roles in several national blood bank organizations and local biotechnology companies, including two of his own. He has presented to local and national audiences, Young Presidents Organization and has been invited to the White House twice!