Podcast
Business Trip
Hosted by Greg Kubin & Matias Serebrinsky · ENGLISH
Business Trip explores the frontiers of brain and mental health through conversations with founders, investors, and researchers at the intersection of neuroscience and technology.
67episodes
Episodes
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Brain Organoids: from Space to AI with Alysson Muotri
4w ago00:34:18Tap to summarizeProfessor Alysson R. Muotri (geneticist and developmental biologist at UC San Diego) joins for a far out conversation about sending brain organoids to the International Space Station and what they're teaching us about aging, neurological disease, and a new kind of AI. One month in orbit ages an organoid the equivalent of 10 years on Earth, and Alysson's lab has already used that compressed timeline to unlock an FDA-approved clinical trial for a drug developed in space.In this episode, we discuss:Why space accelerates brain agingThe surprising role of "junk DNA" and endogenous retroviruses in neuroinflammation and neurodegenerationWhy HIV antiretroviral drugs may be the key to treating neurological conditions What the decommissioning of the ISS and the rise of commercial space stations mean for biomedical researchHow brain organoids learn, remember, and inspire a new generation of AI algorithms beyond transformersThe bioethics frontier: when do organoids become conscious and how would we even know?Credits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias and GregProduced by Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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How Gilgamesh Landed a $1.2B AbbVie Deal in Psychedelics
Mar 2500:26:25Tap to summarizeJonathan Sporn (CEO + Founder of Gilgamesh Pharma) joins for a deep dive into next-gen psychedelic medicines, why duration matters for real-world clinical use, and what it takes to build these therapies the way large pharma would—culminating in a partnership with AbbVie worth up to $1.2B.In this episode, we discuss: • Why Gilgamesh is building psychedelic medicines the way large pharma would • The thesis behind short-acting psychedelics and why long-duration trips are impractical for real-world psychiatry • How Gilgamesh designs molecules backwards from clinical needs • Effective approaches to the challenges of trial designs for psychedelics • What AbbVie’s deal and Spravato’s trajectory mean for psychedelics • How psychedelic medicines could reshape mental healthCredits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias and GregProduced by Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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Inside Philanthropy’s Role in Mental & Brain Health
Jan 2700:42:02Tap to summarizeGreg speaks with three leaders in mental health philanthropy: Alyson Nieman from Mindful Philanthropy, Sabrina Gracias from Ortus Foundation, and Christena Huntsman Durham from Huntsman Mental Health Foundation, each offering a distinct perspective on how funding decisions get made and where the biggest gaps remain.In this episode we discuss:Trends in mental health philanthropy, and the 10-year challenge: how the field moves from roughly $2B to $35B in annual funding.Funding the clinic of the future: a $150M philanthropic gift behind the Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s crisis care centerYouth mental health: how the Ortus Foundation is addressing regional gaps in the US Intermountain WestCredits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Greg KubinProduced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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Rick Perry on paving the way for Ibogaine in America
Dec 1900:39:50Tap to summarizeGreg interviews Rick Perry, the former Governor of Texas and former U.S. Secretary of Energy and leading advocate for ibogaine, live at the Real Summit.In this episode, we discuss:How a former Texas governor moved from strict opposition to drugs to becoming a leading advocate for ibogaine after firsthand experience and veteran outcomes.Ibogaine’s impact on PTSD, opioid addiction, and traumatic brain injury, including Stanford-linked brain imaging data showing functional and structural improvement.How veterans are the proving ground that enabled Texas to commit $50M in public funding for ibogaine clinical trials.Why ibogaine requires intensive medical supervision and why rigorous trials are essential for legitimacy and scale.A vision where ibogaine reshapes addiction treatment, veteran care, and eventually criminal justice and homelessness policy.Credits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Greg KubinProduced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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Brain Shuttles: A New Path Into the Brain with James Gorman of the Wyss Institute
Nov 2400:48:31Tap to summarizeMatias interviews James (Jim) Gorman MD PhD from the Wyss Institute. Jim is Principal Investigator on the Wyss Institute Brain Targeting Program (BTP). Jim leads a team developing new approaches to transport drugs through the blood brain barrier (BBB) into the CNS.In this episode, we discuss:Why the BBB blocks most modern drugs from entering the brain, creating the biggest bottleneck in neuroHow brain shuttles hijack natural transport pathways like the transferrin receptor to move drugs across the BBBHow new modalities that reach the brain can potentially treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, and lysosomal disorders Why delivery route of shuttles enable IV or subcutaneous dosing instead of invasive intrathecal injectionsHow early data shows that shuttle-enabled antibodies clear amyloid faster, at lower doses, and with fewer side effectsHow the field is accelerating through a pre-competitive consortium model that lets multiple companies share shuttle platformsCredits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias SerebrinskyProduced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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AI and the future of therapy with Luis Voloch of Jimini Health
