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Gen BioTech Interview - Preview
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Gen BioTech Interview - Preview
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2022-01-21T00:00:00.0000000
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Language: EN.
Segment:0 .
[MUSIC PLAYING]
FAY LIN: Hello, everyone. My name is Dr. Fay Lin, and I'm Senior Editor of GEN Biotechnology, the new peer review journal launching in early 2022, aiming to publish outstanding original research and perspectives across all facets of the biotech industry. I have the honor of being joined today by the Editor-in-Chief of GEN Biotechnology, Hana El-Samad, Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California San Francisco. Some of her numerous prestigious honors include being named a Paul G. Allen Distinguished Investigator, a Senior Investigator of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, and a Fellow at the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
FAY LIN: So we're here today not only to chat about why we're excited for the launch of GEN Biotechnology and what the journal has to offer during this booming time of biotech, but also who you are, Hana, as a scientist and activist. So I've expressed how incredibly excited I was when you came on board for GEN Biotechnology. And when I was a PhD student studying cell signaling and computational modeling, I've been a huge fan of your work in synthetic cell signaling circuits for a very long time.
FAY LIN: So we're beyond excited to have you. I want to ask, what excited you most about the editor-in-chief role at GEN Biotechnology?
HANA EL-SAMAD: Hi, Fay. Where do I start? So much to be excited about, not the least of it having the opportunity to work with you. So that's great. OK, so let me actually mention two things that are kind off the top of my excitement barometer. The first is the topic itself. Biotechnology has seen a wind whirl of innovation in the last couple of decades.
HANA EL-SAMAD: Progress has been just so amazing on so many levels-- at the conceptual level, at the technological level. But also, in addition to this technical and conceptual progress, there has been this realization both inside the biotechnology field and outside of it that innovation in biotechnology, using biology as a substrate for innovation, is necessary, is an absolute must to deal with our environmental issues, to design radical new therapeutics.
HANA EL-SAMAD: So now is the time to start thinking about a broad publishing platform that is wide enough to capture the incredible, the truly incredible, reach and spread of biotechnology. So that's one reason. The other is, frankly, the current pandemic, the COVID pandemic, and the realization that science and biotechnology really came to our rescue in incredible ways.
HANA EL-SAMAD: Coupled to that is the realization that many of us in this field have had that some big fraction of people in our country, and actually around the world, might have an inaccurate view of how science did it and what biotechnology and its immense promise really are. So I was really attracted to this opportunity of being part of a new adventure that is pioneered by a publishing company that has a track record of engagement with the public through its GEN platform, which is, as you know, of course, a 40-year-old trusted platform in biotech and bioengineering news.
HANA EL-SAMAD: So I really like this idea of scientific, rigorous peer review publishing and science journalism coming together organically to engage a broad audience.
FAY LIN: And you mentioned the amazing international editorial board of these leaders in biotech that you're assembling for GEN Biotechnology. And did you want to speak a bit more about this editorial board? How are you growing it? Who's on it? And what are you excited about with this new team?
HANA EL-SAMAD: I wish I could list all the names of people who are already on it. They're amazing. I'm just so excited to be working with all of them. So it's really an amazing staff. So go to the website of the journal and check out who's on our editorial board. It's just-- you'll be amazed, actually, at the talent there. So it's an amazing set of scientists, engineers biotechnologists.
HANA EL-SAMAD: And it's still growing. We're not done yet. So it's-- and as we mentioned, it's-- at least my hope is that it will be diverse in every sense of the word, designed to capture the different angles of biotechnology, the different flavors of it based on-- that's actually really important-- based on regional needs and applications.
HANA EL-SAMAD: So one thing that I'm hoping to capture, both on our editorial board and on the papers and perspectives and so on and the pieces we publish, is this idea that different parts of the world have different needs for biotechnology, different applications maybe of the same technologies, or different technologies altogether that cater to their local challenges and opportunities.
HANA EL-SAMAD: The challenges in Africa might not be the same as those in the Middle East, might not be the same as those in Australia or in the US. And there is vibrant biotechnology in all of these places. And I just hope, again, through our editorial board membership and through the material we publish, that we capture this international biotechnology and its potential for the world.
FAY LIN: Yeah, again, I am also super excited with this incredible team of editorial board members that we currently have on the board. And as Hana said, you can go to our website, genbiotechjournal.com, to get more information and to see this incredible group of leaders in biotech that we have leading this journal. And I think this also jumps into my next question about what kind of content will we expect from GEN Biotechnology?
FAY LIN: And what is your overall vision for the journal?
HANA EL-SAMAD: Yeah, so I think we touched a little bit on this in bits and pieces-- so let me put it all together-- in our previous conversations. So let me put it together in one place now. So what I really would like is for this journal to cover all aspects of biotechnology, the full ecosystem, which I think is a unique challenge but also a huge opportunity. It's really-- there is tremendous need to bring different branches of biotechnology together to a broad readership.
HANA EL-SAMAD: So I want to-- I would love to publish the science, of course, the most rigorous science, but also reflect on the sociology of the field, of the opportunities of the field, its nascent talent, its challenges-- on the fact that we often see this artificial separation in biotechnology between the foundational and the applied which actually shouldn't exist. I hope GEN Biotech will be the journal that not only publishes paper on the foundational aspect of biotechnology and the applied aspects of biotechnology but the leaps that people make between the two in the same lab maybe or in the same institution or through collaborations.
