Growing brains in a dish: stem cells and organoids with Dr. Patapia Zafeiriou

In this episode we talk to Dr. Patapia Zafeiriou, a research group leader at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University Medical Center Göttingen and Application Specialist at the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging in Göttingen. The focus of this talk is on organoid research. You will learn about different types of cells in the brain, their interaction with the heart and how we can study such topics with organoids developed from so-called induced pluripotent stem cells. We also talk about combining being a parent with academic work and problems with the current publishing system and awarding grants.

Our channel is supported by the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Neurosciences in Göttingen as well as the Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging in Göttingen, Germany. The views and ideas discussed on this channel represent the personal opinion of the host and the guest and are separate from their research position at the respective institutes.
We would like to thank Deutsches Primatenzentrum for allowing us to record the podcast at their premises.
Next episode will be released on the last Monday of May, stay tuned!

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:38 Early passion for science and education
00:03:46 Career in cardiology research and transition to neuroscience
00:06:52 Moving to Göttingen: life in a big city vs. a small town
00:11:10 Induced pluripotent stem cells and Bioengineered Neuronal Organoids
00:18:59 Ethical concerns of studying organoids
00:20:53 Cell types in the brain and organoids
00:23:26 Interaction between neurons and cardiac cells
00:29:34 Being a leader in academia and mentoring students
00:35:25 Family life and academia
00:40:24 Possible use of organoids in medicine
00:45:58 Can organoids replace animal testing?
00:51:36 Problems in academia: grants, publishing system and reproducibility
01:05:01 Glossary of terms used in the conversation
01:11:51 Keeping up with literature
01:14:37 Advice for PhD candidates
01:16:52 Main goal in research

References:

Intro music by penguinmusic from Pixabay
Storage of samples in a hospital setting. Ungraded Prores file by MaartenLCF
A scientist adjusting the magnification on a microscope by Videvo
Stock footage provided by Pressmaster

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Neuroscience and Beyond team:
Svilen Georgiev
Kristina Jevdokimenko
Sabina Nowakowska
Lennart Schneider

#neuroscience #organoids #StemCells #heart #AcademicChatter #SciComm