🕗The Final Four of Pharmaceuticals: Basketball Championships Can Teach Us About Drug Development Ep. 284

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On this Monday Morning Minute, Dr. Michael Koren draws parallels between the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament and the clinical research process. He explains that in medicine, researchers start with literally 10,000 potential molecules, which get whittled down to only three or four medications to be tested in big, phase III clinical trials. This ensures that only the most promising medical technologies get approved, just like the most promising teams get to the National Championships.

Be a part of advancing science by participating in clinical research.

Have a question for Dr. Koren? Email him at [e-mail]

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Music: Storyblocks - Corporate Inspired

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Episode Transcript

Announcer (00:00):
Welcome to the MedEvidence! Monday Minute radio
show hosted by Kevin Gettingsof WSOS St Augustine Radio and
powered by Encore Research Group.
Each Monday morning, Dr.
Michael Koren calls in to bringyou the latest medical updates
with insightful discussions.
Medevidence is where we helpyou navigate the real truth
behind medical research, withboth a clinical and research

(00:20):
perspective.
So sit back, relax and getready to learn about the truth
behind the data in medicine andhealthcare.
This is MedEvidence!

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (00:30):
So Dr.
Michael Koren wanted to talkabout the big dance of course,
the Final Four and the NationalBasketball Championship for the
NCAA this evening, right, Dr.
Koren?

Dr. Michael Koren (00:41):
Yeah, it's a big, big day, particularly for
Gator fans.
I have a lot of them in my lifeand they're super excited.

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (00:48):
Yeah, no, this is very exciting.
We haven't had this since theBilly Donovan era, and so very
exciting.
Gator basketball, of course.
Florida versus Houston tonighton a national stage, and it's a
big, big, big game.
Right, I mean, we go throughthis whole process of March
Madness, which ironically endsin April, but it all comes down
to this, right?

Dr. Michael Koren (01:09):
It does and it kind of reminds me of my
industry a little bit.
Kevin because in my industry youstart out the beginning of the
season with thousands of ideasin different molecules that will
solve a problem, whether it'scholesterol problems or
arthritis or obesity, whateverthe case may be and then you go
through this process of firstdoing preclinical studies and

(01:32):
you eliminate a lot of peoplethat way, or a lot of molecules
that way, and then you go to thenext stages and then ultimately
get to these big phase threestudies, which is kind of like
the final four, and we like tolet patients know they can be
part of the big dance byparticipating in the final four.
You know that the people thatare at that late stage, or the,
I should say, the molecularentities at that late stage, are

(01:55):
the best and the brightest andthe most likely to succeed and
we determine who is the champion, who ultimately gets to the
market.
So, it's kind of a cool conceptwhen you think about it.

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (02:05):
Yeah, I think back to my participating
in some studies with ENCOREResearch Group and you can
participate in a stage one trialright, which would be the.
I guess that would be the firstround, or maybe even the
play-in round on Tuesday nightsor something, but then over time
right, you can be there at thevery end when the drug might
actually get approved over thenear term.

Dr. Michael Koren (02:27):
Exactly, and again, once a medicine or it
doesn't have to be a drug, bythe way, it could be a device or
any medical technology.
But once you get to that laterphase, we have more
opportunities for people,because the later phases
actually have more slots forparticipants and you have a
pretty good assurance that it'salready been scrutinized.
So you get to crown thechampion and the risks are

(02:50):
actually pretty limited, andwe're constantly doing things to
reduce the risks along the way.

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (02:55):
Yeah, because if you participate in a
stage two or stage three trialobviously even a layman like
myself would know that meanssomebody has already completed
stage one, correct?

Dr. Michael Koren (03:05):
Correct and, of course, even before stage one
, there's an incredible amountof work done for safety in
animal models and test tubemodels and using artificial
intelligence these days.
So again, literally, we startout with 10,000 candidate
molecules and before we eventouch a human being, you
eliminate over 9,000 of them.
And then you quickly eliminatemore.
So in the late stages, we'retruly looking at the final four.

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (03:30):
Well, there's some great opportunities
right here locally in NortheastFlorida and here in St.
Augustine and St.
Johns County to participate inleading edge medical research
clinical trials that could tiespecifically to an issue that
you are struggling with.
There's so many of them thatwe're not going to name all of
them, although I'll ask Dr.
Koren maybe to just kind ofhighlight one study that you're
currently recruiting for, justto kind of plant a bug in our

(03:52):
listeners' ears.

Dr. Michael Koren (03:54):
We're doing a lot of work in heart failure
right now, so if people havebeen diagnosed with heart
failure, give us a call.
There may be something we canhelp you with.
Of course, we do a lot incholesterol, lipoprotein(a),
obesity, fatty liver disease, onand on and on.
Just check out the website.
You can see all the differentthings that are working in it.

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (04:12):
Yeah, go to EncoreDocs.
com.
Encoredocs.
com to get a complete listingand also to connect with them.
Talk with somebody face-to-faceor by phone at least to learn
what opportunities are out there.
You can do that easily at904-730-0166.
That number ENCORE ResearchGroup right here in St.
John's County in NortheastFlorida, 904-730-0166.

(04:36):
And before we let you go, areally good resource for good
information about your healthstatus and about just health
issues and research isMedEvidence.
com, Right doctor?

Dr. Michael Koren (04:47):
It is.
Yeah, I'm actually superexcited about it because we're
getting more and more tractioneach day.
But it's a completely differentway to consume medical
information.
It's a way where two physicianstypically but it doesn't have
to be two physicians necessarilyare discussing an issue and you
glean insights through thediscussion.
So no one's telling you, oh,this is the greatest thing in

(05:07):
the world or this is the worstthing in the world, which is
what you get on the internet.
We're telling you about all theintricacies of any particular
medical area and how you can usethat knowledge to help yourself
and your family.
So check it out, I think you'lllike it.

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (05:21):
Yeah, absolutely.
Once again, that's MedEvidence.
com.
The truth behind the data isjust a great resource data
available in various formats andvery intuitive MedEvidence.
com.
Well, Dr.
Koren, before I let you go,prediction who's going to win
the big basketball game tonight.

Dr. Michael Koren (05:38):
The best team will win, Kevin.
It's always the case.

Kevin Geddings, WSOS (05:41):
All right, thanks, doc, we appreciate you.

Dr. Michael Koren (05:44):
You bet All right Take care.

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