Sekar Kathiresan, MD: Pioneering Single Dose Medications to Cure Cardiovascular Disease

In this conversation, Daniel Belkin and Mitch Belkin speak with Sekar Kathiresan, MD, about using gene editing medications to treat cardiovascular disease. We discuss Dr. Kathiresan’s company Verve Therapeutics, which has pioneered a lipid nanoparticle delivery system of a CRISPR-based gene editing technology. We delve into the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease, the role played by LDL and the LDL receptor in atherosclerosis, the genetics underlying monogenic and polygenic risk for myocardial infarction, CRISPR and the future of gene editing technologies, and Verve’s ongoing phase I trial of a PCSK9 gene editing medication (VERVE-101) in humans. 

Who is Sekar Kathiresan?

Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, a cardiologist, geneticist, and the CEO and co-founder of Verve Therapeutics. Verve Therapeutics is a company pioneering a new approach to the treatment of cardiovascular disease with single-dose gene editing medications. Prior to co-founding Verve, he served as the director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Genomic Medicine and was a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. 

References:

• Sekar Kathiresan’s Twitter
• Verve Therapeutics website
• Tirzepatide for the treatment of obesity (NEJM, 2022)

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What is the External Medicine Podcast?

The External Medicine Podcast explores some of the most exciting ideas in medicine. Co-hosted by Daniel Belkin, MD, and Mitch Belkin, MD.