pharmaphorum Podcast

Therapeutic or focused ultrasound began being applied to neurologic conditions less than a decade ago, but its potential in a wide spectrum of brain applications is high.

In today’s podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Dr Neal Kassell, chair and founder of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and previously a neurosurgeon, who created the Foundation in 2006 to improve the lives of millions of people with serious medical disorders by accelerating the development and adoption of focused ultrasound.

Focus ultrasound (FUS) has the potential to revolutionise therapy to the same degree that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning revolutionised diagnosis, says Kassell. The effect of the treatment can be observed as it is being administered in real time by using such imaging; it is image-guided therapy.

Of the 180 indications in various stages of development using FUS, the number of regulatory approvals and reimbursements is increasing. Dialogue has shifted from ‘if’ to ‘when’ and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation works to make that when ‘now’. And it all begins with evidence, evidence come from research.

In today’s podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh welcomes Dr Catherine Beech, CEO of Exonate, for a discussion on retinal vascular disease and a potential eye drop treatment for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema, instead of invasive injections into the eye.

On today’s pharmaphorum podcast, Dr. Tim Church, chief medical officer at digital weight loss clinic Wondr Health joins Editor in Chief Jonah Comstock to chat about these new drugs, how they work, and how they're changing the game for patients.

The pandemic served as a catalyst for a revolution in genomic surveillance for tracking pathogens. The technology proved vital in aiding understanding of the evolution of and spread of virus in real time to inform public health measures, ultimately accelerating drug and vaccine development.

In today’s podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Dr Evan Floden, CEO and co-founder of Seqera, a data orchestration and genomics analysis company, about barriers of entry to genomic surveillance in public health labs and how these can be lowered to support future bioinformaticians, aiding acceleration and quality and accuracy in R&D.

Around 75% of rare diseases are diagnosed in childhood, with most before the age of two. With 30% of rare disease patients dying before the age of five, the need for different treatment methods for children is clear.

In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Dr Helen Thackray, chief R&D officer at biotech company BioCryst, as well as an alumnus of the Children’s National Medical Center.

The conversation touches upon incentivisation for manufacturers to develop drugs to treat rare diseases, addressing age-appropriate formulations and recognising the metabolic differences between children and adults, and looks also at clinical trial design.

It’s clear that the time for action is now, and serving the paediatric patient population through every stage of the drug delivery process will lead to better adherence and more effective disease management.

You can listen to episode 166a of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it - and subscribe to the rest of the series - in iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Podbean, and pretty much wherever you get your other podcasts!