“If there's a way for an animal to evolve to block cancer, I want to know what that is. I think it has the potential to be really useful for humans.” - Dr. Michael Metzger

In this episode of PNRI Science: Mystery and Discovery, PNRI CEO Jack Faris interviews PNRI’s Assistant Investigator, Dr. Michael Metzger, about contagious cancer in clams. This cancer is over 400 years old and might hold the key to humans resisting cancer. We might all be thanking a clam for saving us from cancer in the future!

Michael Metzger, PhD, is a PNRI Assistant Investigator and an affiliate faculty member in the University of Washington’s Department of Genome Sciences and the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program. He earned his BS at Cornell University, and his MS in Epidemiology and PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• [1:21] Meet Michael Metzger
• [2:23] Real-time science experiments
• [3:30] Three types of transmissible cancers
• [7:30] Can you get cancer from a clam?
• [11:56] Michael’s career path, incuding how he arrived at clams
• [19:26] Mentorship during Michael’s career
• [27:03] Who are the stakeholders with the clams?
• [34:31] Interdisciplinary research and cross-talk between fields
• [37:03] Science in today’s world

In this episode, Michael explains the 400-year-old contagious cancer in clams and how studying it can illuminate pathways for future cancer treatments in humans. He also delves into how this cancer is also similar to an infectious disease and to a parasite. His lab’s interdisciplinary approach is creative, novel, and critical to unlocking our possible resistance to cancer.

The Metzger Lab embodies PNRI’s spirit of intellectual freedom to drive medical breakthroughs. We provide the freedom for scientists to follow where the science leads, and that culture creates incredible discoveries.

To learn more about Michael, read his in-depth Q&A: or check out his lab webpage: pnri.org/metzger-lab

Connect with PNRI, ask our scientists questions, or come on a lab tour! pnri.org/about/connect

This podcast is hosted by PNRI CEO Jack Faris and his daughter Anna Faris: www.instagram.com/annafaris

Follow @PNRIgenetics on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

“Studying viruses is like tracking ghosts. It's incredibly difficult work.” - Dr. Bill Hagopian

In this episode of PNRI Science: Mystery and Discovery, PNRI CEO Jack Faris interviews the TEDDY Study’s Principal Investigator Dr. Bill Hagopian and PNRI’s TEDDY Clinical Research Manager Michael Killian who have led the massive international study, The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young, or “TEDDY,” for more than 20 years.

As part of the study, PNRI has been collecting samples from participants age three months to 15 years for more than two decades. From blood draws to stool samples and even baby teeth, these samples help determine the environmental factors that lead to type 1 diabetes.

William A. Hagopian, MD, PhD, has been a leader in diabetes research for over 30 years. He earned his PhD in biochemistry as well as his MD from the University of Chicago. Michael Killian has been managing clinical services for PNRI for 26 years.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• [0:00] Understanding the Teddy Project
• [3:34] Meet Bill Hagopian
• [7:07] Meet Michael Killian
• [9:49] Environmental triggers and preventative measures
• [20:00] Challenges and myths in type one diabetes research
• [26:04] Innovative Sampling techniquest and data collection
• [35:54] Future directions and broader impact
• [45:05] Optimism for the future of science

In this episode, Bill and Michael illuminate how tracking viruses is like tracking ghosts, share what we have learned about type 1 diabetes over 20 years, and discuss where the field is going in the future. The TEDDY study is a treasure trove of longitudinal data that is revolutionizing care for type 1 diabetes.

The Hagopian Lab embodies PNRI’s spirit of intellectual freedom to drive medical breakthroughs. We provide the freedom for scientists to follow where the science leads, and that culture creates incredible discoveries.

To learn more about Bill and Michael, read their in-depth Q&A: or check out his lab webpage: pnri.org/hagopian-lab

Connect with PNRI, ask our scientists questions, or come on a lab tour! pnri.org/about/connect

This podcast is hosted by PNRI CEO Jack Faris and his daughter Anna Faris.

www.instagram.com/annafaris

Follow @PNRIgenetics on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Dr. Lisa Stubbs: Demystifying Nature vs. Nurture

“Genetics give you susceptibilities–that you are prone to this kind of problem. But you don't develop that kind of problem unless you're exposed to the right environment.” - Dr. Lisa Stubbs

In this episode of PNRI Science: Mystery and Discovery, PNRI CEO Jack Faris interviews PNRI Senior Investigator Dr. Lisa Stubbs about the intersection of nature versus nature and how chronic stress and genetics influence pregnancy outcomes.

