AI on the Hill

Building Trust in Medical AI: Inside Med-ICE

In this episode of AI on the Hill in the Spotlight, we take a closer look at Med-ICE — a system built to make medical AI more trustworthy and reliable. We explore how multi-agent collaboration can improve reasoning, why reliability is critical in healthcare, and what responsible AI design looks like in practice. This episode highlights both the technical innovation and the broader lessons for the future of AI in medicine.

Can AI Be a Scientist - From Pipettes to Prompts: Reprogramming Science with AI

In this episode of AI on the Hill, host René Bastón sits down with Yaoyu Yang, Founder & CEO of Cypher AI, to explore one of the most fascinating questions of our time: Can AI truly be a scientist? With over a decade at the intersection of biology and software, Yaoyu has built systems that redefine how experiments are designed and executed, from developing Aquarium at the University of Washington to architecting platforms at Ginkgo Bioworks, and now leading Cypher AI, where he’s building the world’s first AI software engineer for scientists. Together, they discuss how human-in-the-loop AI is empowering, not replacing, researchers, what it means to turn pipettes into prompts, and how the future of discovery will depend on collaboration between human creativity and machine intelligence. This episode dives deep into the evolving relationship between humans, AI, and science, and what it means to rethink intelligence itself.

From Wall Street Beats to Biotech Breakthroughs – Dean’s journey from DJ booths and banking to leading AI-driven clinical trial innovations

Welcome to AI on the Hill, the podcast where we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, featuring thought leaders and innovators who are shaping the future of drug development and health tech. In this series, host René Bastón, Venture Partner at Covenant Venture Capital, and expert guests like Dean Zheng, Clinical Outsourcing Professional at Pfizer, discuss how AI is streamlining clinical trial operations, improving data quality, and accelerating the delivery of life-saving treatments. Dean Zheng shares his unique career journey from DJ booths and investment banking to clinical trial outsourcing in pharma. In this show, we dive into Dean’s transitions between industries, the lessons learned from working on both the CRO and sponsor sides, and how his diverse background fuels his approach to efficiency, collaboration, and problem-solving. Dean explains how AI can cut trial programming timelines by up to 70%, reduce human error, and free up teams to focus on strategic decision-making. Join us as we explore the real-world impact of AI on trial operations, from improving data workflows to creating hybrid collaboration models between pharma and tech. Dean’s insights into adaptability, strategic thinking, and embracing new tools make this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the evolving world of clinical trials. You can connect with our host, René Bastón, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renebaston/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/renebaston/] And our guest, Dean Zheng, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-mingyang-zheng-0ab336108/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-mingyang-zheng-0ab336108/] For more information on any of the topics discussed, visit the Hill Research Podcast at https://www.hillresearch.ai/podcast [https://www.hillresearch.ai/podcast].

Crashing Excel to Curing Cancer — How AI and Open Science Are Rewiring Drug Discovery

Welcome to AI on the Hill, the podcast where we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, featuring thought leaders and innovators who are shaping the future of drug development and health tech. In this series, host René Bastón, Venture Partner at Covenant Venture Capital, and expert guests like Tommy Tang, Director of Bioinformatics at AstraZeneca, discuss cutting-edge topics in bioinformatics, AI in healthcare, and personalized medicine. Tommy Tang shares his inspiring journey from a nervous first-time immigrant landing in the U.S. with only $2,000 to becoming a bioinformatics leader. In this show, we dive into Tommy's transition from traditional wet-lab research to computational biology, and how he taught himself data science skills in R, Python, and Unix to drive his career. Tommy, also an advocate for open science, discusses the importance of sharing knowledge to advance scientific progress and make complex research more accessible. Join us as we explore how AI and bioinformatics are transforming cancer drug discovery, and learn about the practical impact of computational biology in shortening drug development timelines. Tommy’s insights into time management, leadership, and open science are a must-listen for anyone interested in the rapidly evolving world of biotech. You can connect with our host, René Bastón, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renebaston/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/renebaston/] And our guest, Tommy Tang, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/🎯-ming-tommy-tang-40650014/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%AF-ming-tommy-tang-40650014/] For more information on any of the topics discussed, visit the Hill Research Podcast at https://www.hillresearch.ai/podcast [https://www.hillresearch.ai/podcast].