The Burrill Report (August 26, 2013): Curing Cancer with the Wisdom and Money of Crowds (.MP3,16.76 Mb)

Some folks look at insects and see danger. Others look at flowers and see beauty. Jim Olson looks at such things as spiders and petunias and sees a potential new arsenal of weapons against cancer and other diseases. This month, the researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center launched Project Violet, an effort to develop a new class of therapies derived from nature. To drive and fund the effort, Olson has turned to citizen scientists and crowdfunding. We spoke to Olson about Project Violet, the promise of the new class of drugs he dubs “optides,” and why he’s turned to an unconventional source of funding to shake up drug development.