Every Cure

Every Cure to Receive $48.3M from Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to Develop AI-Driven Platform to Revolutionize Future of Drug Development and Repurposing ARPA-H contract will supercharge Every Cure’s work to identify existing medicines that can be repurposed to treat currently untreated diseases. Initial progress utilizing a pilot version of the AI platform and stakeholder engagement has led to the identification of potential treatments for sickle cell disease, ALS, and autism spectrum disorder. https://lnkd.in/d6wVWutU

It's not uncommon to find multiple different organizations dedicated to a single rare disease. While the primary motivation behind this passion is the deep desire for a cure for loved ones affected by these diseases—often leading individuals to start organizations in hopes of making a difference—this can inadvertently hinder progress for many conditions within the rare disease community. The reality is that compared to more common diseases, rare diseases already face significant hurdles in accessing resources. This scarcity is amplified by the fragmentation of groups. Each organization, operating in isolation, struggles to gather sufficient patient data and biospecimens, which are crucial for advancing research and treatment options. Imagine the potential if these groups could unite their efforts. By combining resources, sharing data, and collaborating on research, we could accelerate progress in ways that are currently out of reach. How can we foster greater unity in the rare disease community? What steps can we take to ensure that every organization, family, and patient is part of a larger, more effective network? #raredisease #raredisease #rarediseaseawareness

There are many ways to innovate, and organizational structure is one of them. When we founded Every Cure, we chose to be a nonprofit because we believe that to build the world’s best AI platform for uncovering new drug-disease linkages, we need access to the most comprehensive data sets available. This type of data is simply not accessible to commercial competitors. As a nonprofit, we operate collaboratively and noncompetitively—essentially becoming the Switzerland of data. This unique position allows organizations to share their data with us in ways they might hesitate to with for-profit entities. With this collaborative approach, our AI platform can target drugs we don't own and focus on diseases often neglected by the pharmaceutical industry for strategic reasons. These three pillars—collaboration, noncompetitiveness, and a mission to serve neglected diseases—are why our nonprofit model is so powerful in driving innovation and patient care. #nonprofit #biotech #pharma #raredisease

Celine Dion got her voice back thanks in part to a repurposed drug! Diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare disease that took away her ability to walk, talk, and sing, she has fought an inspiring battle. Through intense physical therapy and the use of IVIg, a repurposed drug originally developed in 1952, she was able to regain some of her health. This powerful example of using IVIg for stiff person syndrome is exactly why Every Cure exists—to uncover more uses like this and ensure that every patient can benefit from existing medicines. #DrugRepurposing #EveryCure #StiffPersonSyndrome #RareDisease #Pharma #HealthcareInnovation

Testing the effectiveness of a drug on a disease can be quite challenging, especially when the disease's natural history involves many patients improving on their own. For example, in conditions like COVID where the majority of people recover without intervention, it's difficult to determine whether a patient's improvement is due to the medication or just the natural course of the illness. On the other hand, with a disease like Castleman, where no one improves without treatment, it's much easier to attribute a patient's recovery directly to the drug. This contrast highlights the complexities of clinical trials—where sometimes, a drug's true impact might be masked by the body's natural healing process. Determining whether a medication genuinely works requires careful analysis and often, comparing results to placebos, which can sometimes show a surprisingly high rate of recovery on their own. At Every Cure, we aim to navigate these complexities by employing innovative approaches to drug repurposing and clinical trials. Our goal is to identify existing medications that might be effective against diseases with unclear treatment paths. By leveraging artificial intelligence and comprehensive data analysis, we can better predict which drugs have the highest potential to make a difference. This allows us to prioritize clinical trials for drugs that could offer real benefits to patients, even in cases where the disease's natural history makes it challenging to assess a drug's effectiveness. Ultimately, we strive to bring life-saving treatments to patients faster, ensuring no opportunity for healing is overlooked. #DrugRepurposing #EveryCure #RareDisease #Pharma #HealthcareInnovation

