Curious Critters and Human Health
Summary
Ozempic revolutionized diabetes treatment, inspired by Gila monster venom - proving nature holds answers to health challenges. This session explores how unique organisms like snails and cavefish can improve our quality of life. Panelists discuss the most exciting ways curious critters, genetic engineering and biomimicry transform human health and society through nature-inspired discoveries that could change our future.
- Format: Panel
- Category: Panel
- Event Type: panel
- Presented By: n/a
Contributors
- Josh Jones-Dilworth
- Dr. Ansa Cobham, PhD
- Henry Lee
Raw Event JSON
Large nested arrays are compacted for page readability. Full payload remains in dataset files.
Open JSON payload
{
"id": "PP1162276",
"track": "Health",
"focus_area": null,
"category": "Panel",
"event_id": "PP1162276",
"event_type": "panel",
"format": "Panel",
"genre": null,
"subgenre": null,
"name": "Curious Critters and Human Health",
"presented_by": null,
"publish_at": "2025-11-03T16:30:00.000-06:00",
"reservable": true,
"reservable_id": "PP1162276",
"reserved": false,
"date": "2026-03-16",
"end_time": "2026-03-16T17:00:00.000-05:00",
"start_time": "2026-03-16T16:00:00.000-05:00",
"message": null,
"image": null,
"credentials": [
{
"name": "Platinum Badge",
"type": "platinum"
},
{
"name": "Innovation Badge",
"type": "innovation"
}
],
"contributors": [
{
"id": 27394,
"company": "Jones-Dilworth, Inc.",
"credential_types": [
"innovation"
],
"entity_id": 2034441,
"name": "Josh Jones-Dilworth",
"speaker_types": [],
"title": "Founder and CEO",
"image": {
"alt_text": "Josh Jones-Dilworth",
"credit": "",
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/4OSikwyst8PmiCRg-YySEsSZr2A=/487x317:5318x5148/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/b079da41-e869-435e-a3eb-d849f9a778c3/pcid-428441"
},
"speaker_type": "Speaker",
"details": "Josh is the Cofounder and Executive Chairman of Penrose, which convenes 125+ of the most consequential people in the science world — researchers, inventors, funders, nonprofit and government leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, and storytellers. \n\nJosh also founded JDI and leads the firm today as CEO. JDI is an integrated marketing firm that helps make precedent-setting science and emerging tech companies well known and understood. Building JDI has been Josh's life’s work, and a deeply gratifying experience.\n\nIn addition to his work at Penrose and JDI, Josh is also co-owner of the science magazine Nautilus and proudly serves on its Board. He has co-founded Litmus Health, The Daily Dot, Culturati, and New Civic.\n\n\n\n",
"links": {},
"type": "person"
},
{
"id": 78888,
"company": "Stowers Institute",
"credential_types": [
"innovation"
],
"entity_id": 2239859,
"name": "Dr. Ansa Cobham, PhD",
"speaker_types": [],
"title": "Postdoctoral Research Associate",
"image": {
"alt_text": "Ansa Cobham",
"credit": "",
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/CtIzVbosMPWGNO9xOFy7hm8BLy0=/0x0:1024x1024/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/ce90f137-2be0-4cea-acfa-58e30e20f1c8/pcid-1624247"
},
"speaker_type": "Speaker",
"details": "Ansa Cobham is a postdoctoral researcher in the Rohner laboratory at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Her research investigates the molecular basis of metabolic adaptation using the cavefish model Astyanax mexicanus. This unique organism offers a novel system to uncover compensatory mechanisms that could lead to new treatment targets for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Additionally, Cobham is developing an innovative research program that leverages this model to study aging.\n\nCobham is deeply committed to mentorship and community outreach. As a first-generation Black woman from a low-income community, Cobham is deeply aware of the many challenges faced by students from historically underrepresented groups in the life sciences, especially women students.",
"links": {},
