INTERVIEWS

Dr. Dalia Moawad, MD, Executive Director & Disease Area Lead for Neurological Rare Diseases at Genentech discusses the three things her team learned during the pandemic from the launching of Evrysdi (risdiplam) the first at-home oral medicine for adults and children two months of age and older with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

In up to 30% of people with chronic low back pain, the SI joint is the hidden source of the pain. SI joint pain is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Only 10% of people with SI joint pain receive the treatment and relief they need to pursue active and healthy lives. LinQ by PainTEQ is the only minimally invasive solution on the market backed by extensive clinical research that can provide immediate pain relief. This is how LinQ works

Mike Shoreman, living with a neurological condition called Ramsay Hunt Syndrome shares his personal story and his motivation to write “Diaries of The Unbalanced Paddleboarder: Crash and RISE: From Victim to Thriving Survivor”.

Carisma Therapeutics, Inc. announced (March 2021) that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1 multi-center clinical trial for CT-0508, studying the potential of chimeric antigen receptor macrophages (CAR-Ms) for cancer immunotherapy, specifically in solid tumors.  Dr. Debora Barton, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Carisma is here to talk about this novel approach in gene-based therapy development, as it is the first time CAR–engineered macrophages are being studied in humans. CAR-T cell therapy has revolutionized how cancer is treated and revealed the power of gene-based therapies, and it has met challenges with solid tumors. Carisma’s novel approach to immunotherapy may uncover potential treatment options that aim to address the unmet needs of patients, who are battling hard-to-treat cancers. 

Jeff Ruby, Founder and CEO of Newtopia, a habit change provider focused on chronic disease prevention, discusses his perspective on why both telehealth and value-based models are set to gain greater adoption in the U.S. 

Licensed marriage and family therapist and certified grief and trauma counselor, Kara Bowman discusses her new book entitled “Heartbreak to Hope: Poems of Support for Grief and Loss”.  She talks about how the book can help guide people through their experiences of isolation, sadness, and grief. She advises some other ways to find effective methods for dealing with painful emotions and find the capacity to grow, heal, connect and find meaning.

Danny Altmann, Chairperson of the Global T cell Expert Consortium (GTEC) and Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London discusses the different methods of diagnosing COVID-19, why antibody testing alone is not enough to diagnose the infection, and T cells and their role in diagnosing COVID.  He talks about the GTEC and what they hope to accomplish. 

Returning guest, Dr. Eric Klein, Chairman of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at Cleveland Clinic discusses new 20-year outcomes from a development study of the Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score® (GPS) test that was recently published in JCO Precision Oncology (March 2021).  The study highlights the role of the GPS test, the only genomic test for prostate cancer with 20-year outcomes, in assessing the risk of long-term distant metastases (DM) and prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) for patients with localized prostate cancer. 

Addiction specialist, Dr. Melissa Fritsche, discusses what she has observed firsthand within her private practice pertaining to the pandemic exacerbating symptoms of alcohol-related addiction. She also explains why the doctor-patient connection built through in-person engagement is difficult to achieve using telehealth only methods when working with people on a deeply personal recovery journey.

Dave Ross, VP of Commercial Operations – North America at Seqirus discusses the recent FDA approval of FLUCELVAX® QUADRIVALENT, Seqirus’ cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc), for an expanded age indication in children two years of age and older.