HANA EL-SAMAD: And also-- so that's the positive, but I also would love it if we can capture when these leaps actually don't happen when they should happen, when some foundational technology doesn't make it to an applied setting. What's holding that back? So I hope we can reflect also on that-- so from cutting-edge science to looking-forward perspectives, to voices telling the field what is holding us back and what we're doing right.
HANA EL-SAMAD: Of course, as we discussed, we would like to feature diverse science, diverse voices who speak to different technological and conceptual and scientific needs of our community and the world. I really, really would like to see how we can focus on young voices and their perspectives about what the future holds.
FAY LIN: That's-- I really-- I love all of that. And I think one of the things that was super exciting for me about this journal is because it's going to be this fresh modern voice in such a booming time during the biotech industry. And that includes, as you mentioned, Hana, that uplifting maybe these younger voices that, honestly, in a lot of platforms, I think, in STEM is harder for them to be heard.
FAY LIN: And having a project like this, where there is so much freedom to form what that voice is going to be, maybe tackle a new modern audience that is harder to do at more established projects, is a really exciting thing to be a part of.
HANA EL-SAMAD: Absolutely. Add that to the list of why I'm excited about this role at GEN Biotech. So that's our first question. We keep adding items to that list. [LAUGHTER]
FAY LIN: We're just all so excited about this. And I think another common theme in the biotech industry is that indeed, like I said, it's booming in both academia and industry. I wanted to ask, how does GEN Biotechnology fit in as far as, I guess, what I like to say and imagine this bridge between these two areas that should work collaboratively and cohesively?
FAY LIN: And how does GEN Biotechnology play a part in bridging that?
HANA EL-SAMAD: Yeah. So let me put my scientist hat now. So from that experience, being a scientist and a biotechnologist myself, I actually feel there is a great need for platforms that does not over-specialize in one area of biotechnology, that covers biotechnology at large, both in terms of its basic and translational applied research.
HANA EL-SAMAD: So there are, as we keep mentioning, there are so many branches of biotechnology. It's just such a rich area that covers almost everything in our lives, from the medicines we take to the food we grow and eat and everything in between. But these technologies and intellectual advances are sometimes, in these fields, are sometimes siloed. For example, as someone who works in synthetic biology, hacking into the cells with biological molecules, I don't get the opportunity in one journal to read about, for example, the latest in how nanotechnology and human-made materials can also hack into cells or how others are using bioelectronics or many, many other things that I really have to be to go around and be intentional in scavenging all of these things, bits and pieces of information on biotechnology that might be very relevant to my work.
HANA EL-SAMAD: So the idea that we can build a platform that brings all of this together to the same audience and readership, that introduces people routinely to ideas, technology from outside their immediate application of focus and, in this way, help cross-hybridize the field and bring together all of its intellectual and technological richness is very, very appealing.
HANA EL-SAMAD: So I think that's the best thing we can do for the future of biotechnology, bringing it all together and giving people access to it in one place.
FAY LIN: Yeah, absolutely. And I think what, like you said, was really exciting about this journal is the range of the audience that we're aiming to reach, as far as not just scientists, but also people if it's at the policy level or investors who are investing in these different biotech initiatives. There is just so many different, as it should, different people who are interested in this very impactful field of biotech and its wide applications that we're aiming to hit with this journal.
FAY LIN: All right, so Hana, how can people in the biotech community get involved with GEN Biotechnology?
HANA EL-SAMAD: There are so many ways. First of all, and obviously, send us your scientific papers, your breakthrough, amazing things that you've discovered or that you have built. But also, send us your perspective. What excites you in the field? Also, what frustrates you in the field? Where should we go and we're not going? If you are in industry, we also want to hear from you. Tell us what you think academia should do, is doing well or not well.
HANA EL-SAMAD: If you are in academia, what should industry do differently? What would catalyze your collaboration you might have with industry if the industry did something differently or focused on different application areas and so on? So I guess what I'm trying to say is, wherever you are in that very broad and rich field of biotechnology that is just going to-- I actually have no doubt biotechnology is going to save the world.
HANA EL-SAMAD: That's our chance. So if you are anywhere in this amazing field, enter in a communication with us about how to make this journal really a meeting space for the field and what role you think you might play in that. So this is really an invitation to all to think and propose novel ways where you can engage with us and with this journal.
FAY LIN: Absolutely. And if you're wondering how to reach us, you can get involved with GEN Biotechnology by sending us any editorial inquiries by email to editor@genbiotechjournal.com. You can also learn more about us at genbiotechjournal.com and follow us on Twitter, @GENBiotechJrnl. All right, Hana, thank you so much for taking the time to chat today about this incredibly new exciting journal called GEN Biotechnology.
FAY LIN: I am really excited to work together and make an incredible impact in all of science, not just in communicating the research, but also in diversity, equity, inclusion and all of the incredible facets of science that we've discussed today.
HANA EL-SAMAD: Thank you so much, Fay. I really enjoyed talking with you today. I'm just so excited about this journal and about the field.
FAY LIN: [INAUDIBLE].
HANA EL-SAMAD: Yes.
FAY LIN: We're launching early 2022, everyone.
HANA EL-SAMAD: Yes.
FAY LIN: Get ready. [MUSIC PLAYING]