This one's a joyride. Flo catches Adrian Woolfson, CEO and co-founder of Genyro, and his co-founder Kaihang Wang at SynBioBeta for a conversation that starts with genome writing and ends somewhere between Doctor Who and a custom unicorn order form. Along the way, the two break down how bringing the humble "page number" from publishing into DNA assembly made their process a million times more accurate, why that could shrink personalized cancer vaccines from months to days, and how one of their collaborators built the first-ever computer-designed new species — biology's own "Wright Brothers moment." It's big ideas — DNA as a programmable material, storing your entire photo library in a strand of genetic code, redesigning crops for a hotter planet — delivered with a ton of laughs and genuine, can't-help-it enthusiasm. But it's not all fun and games: Adrian and Kaihang are clear-eyed about the responsibility that comes with this power, making the case that this technology must be used safely and ethically, with real reverence for preserving the nature we're learning to rewrite. Come for the science, stay for the unicorn with wings. Talk BIO to me!

Ever wonder what happens when a wet lab biologist and a bunch of Google machine learning engineers decide to start a company? You get Cradle — and on this episode, co-founder Elise de Reus joins host Flo Lumsden to explain why. Elise breaks down how Cradle turns protein design into a genuine back-and-forth between scientists and machine learning models — less "here's your AI, unbox it and go," more "let's figure this out together." Flo presses her on what "ML-native" actually means (spoiler: it involves a scissors analogy that somehow works), and Elise explains why the real magic isn't the model alone — it's the loop itself. They also get into the bigger picture: antibodies that skip the mouse, enzymes that survive your laundry machine, and why designing proteins faster — and in the loop, not in isolation — could mean faster answers for the diseases we're all still waiting on treatments for.Recorded live at SynBioBeta, where the scientists, the machine learning crowd, and (increasingly) the compute giants all show up to compare notes. White Paper: https://www.cradle.bio/whitepaper

Join host Flo Lumsden as she sits down with John Cumbers, CEO and founder of SynBioBeta, at the world's largest synthetic biology conference this past May. In this conversation, John shares how AI is fundamentally reshaping the field of biology — from large language models designing novel enzymes and antibodies to full-stack scientific innovation. Discover the most exciting breakthroughs happening right now, including xenotransplantation with humanized pig organs, consumer biotech products like probiotic hangover cures, and genetically engineered glowing plants. John also reveals what he's most excited about at the intersection of AI and biotech, the challenges that lie ahead, and why he believes we're approaching AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Plus, learn the origin story of SynBioBeta — how a small meeting of 150 people in a law firm grew into a 2,000+ person conference with over 100 exhibitors and sponsors — and why creating community and "paying it forward" is at the heart of everything he does. Outline with Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction & Podcast Overview  00:36 - SynBioBeta Origin Story  02:17 - John Cumbers, CEO & Founder Introduction  02:23 - Evolution of SynBioBeta: From 150 to 2,000+ Attendees  02:57 - John's Passion for Event Production & Community Building  03:42 - "Paying It Forward" Culture & Success Stories  04:31 - Science as a Competitive Advantage for Startups  05:18 - AI at the Intersection of Biotech  05:30 - Large Language Models for Genes and Genomes  06:22 - How AI is Designing Novel Enzymes & Organisms  07:03 - Antibody Development for Drug Discovery  07:14 - Challenges & Limitations of AI Implementation  08:09 - Healthcare Innovations: Xenotransplantation  08:55 - Consumer Biotech Applications  09:03 - Zbiotics & Probiotic Products  09:18 - GLP-1 Peptides & Cellular Reprogramming  10:17 - New Innovations: Glowing Plants & Hardware/Software Tools  11:04 - Full-Stack AI Integration in Biotech  12:12 - SynBioBeta 2026 Themes & Community Sessions  13:00 - Closing Remarks

For years, AI has helped scientists organize data and streamline research, but it's now beginning to tackle biology's toughest scientific challenges. In this episode, Flo sits down with Nicholas, Head of AI at Benchling, to discuss why the physical world has been AI's biggest blind spot—and why that's finally changing. From generative protein design to the future of drug discovery and diagnostics, Nicholas explains how biology is increasingly being engineered in silico (by compute) before it reaches the lab. Plus, he shares what excites him most about the next wave of AI-powered biology - the future of the bioeconomy! Connect: Nicholas on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nlarusstone/ Benchling: https://www.benchling.com/

Ever wonder what separates a billion-dollar TechBio unicorn from a well-funded experiment? Krish Ramadurai of AIX Ventures does—and he's backed some of the coolest ones. We dive into why understanding the actual science matters, why mice are terrible at predicting human outcomes (sorry, lab mice), and how the next generation of drug discovery is being built by teams brave enough to let AI nerds and wet lab scientists actually talk to each other. Plus, he'll tell you why he thinks you should care about making drugs people can actually afford.