Lisa Stubbs, PhD, is a Senior Investigator and Interim Co-Chief Scientific Officer at Pacific Northwest Research Institute. She earned her PhD from the University of California, San Diego, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the California Institute of Technology and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. Currently, Dr. Stubbs is an Associate Editor of the scientific journal, PLoS Genetics, an affiliate member at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, and a Graduate Faculty member in the same institution’s department of Cell and Developmental Biology.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• [0:00] Nature vs Nurture

• [1:17] Meet Dr. Lisa Stubbs

• [2:49] The Genome Project’s effects on team collaboration

• [5:19] Controversy surrounding the Human Genome Project

• [11:34] The impacts of genetics and stress on pregnancy

• [16:35] Pregnancy stress and fetal brain development

• [24:30] Analyzing genetic data from pregnant women

• [29:04] Genes, pregnancy complications, underserved populations

• [33:19] Genetic markers for gestational diabetes in a specific population

• [38:24] Dr. Stubbs’ path to science (via marine biology)

From octopus inspirations, to the history of the Human Genome Project, to how genetics interact with chronic stress, Dr. Lisa Stubbs embraces complexity. Her lab delves into the question of whether stress influences genetics or genetics influence stress and how both of those impact pregnancy. As Jack says, “It's hard for me to imagine any scientific endeavor more important than understanding how mothers and babies can be healthy.”

The Stubbs Lab embodies PNRI’s spirit of intellectual freedom to drive medical breakthroughs. We provide the freedom for scientists to follow where the science leads, and that culture creates incredible discoveries.

To learn more about Dr. Stubbs, read her in-depth Q&A: or check out his lab webpage: pnri.org/stubbs-lab

Connect with PNRI, ask our scientists questions, or come on a lab tour! pnri.org/about/connect

This podcast is hosted by PNRI CEO Jack Faris and his daughter Anna Faris.

www.instagram.com/annafaris

Follow @PNRIgenetics on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

“To do this job, you must be curious .... it's really that curiosity, that drive to know, what is the answer to this question? Is this an interesting question? Is this an important question?” – Dr. Rick McLaughlin

In this episode of PNRI Science: Mystery and Discovery, PNRI CEO Jack Faris interviews PNRI Assistant Investigator Dr. Rick McLaughlin on what your genome and an IKEA bookshelf have in common, zombie parasites in our DNA, "junk" DNA, and what makes Darwin smile.

Rick McLaughlin, PhD, is an Assistant Investigator at Pacific Northwest Research Institute. He earned his PhD in molecular biology and protein evolution at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He did his postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Harmit Malik at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, researching the genetics of evolutionary conflict. Dr. McLaughlin also holds faculty positions with the University of Washington’s Department of Genome Sciences and the Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program.

Dr. Rick McLaughlin’s Lab explores the uncharted territory of the human genome, using new technologies to understand how variation in DNA might drive disease. A new project launching soon will investigate how viral genes may contribute to pregnancy outcomes and fetal development.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• [0:00] Meet Dr. Rick McLaughlin
• [2:23] The mystery and importance of the placenta
• [4:47] Gene evolution and placenta development
• [10:25] Placental biology and genome sequencing
• [14:50] Why these are exciting times for biologists
• [20:11] Paths to scientific discovery
• [31:01] Genome stability and mutations
• [37:15] "Junk" DNA
• [42:17] Immune system dysfunction and "incurable" diseases
• [52:30] Curiosity-driven research

From transposable elements, to Shakespeare, to evolutionary biology, to placentas: Rick is truly exploring the unknown and walking on the dark side of the genome. The McLaughlin Lab embodies PNRI’s spirit of intellectual freedom to drive medical breakthroughs. We provide the freedom for scientists to follow where the science leads, and that culture creates incredible discoveries.

To learn more about Dr. McLaughlin, read his in-depth Q&A: https://pnri.org/rick-mclaughlin-dark-side-of-genome or check out his lab webpage: https://pnri.org/mclaughlin-lab

Connect with PNRI, ask our scientists questions, or come on a lab tour! https://pnri.org/about/connect

This podcast is hosted by PNRI CEO Jack Faris and his daughter Anna Faris.

https://www.instagram.com/annafaris/

Follow @PNRIgenetics on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

PNRI Science: Mystery & Discovery goes beyond the jargon to explore the passion and people at the forefront of genetic research. Our host, Jack Faris, is CEO of Pacific Northwest Research Institute, a 68-year-old genetics and genomics research institute in Seattle. He is also a regular guy who happens to spend his days around really smart people.

Jack interviews PNRI’s brilliant scientists to share what excites them about genetic research, what inspired them to become scientists, and those myths about science they would love to bust. His daughter, Anna Faris, introduces each episode, connecting groundbreaking discoveries to everyday life. Join us as we dig into the mysteries that may very well hold the key to our future health breakthroughs.

To learn more about PNRI’s scientists and groundbreaking research, visit pnri.org.

Follow @pnrigenetics on Instagram | X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook.