Gene Therapy for Inherited Retinal Diseases – Life Sciences Today Podcast Episode 13

We’re excited to be back for another episode of the Life Sciences Today Podcast by Healthcare IT Today. My guest today is Dr. George Magrath, CEO at Opus Genetics, practicing ophthalmologist, and someone who’s quite literally restoring sight to the blind. Under George’s leadership, Opus is developing gene therapies for ultra-rare inherited retinal diseases, including one that recently gave a 39-year-old man the ability to see for the first time in his life. They’re also pioneering the use of AI to predict clinical outcomes and accelerate trial design.

Check out the main topics of discussion for this episode of the Life Sciences Today podcast:

• What made you take the leap from the clinic to launching Opus Genetics—and why now, for rare inherited retinal diseases?
• You’re midway through a Phase 1/2 trial for LCA5 with big implications for patients who’ve never had treatment options. What are you hoping the data unlocks, and where do you go from here?
• What does AI make possible in rare disease trials that wasn’t possible before?
• How do you build a viable business model around ultra-rare diseases like LCA5 — where the science is powerful but the patient population is small?
• What are the 3 things you’re most determined to achieve in the next 12–24 months — scientifically or operationally?
• If we stripped away the biggest barrier in your path, what would become possible that isn’t possible today?

Now, without further ado, we’re excited to share with you the next episode of the Life Sciences Today podcast.

Be sure to subscribe to the Life Sciences Today on your favorite podcasting platform:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• iHeartRadio
• Amazon Music
• Pandora
• YouTube

Along with the popular podcasting platforms above, you can Subscribe to Healthcare IT Today on YouTube.  Plus, all of the audio and video versions will be made available to stream on Healthcare IT Today.

If you work in Life Sciences IT, we’d love to hear where you agree and/or disagree with our takes on health IT innovation in life sciences. Feel free to share your thoughts and perspectives in the comments of this post, in the YouTube comments, or privately on our Contact Us page. Let us know what you think of the podcast and if you have any ideas for future episodes.

Thanks so much for listening!