TED Community » Nina Tandon

More About Me

I'm passionate about

I am passionate about science education (especially for young girls and in developing countries), entrepreneurship (both science-based and social) and stewardship (of our bodies and the environment).

An idea worth spreading

“Our cells are geniuses.” In my research in cardiac tissue engineering, I've seen this first-hand: I grow cardiac tissue from cells in carefully-designed systems delivering electrical signals mimicking those experienced during development, daily life, or wound healing. But the cells really do all the work--it makes me wonder what other "intelligence" lives within us, in unexpected places, as unsung heroes--I suspect quite a lot!

Although it is outside my expertise, another idea I'm cranking on is that “rest is work." What suffering could we prevent if we waged war against the sympathetic branches of our autonomic nervous system, which "tricks" our bodies into thinking there is literally a tiger lurking at each beep of the smartphone!? This "war" would be fought with "weapons" of meditation and slow food, turning the idea of "work" on its head, maybe even literally (headstands, triggering pressure sensors in the carotid artery, are powerful initiators of the relaxation response).

Talk to me about

- the heart
- cheese
- meditation
- 90s hip hop
- DJ Fluffy blanket + MC Pillow
- bad poetry
- starting a business
- theremins
- clinical trials w/ holistic medicine

People don't know that I'm good at

deciphering pharmaceutical pipelines, playing drums, darkroom photography, making fresh pasta, yoga, navigating through complex urban environments, shooting waterguns, running marathons *slowly*

My TED Story

it began back in the 90s, and involves me hiding behind some urban foliage, as well as the 1st Star Wars prequel...fast forward through a decade or so, and a nomination for a TED Fellowship -- ask me about it some time :)

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1765.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Will making rockstars out of women in science get more girls interested in science/technology/engineering/math (i.e. STEM) fields?

  Apr 11 2013: also: check out this talk about Sesame Street's recent STEM (Science-Technology-Education-Math) program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aehZHKLeKKk&feature=em-uploademail

• A comment on Conversation: Will making rockstars out of women in science get more girls interested in science/technology/engineering/math (i.e. STEM) fields?

  Apr 11 2013: an interesting infographic referring to the study Hindi mentions about 15-year olds and their science performance around the world: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/02/04/science/girls-lead-in-science-exam-but-not-in-the-united-states.html?_r=0

• A comment on Talk: Noel Bairey Merz: The single biggest health threat women face

  Apr 1 2013: watch this TEDx talk from an EMT about his experience with a female subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiY0LdshzcM
  
  a MUST SEE.

• A comment on Talk: Ellen Jorgensen: Biohacking -- you can do it, too

  Mar 21 2013: Great article on DIY Bio in The Scientist:
  http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34443/title/DIYbio--Low-Risk--High-Potential/

• A reply on Talk: Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine?

  Jan 22 2013: hi Tomoshige,
  
  Thanks for your interest, and for all your work helping to bring the talk to the Japanese audience! All my best (and arigato),
  
  Nina

• A reply on Talk: Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine?

  Jan 22 2013: hi Shahin,
  
  Thank you so much for your comment, and bringing your knowledge of iPSC cells to this discussion.
  
  However, I'd like to clarify the conclusion I meant to draw about the potential for these cells is to aid in the development of personalized treatments. The intention of my (short) lecture was to address a much narrower scope than what your comment alludes to: I meant to highlight that these cells make great (although as you mention, imperfect) MODELS of human biology/physiology in the laboratory. And by facilitating our ability to generate personalized models in the laboratory, many (myself included) believe iPSC cells will aid in elucidating how therapies will uniquely interact with individuals in vivo, enabling the development of personalized treatment regimens. I did not intend to discuss potential applications for iPSC cells for generating implants per se (at which point their risks for tumorigenicity are indeed valid and non-negligible as you rightly point out), although generating replacement organs in the laboratory is an important goal for the field of tissue engineering (and the topic of my other TED Talk).
  
  I hope this clarification helps with the discussion, and again, thank you for your interest!
  
  All my best,
  
  Nina

• A reply on Talk: Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine?

  Jan 3 2013: hi Camille,
  
  Thank you for your interest, and encouragement! It sounds to me like you enjoy a program in an institution with both strong clinical research as well as more basic science -- have you considered MD/PhD programs? Good luck, and happy trails!
  
  Nina

• A reply on Talk: Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine?

  Jan 1 2013: hi Gary,
  
  Happy New Year! I was thinking about your question, and I started by thinking how cancer is a result of damage to our genes from (1) our genetics, (2) environment, and (3) aging.
  
  It seems to me that you're asking a question related to the interplay between our "inner" and "outer" worlds that can be at the heart of these triggers, and how we can we best address all three causes for personalized therapies and prevention, as well as discovering novel patterns to enhance survival?
  
  Is this what you're going for? I think many people would love to participate in such a discussion, no matter what you title it :) Keep me posted, and happy new year!
  
  Nina

• A reply on Talk: Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine?

  Dec 31 2012: wow Gary,
  
  Thank you for your comment, and congratulations on your health -- I too agree that medicines can affect each of us quite differently -- I was just reading about UPenn's new Personalized Medicine Institute, they're pioneering pairing patient genetic info, biopsies, medical records, and environmental profiles:
  
  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/12/hershey_medical_centers_person.html
  
  Perhaps more sophisticated matching of data from programs like these that include multiple sources together will help discover new patterns, and hopefully triangulate on cures faster.
  
  Would love to hear the thoughts of the group on this -- have you thought of starting a TED conversation about this topic?
  
  Cheers to your continued health!
  
  Nina

• A reply on Talk: Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine?

  Dec 31 2012: hi Jeff,
  Nice to meet you! Here's a link to a recent paper we wrote about Bioreactors for Tissue Engineering -- enjoy!
  http://www.scribd.com/doc/118529654
  Nina