Readings

Question 1

How was semaglutide used for a heart failure study?

Answer 1

529 patients, reduction in symptoms of heart failure, able to walk further

Question 2

What are clinicians being advised to do with GLP-1 agonists?

Answer 2

not to prescribe appetite suppressants and patients may need to switch to alternative glucose-lowering therapies (insulin) but may not be as beneficial

Question 3

Why is there a global shortage of GLP-1 agonists?

Answer 3

off-label prescription for weight loss, supply is not expected to return to normal until 2024

Question 4

How is the GLP-1 agonist shortage being fixed?

Answer 4

increased production by running its sites 24 hours a day

Question 5

What has been discovered for Jobs Syndorm since first in human?

Answer 5

• 3 more transplants
• plans for more in the future
• found clues into the reason for poor wound healing
• found formation of new blood vessels is impaired

Question 6

What has been discovered for Melanoma since First in Human?

Answer 6

• still an active area of investigation
• writing more about melanoma

Question 7

What has been discovered for Leukemia since First in Human?

Answer 7

• new CAR T-cell trial

Question 8

What has been discovered for sickle cell since First in Human?

Answer 8

• extended the transplant approach from matched donors to half-matched donors
• moved on to gene therapy using the patient’s own cells instead of the donor

Question 9

What is CRISPR?

Answer 9

allows you to change DNA in any way

Question 10

What is CRISPR-Cas9

Answer 10

like a word process for our genome, you can move it from letter to letter in the DNA

Question 11

What did Dr. Alyson Kelvin do?

Answer 11

worked in Saskatchewan for VIDO-Intervac
- started developing a vaccine, while testing on ferrets

Question 12

What did Professor Ugur and Dr. Ozlem do?

Answer 12

• worked for BioNTech to develop the RNA vaccine
• the project was too big to do alone so they pitched the idea to Pfizer
• ended up being 90% effective

Question 13

What did Dr. Xefeng do?

Answer 13

• worked for CanSino
• developed adenovirus vaccine
• eventually got approved

Question 14

Who is Larry Meikle?

Answer 14

• suffered from clinical depression
• no medication was working
• enrolled in CAMH genetic testing
• now doing better

Question 15

How does one qualify for ketamine?

Answer 15

two prior antidepressants didn’t work

Question 16

What else is used with ketamine?

Answer 16

• other therapies to work with patients to develop new ways of adapting
• needed to help make sense of what the change in reduced depression means

Question 17

How does ketamine work?

Answer 17

there is a regrowth in the interconnectedness and number of synapses to connect

Question 18

What is “Molly”?

Answer 18

virtual health assistant that can check in with patients every morning or more than once a day

Question 19

What does Molly do?

Answer 19

she can collect info and relay it back to the clinician

Question 20

What is “Tara”?

Answer 20

• service from Belong.Life, which has a chatbot that matches patients to clinical trials

Question 21

What is “Dave”?

Answer 21

the world’s first AI oncology mentor