This week on #TheShot of #digitalHealth Therapy, Jim Joyce and I sat down with someone who might just change how we all understand… well, everything. Because when you think “future of health tech,” your brain probably doesn’t jump to noses in petri dishes. But maybe it should. We hosted Brian Lin, a Tufts researcher and a co-founder of Cellsor, who is literally growing living smell tissue to build the world’s first biological smell "camera". Yes - a "camera" for scent. Think RGB for odors… except instead of 3 channels, humans have 400, dogs have 700, elephants have 2,000, and Jim has… well, that’s still in peer review. 😅 Some highlights: 🧠 Humans have 400 smell receptors - meaning we “smell in 400 dimensions,” far beyond what we can verbally describe. 👃 Most people begin losing smell sensitivity in their 50s–70s without realizing it. 🛡️ The same tech could detect explosives, chemical threats, or hazardous compounds at checkpoint distance. 🔬 Brian’s company uses living tissue, not electronic sensors - truly an actual biological nose. 📡 The system aims to create the world’s first universal smell-recording “camera.” 💡 Future applications span diagnostics, food science, perfumery, defense, and everyday consumer tech. The science is wild, the implications are massive, and the conversation? Pure fun. 🎧 Give it a listen - and trust me, this one will stay with you in ways you can’t quite describe… because we don’t yet have the right vocabulary for smell. Fun mentions as always: Laura Hamilton Daniel Couchman Kendall #healthcare #digitalhealth #biotech #innovation #futureofwork #AI #sensorytech 00:00 – 02:10 Thanksgiving Banter & Show Opening Eugene and Jim share Thanksgiving plans, travel updates, and open the episode. 02:10 – 03:20 Scoop of Thanks Story A heartwarming story about cancer survivors bringing ice cream to oncology staff. 03:20 – 04:25 Introducing Brian Lin Jim recounts meeting Brian at Boston Startup Week over beer and ham sandwiches. 04:25 – 06:15 How Brian Meets People (The Whiskey Method) Brian explains his tradition of bringing whiskey to conferences to meet people. 06:15 – 07:45 Brian’s Background Growing up in Reading, Massachusetts; parents immigrating from China. 07:45 – 10:20 Childhood Pyro Stories Thermite experiments, accidental bed fires, and early science curiosity. 10:20 – 12:20 Education Path Undergrad at RPI, moving to Tufts for a PhD, meeting his wife. 12:20 – 15:00 From Cancer Lab to Smell Research Why cancer signaling wasn’t a fit and how he discovered the olfaction lab. 15:00 – 17:00 The Beer That Improves Dissections A lab story about shaky hands, a Corona with lime, and perfect dissections. 17:00 – 21:00 Understanding Smell Biology Why smell matters, how neurons regenerate, and why people lose smell with age. 21:00 – 24:00 COVID and Smell Loss How COVID reprograms smell neurons, parosmia, and Brian losing smell in Scotland. 24:00 – 28:00 Smell, Culture, Memory, and Diagnosis How smell connects to emotion, depression models, and historical healing. 28:00 – 32:00 Dogs Detect Cancer; Human Nose Complexity Why electronic noses fail and how humans actually smell in 400 dimensions. 32:00 – 35:00 Growing a Living Nose in a Dish Founding CellSaur and using real biological tissue instead of sensors. 35:00 – 38:20 Applications and the Smell Camera Concept Recording smells like RGB/hex codes and connecting to perception models. 38:20 – 41:10 Business Strategy for Smell Tech Three-step pathway: R&D tools, security/defense, and medical diagnostics. 41:10 – 45:00 Market Imagination Future possibilities like airport screening, drones, and household smell libraries. 45:00 – 47:00 Fundraising as a First-Time Founder Brian shares what it’s like shifting from academia into startup fundraising. 47:00 – 50:00 Final Question and Advice Jim gives a future scenario; Brian answers with “hold your conviction.”
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51 mins