Gene Editing and GLP-1 Clinical Trials

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Announcer 0:00

Welcome to the MedEvidence Monday Morning Radio Show, hosted by Kevin Geddings of WSOS and Augustine Radio, and powered by ENCORE Research Group. Each Monday morning, Dr. Michael Koren calls in to bring you the latest medical updates with a insightful discussions. MedEvidence is where we help you navigate the real truth behind medical research, both a clinical and research perspective. So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn about the truth behind the data in medicine and healthcare. This is MedEvidence!

Kevin Geddings 0:30

Dr. Michael Koren, medical doctor, cardiologist, research scientist, we appreciate it. He's a big part of our family here at WSOS. He normally joins us on Monday mornings, and I asked if he could join us at a different time because a lot of you don't get to hear us on Monday mornings. But first we should explain to folks. Let's let them know what ENCORE Research Group is all about and what and how people here in St. Augustine and St. John's County can participate in clinical research. Kind of give us the basic on that.

Dr. Michael Koren 0:56

Sure, sure. And again, as always, thank you for having me, Kevin. So I'm a cardiologist, and we started a group of physicians way back in 1997 who work together to conduct clinical research. And this touches all areas now, just not cardiology, but literally all medical areas. And this group works together. We have about 100 doctors, including many in St. Augustine, who compete for study grants and they bring projects into the community. So right now as we speak, we have great products, projects, for cholesterol issues, for hypertension, for fatty liver disease, for a number of GI problems, et cetera. And you name it, chances are we're going to touch that space at some point in the next year. And so with when these trials come in, we have the opportunity to get uh patients involved. And typically the benefits for the patients are one, learning a lot more about your disease. Number two, meeting a great staff that's incredibly knowledgeable and hopefully they'll direct you in uh one way or another. By the way, a lot of people come in interested in clinical research and we tell them, well, you know, maybe you should address this or that or the other thing first. So they get some really nice care options when they interact with our staff. And then finally, if you're eligible for a program, we get you involved in that. And there during these programs, you get, again, ongoing attention, you get all the study medication, free of charge, lab tests, a bunch of stuff that we do, for example, imaging all free of charge. And there's actually a little stipend for most of the studies to cover time and travel expenses. So there's a little bit of a payment to the patients for being part of what we do as well. So it's a it's a really nice thing. And what I like to tell my patients is it sounds a little scary, oh my God, clinical research. And when you ask people that have never participated before or don't know much about it, only 40% of Americans say they would be interested in it. But once somebody does a research program and you ask them, would you do another one? Then in surveys, 97 to 99% of people who have done one program are interested in doing another. So, Kevin, how many things can you think about? How many products or services where before you know much about it, you're really skeptical? But once you're exposed, you're a fan for life. So we're we're proud to you know promote that concept and that people glean a lot of benefits from these programs.

Kevin Geddings 3:21

No, it's amazing. Great team, too, that puts you at ease, answers all of your questions. It's all about good information. They take a lot of time with you when you're in this process. I have participated in a couple of different clinical trials with ENCORE Research Group. Highly recommend the experience. Karen on our team has done that as well. So you can go to Encore Docs.com to learn more. That's Encore Docs.com to learn more. One topic we had started talking about on Monday morning, I find very interesting. It has to do with gene editing. And some of us have heard about, you know, folks maybe in China doing the kind of gene editing that results in creating the perfect blonde hair, blue-eyed baby, that sort of thing. But there's there are other ways to make use of this great science, right?

Dr. Michael Koren 4:00

Yeah, yeah. So it's sometimes it sounds like science fiction and like the the Frankenstein monster, but actually the technology has progressed so much that we're doing unbelievable things. And just remind everybody, there is actually a product that's on the market that uses gene editing to actually correct and cure sickle cell anemia.

Kevin Geddings 4:20

Wow.

Dr. Michael Koren 4:20

So right now we're using absolute Nobel Prize winning technologies to help people that have congenital cholesterol problems. And we're doing that right now. And we're so excited that we're the first location in all the US that has access to this technology. We actually just got delivered the product this week. And what it involves, it's gene editing in that it's a special type of medicine that's delivered in what we call lipid nanoparticles. It goes from an IV into your body, and then these lipid nanoparticles are directed just to the liver and no place else. And then once in their once they're in the liver, it goes to these the cells, the liver cells DNA, and corrects the congenital problem. So the important thing here is that it's just editing the genes in the liver and no place else. So you're not going to pass this on to your your kids. This is not that type of gene editing where it's going to change the DNA that you give to the next generation. This only changes the DNA in the organ that's not functioning the way it should. So it's absolute fascinating technology and we'd love people to, you know, give us a call, find out more about it. Having said that, this is going to be for a select few. So if people have very bad cholesterol problems, let's say an LDL cholesterol of 300 or more before they got treated. And if you've had complications of high cholesterol, like a heart attack or bypass surgery, then this might be a really great opportunity for you to get involved at the early stages of gene editing. These are now projects that have been done in other parts of the world, which is usually typical, and now starting to come to the US. And we're excited to be really the first center in the US that's been asked to be part of these programs.

Kevin Geddings 6:11

This is amazing stuff, by the way.

Dr. Michael Koren 6:15

Here's another one that's happening right now. A lot of people are on GLP1 agonists. Those are those weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro. And some people do super well with them, and some people kind of get stuck. They get to a point where they're not losing any more weight. Well, we have a program in St. Augustine right now for people that have gotten sort of stuck on Mounjaro or Ozempic or a similar type product, and giving those people that particular GLP1 product for free, and on top of that, giving them something called an amylin agonist, which is something that kind of reduces the food noise. So the research is to see what is the combination of this amylin agonist with a GLP1 drug and whether that that works better than a GLP1 drug alone. So that's the research. But the nice thing for the patients is that if you're kind of stuck, you're gonna get uh dietary support, you're gonna get clinical support, and you're gonna get a GLP1 drug at no cost. So there's a good example of lots of benefits. Now, stuff like that is actually highly competitive, and we compete with sites all around the country to get access for these programs for our patients. But if you're interested, let us know. We can potentially get you on the list, we can do an evaluation, see if that program is a good one for you, or see if there's something else that may be better suited for whatever your health care needs are.

Kevin Geddings 7:37

Yeah. And one of the other great benefits, obviously, there's the monetary component, the uh not having to pay for the meds. But one clear benefit is you're going to have some of the most intensive one-on-one health care you probably have ever experienced, at least that's been my experience. Somebody, you know, physicians and others who are really going to listen to you, take time with you. You're not going to be rushed. And so you're going to get really some of the best health care you've ever experienced, right, Dr. Koren?

Dr. Michael Koren 8:02

That's our goal every day.

Kevin Geddings 8:03

Well, Dr. Michael Koren, we appreciate you taking time out as we head toward lunchtime. And uh we learned a lot as always, and we'll speak with you soon.

Dr. Michael Koren 8:09

Thank you, Kevin. Have a great day.

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