Dr. David Fagenbound, co-founder of the nonprofit Every Cure, uses AI-driven drug repurposing to find new treatments for rare diseases by identifying existing medications that target shared biological mechanisms across different conditions. His personal battle with Castleman disease inspired this innovative approach, which aims to overcome financial barriers in rare disease treatment and save countless lives through scalable, machine learning-powered drug discovery.
The video features Dr. David Fagenbound, President and co-founder of the nonprofit Every Cure, who shares his personal journey of battling a rare disease called Castleman disease. Diagnosed during his third year of medical school and given last rites, Dr. Fagenbound refused to accept the grim prognosis. Instead, he took matters into his own hands by experimenting with his own blood samples and successfully repurposed an existing drug, originally intended for another condition, to save his life. His story highlights the potential of drug repurposing—finding new uses for existing medications—to treat rare diseases that often lack FDA-approved treatments.
Every Cure is leveraging artificial intelligence to scale this approach, searching for new opportunities to repurpose drugs for various diseases. Dr. Fagenbound explains that many diseases, although seemingly different, share underlying biological mechanisms, allowing a single drug to be effective against multiple conditions. This concept is exemplified by drugs like Viagra, initially developed for chest pain but now widely used for erectile dysfunction, and other medications repurposed for conditions ranging from hair loss to blood cancer.
The nonprofit’s AI-driven method is likened to Netflix’s recommendation system, which predicts movies a user might like based on their viewing history. Similarly, Every Cure uses machine learning algorithms to predict which existing drugs might be effective for diseases they were not originally designed to treat. This innovative approach aims to uncover treatments for the thousands of rare diseases that currently have no approved therapies, potentially saving countless lives.
Dr. Fagenbound also discusses the challenges in drug repurposing, particularly the lack of financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies to pursue treatments for rare or less profitable diseases. Since many approved drugs are generic, companies often focus on the most commercially viable options, leaving many potential treatments unexplored. Every Cure fills this gap by focusing on nonprofitable opportunities, supported in part by federal funding from organizations like ARPA-H, to ensure that promising drug repurposing opportunities are pursued for the benefit of patients.
Throughout the interview, Dr. Fagenbound’s resilience and determination shine through. Despite nearly dying five times, his commitment to finding a cure not only saved his life but also inspired the creation of Every Cure. His work exemplifies how hope, combined with scientific innovation and AI technology, can transform the landscape of rare disease treatment. The video encourages viewers to watch his TED talk, which further details his remarkable story and the groundbreaking work of Every Cure.