Health Professional Radio - Podcast

Returning guest, Dr. William Sandborn, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at UC San Diego Health, discusses recent data from the Phase 3 UNIFI study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Janssen's STELARA® (ustekinumab) as a maintenance therapy in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis who previously failed biologic or conventional therapy. The long-term extension study out to two years, includes an abstract showing the effect of treatment on stool frequency and rectal bleeding. These data were presented at the 2020 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Meeting.

Returning guest, Julie Charlestein, President, CEO, and fourth-generation leader of Premier Dental discusses the challenges facing dentists as they re-enter the care dynamic in the COVID-19 era and ways in which she's revamped her family's business to continue to make a difference during a time of challenge for the dental market.

Dr. Allen Burton, MD, Medical Director at Abbott Neuromodulation, discusses the DISTINCT trial (Dorsal spInal cord STImulatioN vs mediCal management for the Treatment of low back pain) that will investigate the effectiveness of Abbott's BurstDRTM spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in patients with chronic low back pain that have not had any surgeries and where other therapies have been unsuccessful or not an option.

Kate Rosenbluth, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Cala Health discusses the impact of patients living with essential tremors (ET). She talks about the inner workings of the Cala Trio™, a new, wrist-worn bioelectronic device, that is the only non-invasive, non-drug therapy that goes directly to the source of tremor by delivering advanced targeted therapy that safely and effectively reduces hand tremors. This new approach harnesses the advances in neuroscience, nerve excitation, and electronics miniaturization and decades of neuromodulation experience to improve care for patients with ET.

Dr. Benjamin Segal, co-director of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s Neurological Institute discusses study findings published in the journal "Nature Immunology" (26 Oct 2020) that showed a novel type of immune cell not only prevents further damage of the central nervous system, but also reverses damage and restores function. Researchers hope this discovery will lead to new therapeutic breakthroughs as well as previously unheard of recovery for those with neurological diseases and injuries such as ALS, multiple sclerosis, stroke, or a traumatic brain or spine injury.

Matt Kuchan, PhD, Research Fellow and discovery scientist in Research and Development, the global brain health platform and science lead for Abbott's partnership with the Center for Nutrition Learning and Memory at the University of Illinois discusses a new study published in "Scientific Reports" (19 Oct 2020) that confirms that proper nutrition not only fuels our bodies and improves fitness, but also provides a mental edge. Researchers from the U.S. Air Force, University of Illinois and Abbott found that airmen who consumed a high-protein nutrition drink with specific ingredients to target muscle and cognitive function were able to improve working memory and reaction time, increase muscle mass, and lower resting heart rate.

Dr. David Knight, Medical Director of Demeter Regeneration in Sydney, Australia discusses the field of regenerative medicine which uses the body’s own cells and tissues to heal itself. Unlike traditional medicine, regenerative medicine harnesses cells and tissues, by utilising gene therapy, to enable the body to regenerate and, in effect, heal itself. This includes Ovarian Rejuvenation Therapy (ORT) technique which is revolutionising the fertility industry. ORT is giving infertile and menopausal women the chance to conceive using their own eggs and in a recent Australian first, an infertile woman gave birth after undergoing the breakthrough fertility treatment last year.

Danielle Hicks, Chief Patient Officer at the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer shares her personal story of becoming a caregiver for her mother when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Through her own experience, and in connecting with patients and caregivers directly every day, Danielle knows the importance of providing the patient community with tangible resources and stories of inspiration, particularly now amidst the pandemic. She talks about why GO2 Foundation is collaborating with Merck on the patient program"Worth the Fight: Taking on Lung Cancer" which empowers lung cancer caregivers and survivors to take an active role in their cancer care.

Dr. Jeremy Levin, Chairman of the global Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and Chairman and CEO of OVID Therapeutics, Inc. discusses his perspective on vaccinations and his open letter to members of the biopharmaceutical industry which outlines how public health, and the public’s trust in new medical products, are dependent upon the integrity, transparency and objective assessment of new data as it emerges. He talks about why In the summer of 2020, he gathered 47 top leaders in biopharma to co-author "Biotechnology in the Time of COVID-19: Commentaries from the Front Line" (RosettaBooks).

Dr. Sheri Prentiss, MD, best selling author and Certified Physician Executive, discusses her own personal breast cancer story and her partnership with medtech company ImpediMed®, whose product is used to help doctors detect and treat lymphedema as early as possible with an eye toward preventing it from becoming chronic. She is the founder of the Live Today Foundation that serves the breast cancer survivor community and is focused on the need to help survivors win the battle that most face at some point: the development of lymphedema.

Returning guest, Dr. Brad Marder a nephrologist for nearly 20 years and now Medical Director of Nephrology at Horizon Therapeutics discusses findings from the Renal Data System study, on which he was an author, and how KRYSTEXXA (pegloticase) is applied in real-world care for people who receive dialysis for advanced kidney disease. These data were presented at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) 2020, Abstract PO1166 titled "A USRDS Database Study on the Use of Pegloticase in Patients Undergoing Dialysis"

Dr. Abdul Abdellatif, MD, assistant professor, Baylor College of Medicine and primary investigator on the "Pegloticase for Uncontrolled Gout in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Early Data Report of a Multicenter, Open-Label, Efficacy and Safety" Study, otherwise known as PROTECT, discusses the latest data from this study that was presented at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) 2020 (Abstract PO2481). He also explains strategies to effectively manage uncontrolled gout within the vulnerable post-transplant population that will not compromise kidney function or transplantation.

Dr. David Feldman, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Medical Officer of The Doctors Company Group, a physician-owned, medical malpractice insurer, and for the TDC Group of companies discusses the risks of mismanaged communications as indicated by a new study that found that oncology malpractice claims are often due to: behavioural mistakes, including incorrect diagnosis, improper management of treatment, and improper medication management. He talks about how providers and patients can improve communication and how healthcare providers can mitigate risks to ensure continued high quality of care for breast cancer patients especially during COVID-19.

Dr. Rick Baehner, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Precision Oncology at Exact Sciences discusses the Oncotype MAP™ Pan-Cancer Tissue test for patients with advanced, metastatic, refractory, or recurrent cancer. This rapid genomic tumor profiling test, previously known as PCDx, allows physicians to understand patients’ tumor profiles and effectively recommend targeted therapies or clinical trials based on the biology of their patients’ cancers. He also talks about the broader Oncology Business Unit at Exact Sciences.

Pritesh Shah, Chief Commercial Officer of device maker Novocure® discusses Tumor Treating Fields, a cap-like device that aims electric fields at cancer cells to disrupt cell division and inhibit tumor growth. He describes how Tumor Treating Fields pinpoints aggressive tumors with minimal damage to healthy cells. He talks about research on possible future indications such as combining Tumor Treating Fields with Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda® to treat non-small cell lung cancer.

Dr. Justin Odegaard, VP of Clinical Development at Guardant Health discusses a new study published in "Nature Medicine" (Oct 2020) which finds that the Guardant360® liquid biopsy rapid blood test is not only concordant to tissue biopsy, but more than doubles clinical trial enrollment and achieves similar treatment response and survival rates in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer.

Dr. Rohit Dhall, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of Neurodegenerative Disorders at the University of Arkansas discusses essential tremors (ET) and a new wrist-worn bioelectronic device, called the Cala Trio™ that is the only non-invasive, non-drug therapy that goes directly to the source of tremor by delivering advanced targeted therapy that safely and effectively reduces hand tremors. In a recent breakthrough study presented at the International Congress of Parkinson’s and Movement Disorder Congress (MDS), it was shown to be safe and effective in a real-world setting. He is joined by Beverly who has been using Cala Trio™ for her condition.

Robert Provenzano is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit Michigan. He has served previously as the Chief of the Division of Nephrology, Hypertension & Transplantation, Director of Nephrology Research, and Director of Acute Dialysis Services at St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit, MI., Chief Operating Officer of St. Clair Specialty Physicians in Detroit, and the Vice President of Medical Affairs for DaVita Inc. Dr. Provenzano has recently overseen all of the owned & managed practice for DaVita as its CMO for Nephrology Practice Solutions (NPS). Currently he has focused, in a consultant role, on anemia management for CKD and ESRD patients for several Pharmaceutical organizations.Dr. Provenzano completed his internship and residency at St. John Hospital and Medical Center. His nephrology fellowship was completed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI.

Dr. Saad Usmani, a specialist in hematology and oncology at Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC, discusses multiple myeloma and relapsed refractory multiple myeloma. He talks about signs, symptoms, and risk factors. He is joined by Robert Pugh who was diagnosed in 2014 and he shares how his life has been impacted by living with this disease.

Returning guest, Dr. David Spetzler, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Caris Life Sciences, discusses the company's launch of CODEai™(Comprehensive Oncology Data Explorer), a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) framework, to deliver the most comprehensive cancer data solution in the genomics industry. He explains the importance of molecular insights for the treatment of cancer and how CODEai is set to have a dramatic impact on research initiatives, product development objectives, clinical trial services and target identification opportunities.