EP 173: Tackling genetic cardiomyopathy from the bed to the bench with Eric Adler of Lexeo Therapeutics and UCSD

Summary:  This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Eric Adler, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research at Lexeo Therapeutics and Professor of Medicine at University of California San Diego. Eric shares his experience with genetic cardiomyopathy and his work on gene therapy for Danon disease, drawing from both clinical and research perspectives. Additionally, he explores the evolution of the field and the broader challenges faced by cardiovascular patients. Show Notes:  0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast 01:00 Welcome to Eric and his efforts in cardiomyopathy at the bench and bedside 03:32 How modeling genetic diseases using pluripotent stem cells lead Eric to studying Danon disease  04:50 Pivoting from basic to translational research using adeno-associated viruses (AAV)-based gene therapy 07:58 Uncovering genetic cardiomyopathies that were misdiagnosed as idiopathic cardiomyopathy 09:55 Treatment, screening, and penetrance of Danon disease 12:30 Recent successes and remaining challenges in cardiovascular disease 19:47 Battling distrust in the medical profession 21:55 Preventative therapy using APOE2 for patients at risk of early Alzheimer’s   25:15 Motivations behind and advantages of Eric’s patient-centered approach to therapeutics 27:24 Balancing regulatory requirements for protocols versus patient needs 29:49 The importance of committed clinical partners for successful trial execution 36:08 Eric’s passion for cooking and how he won a cooking competition 39:02 Closing remarks and Lexeo Therapeutics’ aims for 2025 Find out more Lexeo Therapeutics (https://www.lexeotx.com/) Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link