Computational Biology podcasts

Neurobiologist Tom Clandinin joins Nicholas Weiler to explore how interacting genetic, cellular and metabolic systems maintain brain health over a lifetime, and how their breakdown contributes to neurodegeneration. The discussion moves beyond single explanations such as inflammation or waste clearance to a systems-level study of brain resilience. Clandinin describes a collaborative programme combining large-scale genetic perturbations in flies and mice with molecular, circuit and behavioural measurements. Computational models will connect these observations across cell types, predict interactions and guide experiments toward potential ways to strengthen the aging brain’s maintenance systems.

Hosted by Nicholas Weiler

Daphne Koller of insitro discusses the differences between finding predictive patterns and identifying interventions that improve disease outcomes. The conversation examines biological data scarcity, structure and causality, failures in drug development and the limits of speeding up wet-lab work with AI agents. It also considers foundation models for biology, generalization beyond observed data, human evidence and scientific discovery. Hosted by Ravid Shwartz Ziv and Allen Roush. Watch the full conversation on the publisher’s YouTube channel.

Hosted by Ravid Shwartz Ziv, Allen Roush

Markus Covert discusses comprehensive bacterial cell simulations and what whole-cell modelling could contribute to future studies of neurons.