The NIH funds groundbreaking research, academia drives it forward, industry steps in to license and commercialize it, and the FDA approves it for the market, But then, paradoxically, progress often stalls. After all that effort to develop a drug, it gets wrapped in protections and incentives that discourage further research and innovation. It’s a frustrating situation, with these life-saving molecules stuck on the 99-yard line, just short of a game-changing breakthrough. At Every Cure, we exist to unlock that potential and push these treatments into the end zone, ensuring they reach the patients who need them most. Our mission is to break down the barriers that prevent existing drugs from being explored for new uses. By leveraging cutting-edge AI and data analysis, we identify overlooked opportunities to repurpose existing drugs for untreated diseases. We work to fill the gaps left by traditional pathways, collaborating with researchers, clinicians, and patient advocacy groups to ensure that every promising treatment is fully explored, validated, and made accessible. #raredisease #pharma #drugdiscovery #drugdevelopment

What saved my life during the initial battle with Castleman Disease was a combination of seven chemotherapies and an experimental drug called siltuximab, the only drug under development for my disease. We believed we had finally discovered the treatment that would lead me to remission and allow me to return to medical school. But then I relapsed. While this treatment saved my life initially, it didn't provide a permanent solution. The picture that I showed in the video is from the day I received my first set of bloodwork confirming my relapse. You can see how emotional I was. Part of the emotion came from my doctor’s explanation that I was not only relapsing but also potentially facing death within the next few weeks. On top of that, Grant W Mitchell, MD, MBA had driven six hours to see me that day, accompanied by his wife, Kate. In this photo, you can see a mix of tears—tears of joy, tears of sadness—all in one moment. It's moments like these that remind me of the profound highs and lows of this journey. Grant, Tracey Sikora and I co-founded Every Cure with the mission to ensure that no one is ever told, "We've tried everything," when a lifesaving cure might be sitting on the pharmacy shelf. #HopeInMedicine #DrugRepurposing #EveryCure #MedicalInnovation #PatientAdvocacy

I've had the privilege of working closely with Sally Nijim for the past year, where she's served as the 2024 CDCN and PennMed Biomedical Leadership Fellow and Chief of Staff to me. Sally's dedication, brilliance, and work ethic have been truly remarkable, making her one of the most impressive medical students I've ever worked with. After taking a year out from her MD at Penn to work with me, Sally is now pursuing her MBA at Wharton. Recently, she received two prestigious awards that highlight her exceptional contributions to medical research that I wanted to share. Sally won the Best Research Presentation award at The BRAIN Foundation Annual Meeting for her important work on TCF7L2-related neurodevelopmental disorder (TRND), a newly described rare disease in need of solutions. Additionally, she was selected by the American Society of Hematology for the 2024 HONORS Award in recognition of her significant work on Castleman disease. Beyond these achievements, Sally has led several projects and been a valuable member of teams at Every Cure, CDCN, and my Center at Penn. I look forward to our continued collaboration as she completes her MD/MBA at Penn & Wharton and can't wait to follow her future accomplishments. For those interested in joining our teams, we are currently considering applications for: - Biomedical Leadership Fellow (current MD students taking a year off): https://lnkd.in/eJiADT3g - Postdoctoral Fellow in my Center at Penn: https://shorturl.at/xgES3 - Every Cure Research Fellow (MD, PharmD, or PhD + 3-5 years experience): https://lnkd.in/eHDfKVtR And I’ll soon be opening a Chief of Staff / Associate Director-type role who will be my right-hand person across all three organizations. If you’re interested in learning more, email me at davidfa@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

We’re excited to announce that Every Cure Co-Founder and President, David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc has been selected by the National Academy of Medicine as one of ten Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Scholars in 2024! https://lnkd.in/eGqiMKmw

Imagine passing by a pharmacy filled with rows of medications while individuals outside are facing challenges with diseases that lack effective treatments. It serves as a poignant reminder that cures for many conditions may already exist but remain unexplored on those shelves. Traditionally, the approach to finding treatments has either involved starting with a specific disease to identify potential therapies or beginning with a drug to seek new applications, which often leads to focusing on a single asset and its potential uses. At Every Cure, we are adopting a different perspective. Our strategy is agnostic to both disease and drug. Rather than narrowing our focus, we explore the entire landscape of possible connections between all known drugs and diseases. By mapping human biology, we can uncover the intricate interactions among drug targets, proteins, genes, cell types, pathways, and phenotypes, allowing us to identify connections that traditional research methods may overlook. By harmonizing diverse biomedical datasets, we leverage this comprehensive view to uncover hidden opportunities that can better serve patients. Our mission goes beyond simply finding cures; it’s about transforming our approach to drug repurposing in a way that truly makes a difference. #drugdevelopment #pharma #raredisease #drugrepurposing