In this episode, co-host Dr. Daisy Shu chats with Dr. Jingjing You about 3D bioprinting, biomaterials, and the future of corneal bioengineering. They also talk about their collaboration on a special issue of The American Journal of Pathology focused on innovations in ocular disease.

👁️ From custom collagen bioinks to AI-driven tissue engineering, this is a peek into the future of vision science.

Thank you for listening to our 28th episode, focusing on the recent federal budget cuts and what that means for biomedical research.

In this episode, the Behind Our Science team has two very important interviews with Dr. William Coleman and Ms. Dani Burns on how cuts to the NIH and indirect funds affect biomedical research as a whole and in academic settings.

Dr. Coleman is the Executive Officer of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, a proud sponsor of our podcast, and a member of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Dr. Coleman is a former academic researcher with over 140 peer-reviewed publications and 11 books published on his research covering liver stem cells and liver and breast cancer. During our interview, Dr. Coleman describes what the current budget cuts at the NIH mean to the state of biomedical research in academia and professional societies and how the attack on DEI policies impacts the next generation of scientists.

Ms. Dani Burns is a clinical department administrator with over 10 years of experience in research administration and an MBA with a focus on healthcare administration. Ms. Burns is responsible for oversight of all research expenditures and indirect allocations in her current role. In this episode, Ms. Burns covers the importance of indirect funds in supporting universities and research success and debunks common misconceptions on what indirect funds really are.

We end our episode with a short highlight from cohost Dr Vik Meadows and her experience at the 2025 Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC. As a representative for the Histochemical Society at this advocacy event organized by FASEB, Vik met with the offices of Pennsylvania senators and congressmen to advocate for increase of federal funds and stand up for science!

Want to find out more about how federal funds impact your state and district? Visit https://www.faseb.org/science-policy-and-advocacy/federal-funding-data to find out more. Don’t forget to also check out the SCIMap: View Impact of Federal Health Research cuts https://scienceimpacts.org/ shared by @joshuasweitz.bsky.social .

Interested in advocating for the increase of federal research funds for biomedical research? Check out the resources organized by FASEB at https://www.faseb.org/science-policy-and-advocacy/become-an-advocate.

We want to hear from you! Have you been impacted by the federal research fund cuts? Has your institution reacted to the indirect funds cut? Let us know in the comments or on social media. We stand with you and stand up for science! Stay curious!

#SciencePolicy #FASEB #ASIP #HSC #DEI #CapitolHillDay #FASEBOnTheHill

Welcome to Behind Our Science! In Episode 29, we sit down with Dr. D. Lansing 'Lans' Taylor from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Taylor is a renowned scientist, entrepreneur, and innovator whose pioneering work bridges academic discovery and biotech entrepreneurship. We hope you enjoy as Dr. Taylor shares his journey through decades of groundbreaking research and leadership across various sectors of biomedical science.

With the recent NIH focus on in vitro and organoid systems, we explore Dr. Taylor's work on biomimetic microphysiology systems (MPS), sophisticated “organs-on-chips” that function as personalized human organs to study drug development and effectiveness. By using MPS, Dr. Taylor aims to revolutionize drug discovery, precision medicine, and disease modeling by providing more accurate, human-relevant data compared to traditional cell culture or animal models.

Dr. Taylor also discusses his transitions between academia and industry, including founding multiple biotech companies and returning to academia to build interdisciplinary teams that focus on drug development using MPS and tackling complex diseases like cancer. He offers insights into the benefits of entrepreneurial thinking in academia, the hurdles of translating innovation, and the future of predictive, human-relevant preclinical models.

Whether you're interested in cutting-edge bioengineering, translational science, or navigating a career that spans the laboratory and the boardroom, this conversation delivers insight and practical wisdom from a leader who has experienced it all.

Stay curious!