Episode 42 of the Performance Around The Clock podcast comes from the European Biological Rhythms Society Congress in Lubeck, Germany. We are joined by Professor Ueli Schibler, an icon in the circadian field whose foundational discoveries helped establish fundamental principles in the field of circadian rhythms.

This episode explores Professor Schibler’s scientific journey, marked by serendipity and a philosophy of keeping an open mind to unexpected observations. The conversation highlights how an initial failure to replicate a transcription factor experiment led to the groundbreaking realization that DBP (D-box binding protein) was the first mammalian transcription factor found to exhibit a circadian oscillation. We dive into his lab's revolutionary findings, including the surprise discovery that individual cells, such as fibroblasts, possess their own self-sustained circadian clocks that can be entrained by a simple serum shock. Dr. Schibler and Panda also explore his seminal experiments demonstrating that food acts as a primary time-giver, or zeitgeber, capable of entraining circadian clocks in peripheral tissues like the liver. The discussion moves toward the profound clinical implications of his foundational work, touching upon the massive potential of chronotherapy to optimize cancer treatments, such as timing the delivery of PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Finally, Professor Schibler shares invaluable advice for young scientists about avoiding "bandwagon" research, and discusses his fascinating future hypotheses regarding cancer homeostasis and why germline DNA is virtually immortal.

Please join us for this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment, or subscribe. Thank you for listening.

Guest:

Professor Ueli Schibler, University of Geneva 1984-2015

2013 Aschoff’s Rule Prize Winner

2012 Aschoff and Honma Prize Winner

2000 Louis-Jeantet Prize Winner

1996 Otto Naegeli prize for medicine

Host:

Dr. Satchin Panda

X (Twitter): @SatchinPanda

https://x.com/SatchinPanda

Instagram: @satchin.panda

https://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/

Links:

Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/

Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/
More science: ⁠https://mycircadianclock.org/⁠

In this episode of the Performance Around The Clock podcast, recorded at the European Biological Rhythms Society Congress in Lubeck, Germany, we are joined by Professor Rae Silver from Columbia University. Professor Silver is an iconic figure in circadian biology whose foundational research helped characterize the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)—the brain's master circadian clock.

We explore Professor Silver’s scientific journey, beginning with her early fascination with the perfectly timed, shared parental behaviors of doves and pigeons. The conversation highlights how this curiosity eventually led to her groundbreaking SCN transplant experiments in hamsters. By transplanting the clock of a "fast-running" donor into a "slow-running" host, her work definitively proved that the SCN controls circadian behavior. We dive into her revolutionary discovery that the SCN communicates its timing not just through neural synapses or "roads," but through "rivers and oceans"—secreting diffusible signals into the cerebrospinal fluid via a specialized portal blood vessel system.

The discussion moves toward the profound clinical implications of this fluid communication network, including its connection to the brain's glymphatic system, waste clearance during sleep, and neurovascular diseases like Alzheimer's. We also touch upon the exciting future of the field, from the power of chronotherapy in optimizing cancer treatments to the massive economic and health benefits of lifestyle interventions like time-restricted eating and light management to combat diabetes. Finally, Professor Silver shares invaluable career advice for young scientists about balancing high-risk experiments with reliable projects, and the importance of cultivating a lifelong passion outside of the lab.

Please join us for this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment, or subscribe. Thanks for listening.

Guest:

Professor Rae Silver, Columbia University

Helene L. and Mark N. Kaplan Professor of Natural & Physical Sciences

Chair of the Neuroscience Program

https://psychology.columbia.edu/content/rae-silver

Host:

Dr. Satchin Panda

X (Twitter): @SatchinPanda

https://x.com/SatchinPanda

Instagram: @satchin.panda https://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/

Links:

Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/

Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/

More science: ⁠https://mycircadianclock.org/⁠

In episode 40 of the Performance Around The Clock podcast, we are joined by Dr. Emily Manoogian, a leading clinical researcher focused on optimizing human health through the timing of food intake (time-restricted eating) and circadian rhythm regulation. Dr. Manoogian was recently honored with the Young Investigator Award for her seminal studies on circadian disruption among shift workers and interventions to mitigate its effects. We begin the episode by defining the complex reality of shift work—whether fixed, rotating, or split shifts—and how working outside typical hours challenges the human body.

Dr. Manoogian and Panda explore the cascading health effects of "circadian disruption," distinguishing between acute annoyances and chronic risks that build up over months and years. Dr. Manoogian explains how being active and eating when the body expects rest can lead to insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, mood disorders, and even increased cancer risk. We also discuss the broader societal impacts, from the "social jetlag" affecting students and new parents to the unique stressors faced by frontline workers like firefighters and nurses.

The conversation highlights actionable science, focusing on the "Healthy Heroes" study conducted with San Diego firefighters. Dr. Manoogian shares how Time-Restricted Eating (TRE)—limiting food intake to a 10-hour window—significantly reduced VLDL (bad cholesterol). reduced blood sugar levels, improved blood pressure and improved emotional stability in this high-stress population. Dr. Manoogian is currently studying a different shift work group with the ongoing "Shift Study" for nurses, which is using continuous glucose monitoring to test if optimizing meal timing and low-glycemic snacks can protect the cardiometabolic health of night-shift workers.

Please join us for this vital discussion on optimizing health for those who keep our society running around the clock. If you enjoy this episode, please like, comment, or follow. Thanks for listening.

Guest:

Dr. Emily Manoogian

Hillblom Fellow, Staff Scientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Young Investigator Award Winner, Working Time Society

myCircadianClock website:

www.mycircadianclock.org

Healthy HEROES study:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9536325/

SHIFT study:

Participate by emailing:

research@mycircadianclock.org

Host:

Dr. Satchin Panda

X (Twitter): @SatchinPanda

https://x.com/SatchinPanda

Instagram: @satchin.panda

https://www.instagram.com/satchin.panda/

Links:

Donations: https://panda.salk.edu/giving/

Research: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/satchidananda-panda/

More science: ⁠https://mycircadianclock.org/⁠