Virtual Mitochondrial Models and the Case for Engineering Humans with Mariëlle van Kooten

Mariëlle van Kooten (CEO and co-founder of Powerhouse Biology) joins to make the case that mitochondria are the best place to start engineering the human body. Her team builds virtual mitochondria models to predict how a fix will behave before it ever touches a patient. Marielle is passionate about treating disease and human enhancement. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why mitochondria might be the most tractable place to start engineering human biology
• The difference between building a virtual mitochondria model and the industry-wide race to build a virtual cell
• Why a protein fix for one disease (say, Parkinson's-linked muscle weakness) could work across totally unrelated tissues
• The difference between Science vs. Engineering: why she left academia
• The case for human enhancement: longevity, resilience, and why the ethics conversation is stalled

Credits:

Created by Greg Kubin and Matias Serebrinsky
Host: Matias and Greg
Produced by Nico V. Rey
Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.ventures
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Theme music by Dorian Love
Additional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank