How do you fix the most complex machine in the known universe?

Before scientists can treat the brain, they first have to understand how it works. In this episode of Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow, host Angela Gill Nelms talks with Dr. Garrett Stanley, a professor of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, about the search to decode the electrical signals that drive movement, memory, perception, and decision-making, and how that knowledge could transform the future of medicine.

One of the most striking ideas is that future treatments for neurological disorders may combine medicine, brain implants, and intelligent software that can adapt as a person's brain changes over time. Garrett Stanley explains how technologies like deep brain stimulation are already changing lives and why understanding the brain's signals is the key to making these treatments even more effective.

You'll also hear why many of science's biggest breakthroughs begin with unexpected results, and how recognizing the significance of a surprising finding can change the course of research.

Although Garrett Stanley fainted the first time seeing a real human brain, the experience left him fascinated by the complexity of the organ that stores our memories, dreams, and sense of self, inspiring a career devoted to understanding how it works.

Learn More About Garrett Stanley:

• Garrett Stanley's Website
• Garrett Stanley's Linkedin

Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• https://parkinsons.gatech.edu/

Support Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs – Donate Today:

If you want to support the research you heard about on today’s episode, consider a donation to the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. Every contribution—big or small— supports ongoing work and fuels future innovations.

https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/46972/donations/new

• Select "Designation"
• Choose "Make a Special Gift to Georgia Tech (write in your preference)"
• In the open field, write: "BME Fund for Excellence (555788)

Connect!

• Learn More: https://bme.gatech.edu/bme/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BMEGeorgiaTechEmory/podcasts
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-wallace-h-coulter-department-of-biomedical-engineering-at-georgia-tech-and-emory-university
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoulterBME
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/CoulterBME
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/holyshiftresearch.bsky.social

About The Host: Angela Gill Nelms is a trailblazer in transforming bold ideas into impactful healthcare solutions. She serves as the Director of Biolocity, accelerating the commercialization of early-stage medical technologies developed at Emory University and Georgia Tech. She is also the Founder and CEO of The AGN Group, and the host of the Badass Leaders Podcast, where she champions courageous, compassionate leadership. Learn more at www.AngelaGillNelms.com.

Meet The HolyShift! Team:

• Produced by: Erin Buckley and Zachary Danziger
• Filming & Editing: Vani Sridar, Katie Hart
• Logistics & Marketing Support: Rajashree Ramamoorthy

Can we train the immune system to fight cancer and stay stronger as we age?

In this episode of Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow, Angela Gill Nelms talks with Dr. Ankur Singh about cancer, immunotherapy, healthy aging, and the future of personalized medicine. Learn how scientists are building miniature human immune systems in the lab to better understand disease, predict treatment responses, and accelerate the development of new therapies.

Dr. Singh also shares two remarkable breakthroughs from his lab, including a new way to predict how cancer survivors may respond to future infections and a discovery that could help restore youthful function to aging immune cells.

Along the way, you'll hear how an aspiring liquor baron became a biomedical engineer, why he runs five miles in every new city he visits, and how science may help us live longer, healthier lives.

Topics: Cancer • Immunotherapy • Immune System • Healthy Aging • Longevity • Personalized Medicine • Biotechnology • Biomedical Engineering • Healthcare Innovation

Learn More About Ankur Singh:

• Ankur Singh's Linkedin
• Ankur Singh’s Lab website
• Ankur Singh’s Instagram

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Dr. Jean Koff, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University
• Ankur Singh talks about President Biden’s cancer diagnosis
• Georgia Tech Paradigm Shifters featuring Ankur Singh

Support Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs – Donate Today:

If you want to support the research you heard about on today’s episode, consider a donation to the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. Every contribution—big or small— supports ongoing work and fuels future innovations.

https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/46972/donations/new

• Select "Designation"
• Choose "Make a Special Gift to Georgia Tech (write in your preference)"
• In the open field, write: "BME Fund for Excellence (555788)

Connect!

• Learn More: https://bme.gatech.edu/bme/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BMEGeorgiaTechEmory/podcasts
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-wallace-h-coulter-department-of-biomedical-engineering-at-georgia-tech-and-emory-university
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoulterBME
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/CoulterBME

About The Host: Angela Gill Nelms is a trailblazer in transforming bold ideas into impactful healthcare solutions. She serves as the Director of Biolocity, accelerating the commercialization of early-stage medical technologies developed at Emory University and Georgia Tech. She is also the Founder and CEO of The AGN Group, and the host of the Badass Leaders Podcast, where she champions courageous, compassionate leadership. Learn more at www.AngelaGillNelms.com.

Meet The HolyShift! Team:

• Produced by: Erin Buckley and Zachary Danziger
• Filming & Editing: Vani Sridar, Katie Hart
• Logistics & Marketing Support: Rajashree Ramamoorthy

What if the next breakthrough medicine wasn't made in a factory, but inside your own body?

In the Season 2 premiere of Holy Shift! Biomedical Breakthroughs Shaping Tomorrow, host Angela Gill Nelms sits down with Dr. Tara Deans, a leading stem cell engineer who is reprogramming the body's own cells to fight disease. From cancer and immune disorders to future cell-based therapies, Dr. Deans explains how scientists are turning living cells into powerful new medicines.

You'll discover how platelets can help cancer hide in plain sight, why stem cells may transform the future of healthcare, and the surprising moment that sparked an entirely new direction in Dr. Deans' research. Along the way, she shares the role of curiosity, collaboration, and hope in tackling some of medicine's toughest challenges.

You'll also get a glimpse of the person behind the science, from childhood dreams of becoming a veterinarian to a love of wildlife photography and rescuing orphaned possums. As a happy postscript to our conversation, the young possums Dr. Deans helped care for have now been successfully released back into the wild.

If you're fascinated by cancer research, stem cells, biotechnology, personalized medicine, biomedical engineering, and the future of healthcare, this episode is for you.