EP 168: A world-first in RNA medicines with Erik Ingelsson, Chief Scientific Officer at Wave Life Sciences
January 2, 2025
Happy New Year! In our first episode of 2025, Patrick is joined by Erik Ingelsson, Chief Scientific Officer at Wave Life Sciences. Erik is also the formerr Senior Vice President of Target Discovery at GlaxoSmithKline and a former Professor at Stanford and Uppsala universities. Patrick and Erik discuss Wave’s world-first discovery in RNA editing therapies for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD), Erik’s far-reaching career across academia, big pharma and biotech, and how to be a present parent in the thick of a thriving career.
0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast
01:00 Welcome to Erik
02:05 Key differences between DNA and RNA editing
05:25 Wave’s recent world-first finding in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
08:17 Dosage regularity and delivery process for edited RNA therapies
14:08 Next steps for Wave’s new discovery, including potential applications in other conditions
17:41 Using genetic targets to inform areas of focus and RNA treatment development
24:04 The GLP1 mechanism in human genetics and its role in obesity
25:43 Erik’s transition from big pharma to biotech and the resulting changes in his approach to treatment development
31:02 What has driven Erik to explore and experience a wide range of roles throughout his career
34:29 The importance of balancing fatherhood with a thriving career, and how Erik works to do so successfully
38:35 Closing remarks
Find out more
Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform!