The Commons

Conversations featuring researchers, innovators, artists, entrepreneurs, community builders, and thought leaders who are improving the human condition in their own backyard and across the globe.

The Commons is a business podcast hosted by Wexford Science & Technology, with 78 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Wexford Science & Technology hosts The Commons, a business show with 78 episodes published.

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  Episode #15

  Beyond the Breakthrough - Making Science Scalable: A Conversation with Behrad Vahidi

  Sep 18, 202616 minS5

  Scientific breakthroughs get the attention. But between a promising discovery and a product that reaches patients lies another challenge entirely: can you actually make it - reliably, affordably, and at scale? In this episode of The Commons , host Thomas Osha sits down with Behrad Vahidi of SCHOTT MINIFAB to explore the often-overlooked world of microfluidics, diagnostic consumables, and design for manufacturing. Vahidi explains how lab-on-a-chip technologies can move complex testing out of centralized laboratories and closer to patients while reducing reagent use, lowering costs, and increasing reproducibility. But achieving that promise requires thinking about manufacturing much earlier than many innovators realize. Their conversation explores why a prototype that works ten times may fail when produced a million times, how startups can avoid costly redesigns by incorporating manufacturability from the beginning, and the role sophisticated pilot manufacturing infrastructure can play in helping young companies reach clinical validation without enormous upfront capital investment. The discussion also turns to university commercialization and an important question: Should manufacturing expertise have a seat at the table much earlier when researchers begin translating discoveries into companies? It's a fascinating look at the largely invisible engineering and infrastructure that turns promising science into products capable of changing lives.

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  Episode #16

  Beyond Recruitment - The New Playbook for Economic Development: A Conversation with Chris Mackay

  Sep 18, 202625 minS5

  For decades, economic development followed a familiar playbook: recruit a company, offer incentives, count the jobs, and move on to the next deal. That model is changing. In this episode of The Commons , recorded live at BIO 2026, host Thomas Osha sits down with Chris Mackay, President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council , to explore a different model, one built around ecosystems rather than transactions. Mackay describes how Greater Phoenix has evolved from an economy heavily dependent on growth into an increasingly diversified innovation economy spanning semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, bioscience, AI, quantum technologies, and healthcare. At the center of that transformation is something harder to replicate than financial incentives: a culture of regional collaboration. Their conversation explores why universities, companies, government, entrepreneurs, economic developers, and investors increasingly need to operate as partners; why workforce has become fundamental innovation infrastructure; and how Phoenix's 22 cities have learned to practice what Mackay calls "coop-petition" - competing locally while advancing the region together. The result is a provocative new framework for economic development: decide what kind of economy you want to create, work backward to build the talent, infrastructure, partnerships and places it requires, and then stay committed long enough for the ecosystem to take root. For anyone interested in cities, universities, innovation districts, talent or regional economic competitiveness, this is a conversation about how places position themselves to win.

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  Episode #17

  When the Hospital Becomes the Innovation Lab: A Conversation with Dr. Frank Rybicki

  Sep 18, 202624 minS5

  What happens when hospitals stop being simply consumers of medical technology and increasingly become creators of it? In this episode of The Commons , host Thomas Osha sits down with Dr. Frank Rybicki, Professor and Chair of Radiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix , for a fascinating look at how artificial intelligence, advanced imaging, and medical 3D printing are moving directly into clinical workflows. Dr. Rybicki describes how patient-specific anatomical models and surgical guides can now be created inside health systems, sometimes reducing turnaround from days to hours. These tools can help physicians plan complex procedures, improve communication with patients, and even guide surgeons during an operation. AI is accelerating that transformation. Dr. Rybicki explains how AI-assisted imaging can dramatically reduce laborious image-processing tasks, help personalize risk assessment, and augment rather than simply replace human clinical judgment. The implications extend beyond major academic medical centers. From AI-guided handheld ultrasound to lower-cost, focused AI tools, the same technologies could ultimately bring sophisticated diagnostic capabilities to rural and underserved communities. The conversation raises a larger question about the future of healthcare innovation: What happens when the hospital itself becomes a platform where clinicians, engineers, data scientists, and researchers can rapidly create and deploy solutions around the needs of individual patients? It's a glimpse of a future of medicine that is more personalized, more immediate—and potentially more human.

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  Episode #14

  Turning Innovation into Investment: A Conversation with Anne Mazet

  Aug 3, 202621 minS5

  At conferences like BIO, breakthrough science commands the spotlight. But behind every successful healthcare company is another story; one of founders, investors, mentors, and the difficult journey from promising research to investable business. In this episode of The Commons , host Thomas Osha welcomes Anne Mazet , Chief-of-Staff at Xcellerant Ventures, for a candid conversation about what separates great science from companies capable of attracting investment and creating lasting impact. Anne shares why venture investors often place as much emphasis on founders as they do on technology, why researchers should engage investors earlier than they think, and how coachability, strategic planning, and the willingness to build the right leadership team can dramatically improve a company's odds of success. The discussion also explores Phoenix's collaborative innovation ecosystem, the evolving venture capital landscape, and Xcellerant's innovative Jetstream Venture Fund, which is expanding access to venture investing through a more inclusive investment model. Along the way, Anne offers practical advice for university spinouts, startup founders, and anyone navigating the challenging path from laboratory discovery to commercialization. Whether you're building a startup, supporting technology transfer, or simply curious about how healthcare innovation reaches the marketplace, this episode provides valuable insights into the people, partnerships, and investment decisions that turn promising ideas into successful companies.

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  Episode #13

  The Infrastructure Behind Bringing New Therapies to Market: A Conversation with Melissa Marlowe

  Jul 15, 202621 minS5

  The promise of cell and gene therapy is extraordinary. But between a scientific breakthrough and a patient receiving a potentially life-changing treatment lies one of the most complex, precise, and largely invisible networks in healthcare. Recorded live from the BIO International Convention, host Tom Osha sits down with Melissa Marlow, Vice President of Clinical Services and Biotherapies Lab at Vitalant, to explore the infrastructure behind advanced cell therapies and why that infrastructure is critical to expanding patient access. With roots stretching back to a Phoenix blood bank founded more than 80 years ago, Vitalant has built a national network capable of supporting the collection, handling, storage, and delivery of increasingly complex therapies. Melissa takes us behind the scenes of that network, where cells may need to be stored below -150 degrees Celsius, timing is measured in critical windows, and a single patient therapy can touch more than 100 people on its journey from collection to manufacturing and back to the patient. Unlike a traditional pharmaceutical product, many of today's cell therapies are autologous, created from a patient's own cells specifically for that patient. There is no replacement batch sitting on a shelf. Every product is truly one of a kind. Tom and Melissa also discuss the next frontier: moving therapies like CAR-T beyond treatments of last resort and expanding access to patients outside the nation's largest academic medical centers. It's a conversation about science, logistics, culture, and the remarkable human infrastructure required to turn breakthrough medicine into patient care.

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