The Past, Present and Future of RNAi Therapies: Kevin Fitzgerald on The Long Run

Today’s guest on The Long Run is Kevin Fitzgerald.

Kevin is the chief scientific officer of Cambridge, Mass.-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. He joined the company way back in 2005, when it was aspiring to create a new class of RNA interference medicines. These are sometimes referred to as “gene silencing” drugs. They are designed to shut down the production of disease-related proteins.

Kevin Fitzgerald, chief scientific officer, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

Kevin has been through a roller coaster ride of events, as it worked through years of challenges on how to effectively deliver these promising molecules into cells. Alnylam now has four FDA approved medicines for rare diseases based on this technology. A fifth drug from Alnylam’s platform, inclisiran, is now marketed by Novartis as Leqvio for lowering LDL cholesterol, and reducing people’s risk of cardiovascular disease.

In this episode, we talk about how Kevin found his way into science and ultimately, on the front wave of a revolution in RNA-targeted medicines. He’s stayed around 20 years, he says, in large part because the technology keeps improving and opening up new possibilities to treat patients with both rare and common diseases. He also discussed why patients might choose RNA medicines when given a variety of other options with gene editing and gene therapy.

Please join me and Kevin Fitzgerald on The Long Run.