“One thing that is surprising to people is that there's a lot of creativity in science. There are a million different ways to answer a question.” - Dr. Aimée Dudley

In this episode of PNRI Science: Mystery and Discovery, PNRI CEO Jack Faris interviews PNRI’s Senior Investigator and Interim Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Aimée Dudley, about how her lab harnesses the awesome power of yeast to pinpoint which genetic variants cause disease. Her lab’s research is used by physicians across the nation to diagnose critically ill newborns with urea cycle disorders. She works closely with physicians and patient families to accelerate the research needed for accurate diagnoses.

Aimée Dudley, PhD, is a PNRI Senior Investigator and Interim Chief Scientific Officer and an affiliate faculty member in the University of Washington’s Department of Genome Sciences and faculty member in the Molecular Engineering Graduate Program and the Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program. She also serves as an Editor-in-Chief at PLoS Genetics. She earned a PhD in genetics from Harvard Medical School, and was an Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. George Church’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• [2:44] Meet Aimée Dudley
• [8:15] A day in the life of a scientist
• [12:10] Myths and misunderstandings about rare diseases
• [20:12] Distrust of scientist is a critical problem
• [24:25} The future––sequence a newborn’s DNA?
• [36:47] Aimée’s journey into science
• [41:56] The team: scientists, clinicians, and parents

In this episode, Aimée delves into the mindset of a scientist and the creativity in the process. She explains how yeast can reveal genetic discoveries about human health, and takes us into the world of rare disease research that brings together scientists with physicians and patients to quickly build the strength of the research to transform healthcare.

The Dudley 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 Aimée check out her lab webpage: pnri.org/dudley-lab. Join us for our Rare Disease Day scientific symposium on 2/28/25!

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 | X (Twitter).

“Rare diseases are leading an interesting revolution in medical science. They are leading the field to try new approaches that can help these families.” - Dr. Cláudia Carvalho

In this episode of PNRI Science: Mystery and Discovery, PNRI CEO Jack Faris interviews PNRI’s Assistant Investigator, Dr. Cláudia Carvalho, about her international collaborations working together to solve the unsolved case of rare diseases. Her lab digs deep into the human genome to locate the structural variants in DNA that cause disease.

Cláudia Carvalho, 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. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• [2:54] Meet Dr. Cláudia Carvalho
• [5:29] A Hack-a-thon as a way of working intensely
• [10:04] Working with rare diseases
• [13:27] Dr. Carvalho got interested in science at 5 years old
• [19:09] The ways rare diseases affect the family
• [23:40] Scientists unite to research rare diseases
• [30:56] The changing landscape in the culture of science
• [34:29] Dr. Carvalho’s vision for the future
• [36:06] Glimpsing 10 years into the future

In this episode, Cláudia explains how a recent hackathon accelerated discovery of genetic variants that can cause rare diseases. She shares how international collaboration is leading the effort to understand the origins of diseases to identify treatments and offer hope to families.

The Carvalho 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 Cláudia, read her in-depth Q&A: or check out her lab webpage: pnri.org/carvalho-lab. Join us for a future Science Matters seminar and Rare Disease Day scientific symposium on 2/28/25!

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.

“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.