Narrator:
0:00
Welcome to the MedEvidence Monday Minute radio show hosted by Kevin Gettings of WSOS St. Augustine Radio and powered by ENCORE Research Group. Each Monday morning, Dr. Michael Koren calls in to bring you the latest medical updates with insightful discussions. MedEvidence is where we help you navigate the real truth behind medical research, with both a clinical and research perspective. So sit back, relax and get ready to learn about the truth behind the data in medicine and healthcare. This is MedEvidence.
Kevin Geddings:
0:30
Dr. Michael Koren is with us, a medical doctor, research scientist, he also heads up ENCORE Research Group. They do leading-edge clinical research. Today we find him in Atlanta where there's a very important conference going on right?
Dr. Michael Koren:
0:43
I am. I am currently at the American College of Cardiology meeting. Every year, there is a major international meeting hosted by the American College of Cardiology with probably 10,000 to 15,000 medical professionals, and we share information about different studies, and one of the exciting things for me is that all this work that we do in Northeast Florida gets translated to the rest of the world at meetings like this. So on Saturday, I gave a major presentation on one of the studies that was conceived in Northeast Florida which was conducted at 45 sites around the US. Which got a huge ovation becasue it was breaking news in terms of the fact that using a structured approach for treating high cholesterol in patients with heart disease works much better than our current standard of usual care.
Kevin Geddings:
1:36
So what might a patient experience today that is going to be changed by a result of what you were talking about last week or over the weekend?
Dr. Michael Koren:
1:46
We have guidelines to direct how clinicians, particularly cardiologists, treat their patients when they have a history of heart disease and they have high cholesterol. So the target LDL cholesterol for patients is either 55 milligrams per deciliter or 70 milligrams per deciliter, depending upon the risk of the patient. But unfortunately most patients don't get to those levels and there's a number of reasons for that.
Dr. Michael Koren:
2:11
So the study that I presented looked at a clinical trial that took two approaches to get to that number either the current usual standard or structured approach, where we use a new drug called Leqvio or Inclisarin, which is a highly effective drug that is sort of like a vaccine almost. It's not really a vaccine, but it does have vaccine-like properties in that you only have to use it twice a year, so you get two injections a year and it deals with your cholesterol very effectively, with more than 50% lowering. In fact, in the study results that I presented, there was a 53 percentage point difference between using this new approach compared to the old approach. So people were pretty excited about that.
Kevin Geddings:
2:52
Yeah, that is exciting. Any other buzz coming out of the conference? So many people, of course, either are dealing with heart health issues or we have loved ones who are.
Dr. Michael Koren:
3:02
Yeah, it's interesting. There was all this discussion and concerns about COVID vaccines and changing your genes and how that might be a concern. Well, of course, the RNA vaccines do not change your genes. We've reassured people about that over and over again. They don't have any capability of, because RNA vaccines work in the cytoplasm of cells, not in the nucleus. But the fact is that there is other technology that does sort of change your genes, and so I was just having a conversation with a company called CRISPR, which has a new product on the market which actually changes the genes of people with sickle cell anemia and functionally cures the disease. Wow, so we're now having discussions about how this might help people, for example, with severe cholesterol problems or other problems that are related to things that can be genetically modified. So the technology is interesting. It's not for everybody, but it's a distinction between RNA technology that does not change your genes and the fact that some people have genetic conditions where the genes need to be changed.
Kevin Geddings:
4:06
Once again, if you're just joining us, that's the voice of Dr. Michael Koren. He is live from Atlanta this morning where he has a very important heart health conference. It would strike me too, doc, that you know people should participate in some of the clinical research here. If they do so here in St Augustine or Northeast Florida through ENCORE Research Center, their efforts, their participation, that's what results in what you're doing in Atlanta, right?
Dr. Michael Koren:
4:35
Absolutely true, in fact just to give some people some positive feedback. For those of you who have been in clinical trials, people throughout the world are so appreciative, so when I present these data, the enthusiasm in the room is palpable and people are so thankful that we have patients that will participate in these trials, and it creates a legacy for all the people that have in fact, helped us find these important findings. That get to the truth behind the data.
Kevin Geddings:
4:58
Yeah, yeah. It really is an opportunity for you to contribute to the advancement of medicine throughout the entire world and, of course, for you, you know, individually, if some way I guess selfishly improve your own health status while potentially also getting compensated for that as well. That's what's being offered when you engage in clinical research, participating in a clinical trial, and you can do that by learning more going to ENCOREd ocs. com. So are all the snacks there pretty much heart-healthy, doc?
Dr. Michael Koren:
5:28
We usually practice what we preach, but not always.
Kevin Geddings:
5:33
Well, we appreciate you calling in from the conference and safe travels back home, okay.
Dr. Michael Koren:
5:38
Thank you, kevin, have a great day.
Narrator:
5:40
Thanks for joining the MedEvidence Podcast. To learn more, head over to MedEvidence. com or subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
