When Science Finds a Way

In much of the world people are living longer, but how can we make sure those extra years are healthy? Professor Dame Linda Partridge tells Alisha Wainwright how our ever-growing knowledge of health and ageing could lead to more personalised medicine, and Professor Mika Kivimäki explains how new methods for measuring the "biological age" of our organs could be used to predict disease. We also hear from Shamita Sharmacharja, curator of the new Coming of Age Exhibition at London's Wellcome Collection, about how changing society could help us all age better. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

Hallmarks of ageing: an expanding universe (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36599349/) 


Biological organ ages predict disease risk decades in advance, Mika Kivimäki , UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/feb/biological-organ-ages-predict-disease-risk-decades-advance) 


The Coming of Age Exhibition, Wellcome Collection, London. Open until November 2026 (https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/the-coming-of-age)

We know that the food we eat affects us physically, but how might our diets help or hinder mental health? Dr Wolfgang Marx tells Alisha Wainwright about his work to find a link between mental health and diet. We also hear from Dr Iain Campbell, who found that a famous diet helped his own bipolar symptoms, inspiring him to work on a new large-scale trial. And Dr Sheri Johnson explains why we should explore not just what we eat, but when. 
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We want to hear from you! Our podcast is shaped by the people who listen to it. Please tell us a bit about your experience by filling out our short listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

Food and mood centre, a multi-disciplinary research centre that aims to understand the complex ways in which what we eat influences our brain, mood, and mental health, Deakin University (https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/) 


Time-restricted eating as an adjunctive intervention for bipolar disorder – Wellcome funding award (https://wellcome.org/research-funding/funding-portfolio/funded-grants/time-restricted-eating-adjunctive-intervention) 


Personal keto journey leads to career in research: Iain Campbell's story (https://www.metabolicmind.org/thinksmart/explore-strategies/iain-campbell/)

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has enormous potential to prevent deaths from postpartum haemorrhage, but until very recently it's been overlooked. Professor Haleema Shakur Still tells Alisha Wainwright how she stumbled on TXA's untapped potential, and the drug's journey from being an undervalued discovery in post-war Japan to a groundbreaking treatment in modern-day Nigeria. Professor Nike Bellow and Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi share their efforts to make TXA more accessible to communities, while Haleema explains how drug trials have revealed a hidden side to postpartum haemorrhage – one that could prevent cases before treatment is even needed. 
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We want to hear from you! Our podcast is shaped by the people who listen to it. Please tell us a bit about your experience by filling out our short listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

WOMAN trials: looking at the effect of the drug tranexamic acid (TXA) on bleeding, and the best ways to give it (https://thebloodtrials.org/womens-health-trials/) 


The missing evidence: anaemia, postpartum bleeding and maternal death, Blood Trials, LSHTM (https://thebloodtrials.org/the-missing-evidence/) 


A word of thanks to all the WOMAN Trial collaborators, Professor Ian Roberts, who co-led the WOMAN Trials alongside Haleema, trial teams in London, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and Zambia and the women and families who make this work possible.

It might sound like something out of TV shows like The Last of Us, but brain-invading fungi are a real-world problem.
Alisha Wainwright speaks to Drs. Rachael Dangarembizi and Rebecca Drummond, an immunologist and a neuroscientist collaborating across continents to tackle Cryptococcal Meningitis – the leading cause of fungal death worldwide.
Dr Kyla Murphy also talks about the new tests and treatments saving lives from the disease, and Alisha shares the story of her own mother's brush with a dangerous fungal infection. 
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We want to hear from you! Our podcast is shaped by the people who listen to it. Please tell us a bit about your experience by filling out our short listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

Will climate change lead to more fungal infections? An explainer by Wellcome (wellcome.org/insights/articles/will-climate-change-lead-more-fungal-infections) 


Wellcome Fungal Adaptation Call Awardees (wellcome.org/research-funding/funding-portfolio/funded-grants?f%5B0%5D=funding_scheme_grants_awarded%3ABiology%20of%20fungal%20adaptation 


Global incidence and mortality of severe fungal disease, David W Denning, The Lancet Infectious Diseases (thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(23)00692-8/fulltext) 


The WHO fungal priority pathogens list as a gamechanger, Matthew C. Fisher & David W. Denning, Nature Reviews Microbiology (nature.com/articles/s41579-023-00861-x#citeas) 


How fungi shape our world...and how the climate is shaping our fungi – The Naked Scientist Podcast in partnership with Wellcome (thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/naked-scientists-podcast/how-fungi-shape-our-world) 


When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast

AI chatbots and apps are increasingly being used for mental health support. But could these new tools carry hidden risks?
 
In the second part of this special episode, Alisha Wainwright unpicks her own experiments with AI therapy, takes tips from Dr John Torous on staying safe when seeking help digitally, and hears about the risks of unregulated tools. 
 
But there's hope with these tools too. Professor Miranda Wolpert reveals how AI could help scale mental health interventions in the globally and even inspire whole new forms of therapy. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading:
AI and mental health: "it could help revolutionise treatments" - Miranda Wolpert, Director of Mental Health, Wellcome  (https://wellcome.org/insights/articles/ai-and-mental-health-help-revolutionise-treatments)
Generating evidence for AI in health (EVAH) (https://wellcome.org/insights/articles/evah-new-initiative-generate-evidence-ai-health)
 
When Science Finds a Way is brought to you by Wellcome, an independent global foundation that supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. For more information and podcast transcripts visit wellcome.org/podcast