"type": "person"
},
{
"id": 78874,
"company": "Cultivarium",
"credential_types": [
"innovation"
],
"entity_id": 2239844,
"name": "Henry Lee",
"speaker_types": [],
"title": "CEO",
"image": {
"alt_text": "Henry Lee",
"credit": "",
"url": "https://images.sxsw.com/5a2w9rGBWhGGUyxlNOW3sohcLPQ=/0x0:659x659/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/50126750-fffc-48e7-a5c0-6909eaa4e3f7/pcid-1624245"
},
"speaker_type": "Speaker",
"details": "Henry Lee is the co-founder and CEO of Cultivarium, a non-profit bioengineering firm that harnesses the extraordinary power of microbes to fuel the bioeconomy. Previously, he was the Director of Genomics at the Pandemic Response Lab, a high-throughput diagnostic and genome biosurveillance COVID-19 facility established for New York City. Henry’s expertise lies at the intersection of engineering and biotechnology, where he has pioneered new methods enabling DNA data storage, holds several patents in his field, and is actively involved in building the tools needed to create a flourishing bioeconomy that heals our people and planet. \n",
"links": {},
"type": "person"
}
],
"venue": {
"accessible": false,
"age_policy": null,
"floor": null,
"id": "V0573",
"indoor_outdoor": "INDOOR",
"name": "Salon FGH",
"parent_id": "V0403",
"parent_venue_name": "JW Marriott",
"venue_entry_info": null,
"formats": null,
"location": {
"address": "110 E 2nd St.",
"lat_lon": [
30.2645713,
-97.743198
],
"city": "Austin",
"postal_code": "78701",
"state": "TX",
"name": "JW Marriott"
},
"root": {
"accessible": null,
"age_policy": null,
"floor": null,
"id": "V0403",
"indoor_outdoor": null,
"name": "JW Marriott",
"parent_id": null,
"parent_venue_name": null,
"venue_entry_info": null,
"formats": null
},
"events": "[omitted 5 venue events]"
},
"description": "Ozempic revolutionized diabetes treatment, inspired by Gila monster venom - proving nature holds answers to health challenges. This session explores how unique organisms like snails and cavefish can improve our quality of life. Panelists discuss the most exciting ways curious critters, genetic engineering and biomimicry transform human health and society through nature-inspired discoveries that could change our future.",
"experience_level": "Beginner",
"accessibility": [],
"accessible_venue": false,
"add_bcl_url": false,
"add_slido": false,
"age_policy": null,
"american_sign_language": false,
"apple_url": null,
"audio_description": false,
"caption_url": null,
"closed_captioned": false,
"cpe_credit": false,
"has_subtitles": false,
"hash_tags": [],
"high_sensory_experience": false,
"live": false,
"long_description": "Ozempic revolutionized diabetes treatment, inspired by Gila monster venom - proving nature holds answers to health challenges. This session explores how unique organisms like snails and cavefish can improve our quality of life. Panelists discuss the most exciting ways curious critters, genetic engineering and biomimicry transform human health and society through nature-inspired discoveries that could change our future.",
"meeting_url": null,
"meeting_url_live": false,
"mentorly_url": null,
"mobile_audio_url": null,
"open_captioned": false,
"playlist_tag": null,
"rebroadcast": false,
"recommended_ids": [],
"search_conversions": null,
"short_program": false,
"slido_url": null,
"sort": "CURIOUS CRITTERS AND HUMAN HEALTH",
"source": "Official",
"squad_up_url": null,
"stream_embed": null,
"stream_id": null,
"stream_url": null,
"strobe_warning": false,
"subdiscipline": null,
"summit": null,
"summit_display_name": null,
"tags": [
{
"id": 951,
"name": "Science",
"created_at": "2016-11-04T11:44:17.754-05:00",
"updated_at": "2024-01-25T14:52:52.593-06:00",
"sort": "SCIENCE",
"alpha": "S"
}
],
"talent_attending": null,
"title_only": false,
"track_display_name": "Health track sponsored by Eli Lilly",
"trailer_id": null,
"trailer_url": null,
"video_on_demand": null,
"vimeo_id": null,
"vod": false,
"xr_project_type": null,
"youtube_id": null,
"related_sales_client": null
}