Oct 1600:38:09Tap to summarizeGreg and Matias interview Luis Voloch, CEO and Co-Founder of Jimini Health, an AI behavioral health company. He previously co-founded and served as CTO of Immunai, where he applied machine learning to immunology and drug discovery. In this episode, we discuss: How LLMs expand the scope of machine learning from rule-based tasks to open-ended reasoning and dialogueWhy healthcare adoption is tiered, beginning with clinician-facing AI scribes and moving toward patient-facing companies with human-in-the-loop to enhance quality of careWhy human oversight is essential and how AI can augment complex clinical work instead of replacing itThe competitive advantage from workflows, data, and trust via purpose built AI systemsThe path toward precision psychiatry, where continuous, language-based interactions can generate rich behavioral data to inform diagnostics, treatment, and drug discoveryCredits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias SerebrinskyProduced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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Startups, philanthropy, billionaires, academia, neuromodulation, psychedelics, AI and new therapies in bipolar, autism, and Parkinson’s with Rob Malenka
Sep 2301:32:43Tap to summarizeMatias interviews Rob Malenka.In this episode, we discuss:Why progress in psychiatry is slow because the brain is the most complex organ and many disorders are highly heterogeneousThe bottlenecks including weak replicability in research, academic politics, perverse incentives, and pharma’s avoidance of neuropsychiatryHow breakthroughs require early detection, rigorous science, and bridging academia with biotech through venture philanthropyHow success depends on mission-driven, ethical people who align science, capital, and patient impact.The opportunities in neuromodulation, data-driven precision medicine, and combination therapies.Credits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias Serebrinsky Produced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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Transforming Skin Cells into Neurons to Treat Alzheimer’s with Brendon Boot of Skin2Neuron
Aug 2100:54:18Tap to summarizeGreg and Matias interview Brendon Boot of Skin2Neuron. Brendon is a neurologist at Harvard and Mayo Clinic with prior experience as Medical Director at Biogen overseeing their Phase 1b Alzheimer’s trials.In this episode, we discuss:How skin-derived cells can be turned into neurons to repair the brain.Why replacing lost neurons may succeed where drugs have failed in Alzheimer’s.What makes autologous (self-derived) cell therapy safer and more effective.How testing in dogs brought stronger proof than traditional mouse models.Why this approach could shift Alzheimer’s treatment from slowing decline to restoring memory.Credits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg KubinProduced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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Mitochondria and the Future of Health with Natalie Yivgi-Ohana of Minovia
Jul 2200:51:30Tap to summarizeGreg and Matias interview Natalie Yivgi-Ohana of Minovia. Natalie is a life science entrepreneur with twenty years’ experience in mitochondrial research and received her PhD in Biochemistry at The Hebrew University in 2007, after which she performed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Weizmann Institute of Science until 2010. In this episode, we discuss:How mitochondria impacts health by not just regulating energy, but also hormones, cell survival, and overall cellular functionWhy mitochondrial dysfunction is a root cause of many conditions, from rare genetic disorders to aging and mental health issues.What mitochondrial therapy does by restoring function and improving cellular healthWhat makes mitochondrial therapies distinct from gene therapiesHow to scale mitochondrial therapies for clinical adoptionCredits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg KubinProduced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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The 4-Hour Sleepers Redefining Human Limits with Ying-Hui Fu of UCSF
Jun 2600:33:11Tap to summarizeMatias and Greg interview Ying-Hui Fu, PhD, is a Professor of Neurology at UCSF and a world leader in the genetics of sleep. Her lab has discovered the first-known genes behind “natural short sleepers”. Her work bridges human genetics and neuroscience to uncover how to modulate sleep for brain health, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases.In this episode, we discuss:How some people thrive on 4–6 hours of sleep with rare genetic mutationsWhy sleep efficiency is more important than total hours sleptWhat short sleeper genes reveal about preventing Alzheimer’s and autismWhy current sleep research tools miss deeper brain activity patternsWhat’s next in sleep science with potential therapiesCredits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias Serebrinsky & Greg KubinProduced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
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