#156 Rich Horgan on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast

Joining our host, Kira Dineen, is Rich Hogan. Rich is the Founder and President of Cure Rare Disease, a company that develops customized therapeutics for those who have been diagnosed with rare, genetic diseases that have no treatments or cures. On this episode, we specifically sat down to discuss Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy during DMD awareness month!

Rich Hogan has a deep passion for reimagining how rare and ultra-rare diseases are treated. With a younger sibling impacted by a rare disease, Rich has a strong interest in accelerating promising treatments for rare diseases. He formed an interdisciplinary collaboration of world-class researchers and clinicians to pioneer the rapid development of customized therapies for rare, genetic diseases. Prior to making his foray into biotech, Rich had extensive experience working in new business development at Corning Incorporated where he led the successful launch of a new product line. He also launched a successful car washing business in New York. He holds a BS from Cornell University where he graduated summa cum laude and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was awarded the Blavatnik Fellowship for Life Science Entrepreneurship. Rich was recognized by Business Insider as one of ‘30 leaders under 40 transforming healthcare in 2020’ and, most recently, was named on the 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 list.

On This Episode We Discuss:

Patient advocacy

DMD heredity

Founding Cure Rare Disease

Current and developing treatments for DMD

In-vitro versus in-vivo research

Neutralizing antibodies

To learn more about Rich, DMD, and Cure Rare Disease at cureraredisease.org.

If you live in Canada, check out Muscular Dystrophy Canada at muscle.ca, which serves 50,000 Canadians impacted by neuromuscular disorders themselves, family members/caregivers, healthcare professionals, and researchers. They support individuals impacted by neuromuscular disorders by investing in research, delivering critical programs and services, and challenging public policy.

Genomenon is a genomic health IT company powering precision medicine with genomics.

Genomenon has designed the Mastermind Genomic Search Engine, which is used by hundreds of genetic labs worldwide to accelerate diagnosis, increase diagnostic yield, and assure repeatability in reporting genetic testing results. Genomenon also created the Mastermind Genomic Landscapes to inform pharmaceutical and bio-pharma companies on precision medicine development and deliver genomic biomarkers for clinical trial target selection. Look out for our October 1st episode, the founder of Genomenon will be a guest on DNA Today to explore the genetics of ALS. Learn more about Genomenon at genomenon.com (SPONSORED).

If you enjoy DNA Today you will also love Eureka’s Sounds of Science, a podcast from Charles River. Sounds of Science tells the stories of how – how chicken eggs impact vaccine development; how a single parent can change the FDA; how a horseshoe crab saves lives. If you enjoyed our episode (#74) with Huntington Disease patient advocate Antonio Maltese, you should check him out in this episode of Eureka’s Sounds of Science podcast! Listen to Eureka’s Sounds of Science on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you download your podcasts. (SPONSORED)

Do you or someone you know have Prader-Willi syndrome? Harmony Biosciences is looking for people with Prader-Willi syndrome to enroll in a new clinical study in the United States. Harmony Biosciences will be studying the safety and impact of an investigational medication on excessive daytime sleepiness, cognition, and behavioral function in people with Prader Willi syndrome. Learn more about the clinical study and refer a patient to a study center here. (SPONSORED)

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today at the end of September where we’ll be recapping the NSGC Annual Conference!

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DNA Today is a podcast and radio show exploring genetics’ impact on health through conversations with leaders in genetics like genetic counselors, researchers, doctors, and patient advocates. The show started in 2012 and features over 150 episodes. DNA Today won the 2020 Best Science and Medicine Podcast Award with nominate four other years.

DNA Today is broadcast every Friday at 10:30am ET on WHUS 91.7 FM in Connecticut. New episodes are released on the first and third Friday of the month with some bonus episodes on other Fridays.