The Elixir Factor

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep3: Brain Health & The Be Brain Powerful™ Campaign May 07, 2020

Show notes

Brain health is one of the most urgent issues for our healthcare system, our economy, and our country. Evidence is strong that people can reduce their risk of cognitive decline by making conscious lifestyle changes like regular physical activity and participating in social engagements. Joe talks to Brooks Kenny, Executive Director of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s, about the factors that inspired the launch of The Be Brain Powerful® Campaign and its goals to change the path for both women and brain health. Joe also talks to Vera Maljkovic, Principal Researcher & Clinical Psychologist in Cognition and Behavior, and Jen Zimmer, Sr. Medical Advisor in Alzheimer’s Research, from Lilly about how we measure the health of our brains, the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on the brain, and what it can mean for cognitive decline.

S2 Ep2: Skin Related Diseases Are More Than Skin Deep Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

What is the body’s largest organ, coming in a variety of colors and weighing in at about 6 pounds? The skin. It’s one of the most familiar aspects of our bodies and our health. Skin related diseases are more than skin deep and can have devastating effects on people’s lives. There are an estimated 10 million patients in the U.S. with moderate-to-severe-atopic dermatitis.
Joe talks with two of our own Lilly scientists, Dr. Lotus Mallbris and Alison Budelsky, about the unmet needs for patients with immunological conditions. Hear what factors influence dermatology and immunology research and why diversity of thought is critical in this space. Joe also talks to Julie Maxwell about the impact atopic dermatitis has had on her life.

S2 Ep1: The Innovative Challenge Feb 28, 2020

Show notes

It takes optimism, mental discipline, and collaboration to deliver life changing innovation to patients. External collaboration is key to driving new solutions in the world of digital health, which ultimately helps scientist and researchers uncover new way to measure and understand specific diseases or illnesses. The best solutions come from those who truly understand the patient experience or the “problem.” Joe talks to Yan Fossat, Principal Investigator of the digital health research lab at Klick Health and one of the winners of Lilly’s first Innovative Challenge, “Transforming IBD Care: Better disease monitoring, management, and care for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” Hear what factors inspired Yan and Dr. Michael Docktor to design Healthvoyager, a pediatric virtual reality app for patients suffering from IBD - a devastating illness reported to affect approximately 3 million people in the US alone. Joe also talks to Lilly’s Advisor of Digital Device Innovation, Jim Parshall, about Lilly’s approach to external innovation, and what it took to get an innovative challenge off the ground.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that Lilly does not own Healthvoyager, the pediatric virtual reality app for patients suffering from IBD.

S1 Ep11: The Promise of Genetic Innovation & Cracking the Code of ALS Dec 16, 2019

Show notes

There is great hope in the idea that a better understanding of gene mutations, RNA, and RNAi could lead to possible treatments and cures for some of the most difficult diseases, such as ALS. However, the path to finding a cure requires collaboration across academia, government, non-profits, the pharmaceutical industry and ongoing investments in innovation. No one understands this concept better than patient advocates. On our final episode of 2019, Joe talks to powerhouse couple, Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya, about I AM ALS. Hear what factors inspired them build I AM ALS, a patient-centric movement, that is raising both awareness and funds for ongoing ALS research. Joe also talks to Lilly scientist, Andrew Adams about the process of RNA/RNAi interference and the development of therapies to correct the consequences of gene mutations. To learn more go to https://iamals.org/

S1 Ep10: CoDESIGN Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

Clinical trials are essential to the development and testing of new therapies. Developing a clinical trial is an incredibly challenging process which usually involves lots of different perspectives. The only way to build simpler, more convenient, and patient friendly trials is to include the real-life experiences of patients and research sites. On this episode, Joe talks to one of our own Lilly experts, Megan Laker, about the patient experience and design innovation hub. Hear what factors inspired Megan to create CoDESIGN. Joe also talks to patient advocate, Shane Lee, about his experience in the CoDESIGN simulation as a patient living with lupus.

S1 Ep9: A Fresh Chapter Sep 27, 2019

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Our purpose here at Lilly is to unite caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. It is often the personal stories and our own experiences that ultimately inspire bold advances in science and innovation. The path to recovery from some of the most difficult diseases, such as cancer, needs to include more than the right medicine or treatment. On this episode, Joe talks to Terri Wingham the founder and CEO of A Fresh Chapter. Hear what factors encouraged her to start the non-profit organization that facilitates life changing volunteer and leadership experiences to empower people who have been impacted cancer. Joe also talks to one of our own Lilly scientists, Scott Hynes, and patient advocate Linnea Olson, about their participation in the Peru Odyssey program.

S1 Ep8: Closing the Loop Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

Diabetes is a disease that requires management 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People living with diabetes must calculate complex mental math when deciding how much insulin to dose, while also taking into consideration the effects of their exercise, food intake, and even stress levels. Digital technology is changing healthcare, which brings with it the hope of new solutions such as wearables, apps, and mobile devices. On this episode, Joe talks to patient advocate and founder of #openAPS, Dana Lewis. Hear what factors motivated her to seek out digital tools to manager her T1 diabetes and ultimately create an automated DIY closed loop system. Joe also talks to Marie Schiller who is leading the R&D efforts in global product development for Lilly’s Connected Care and Insulins about the key to finding new and better solutions for diabetes care.

S1 Ep7: Hoping for Something Better: Real World Evidence Part 2 Aug 01, 2019

Show notes

Real world evidence is a powerful tool that can be used to provide insights on diseases, medicines, patient populations, and healthcare practices. RWE also plays a very important role in drug discovery and is used by the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry. A key strategic priority of the FDA is to leverage real world evidence in order to improve regulatory decisions. On this episode, Joe talks to Brande Yaist, Sr. Director of Global Patient Outcomes and RWE at Lilly about why getting it right is so important. Joe also talks to Dr. Adrian Hernandez, vice dean of clinical research at Duke University about an exciting new project with Google called Project Baseline and why he is hopeful that the collection of RWE in this new digital era will allow us to be more forward thinking about future health problems.

S1 Ep6: Hoping for Something Better: Real World Evidence Part 1 Aug 01, 2019

Show notes

At the root of most research is data. When data has been collected and analyzed in a meaningful and accurate way, it is used as evidence. Real World Evidence, simply defined, is health information collected outside of a randomized clinical trial. On this episode, Joe talks to patient advocate and mother of five, Erin Moore. When Erin’s son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, she considered it her job to learn all that she could about it in order to offer a more personalized approach to treating him and giving him the best chance at a good health outcome. Hear what factors motivated her to start collecting “real world evidence” and continue to collect it for almost 10 years. Her resilience is inspiring.

S1 Ep5: The Complexity of Pain Episode Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

Pain is a uniquely complex problem. As many of us know, pain does not discriminate. It’s personal. It’s subjective and it affects everyone differently. Pain is also an incredibly challenging area to research because of how subjective it can be. Investigational programs for innovative pain treatments have one of the highest clinical trial failure rates of any major disease state. New advances in digital health may offer scientists the ability to gain more insight on the course of pain. On this episode, Joe talks to health policy advocate and entrepreneur, Seth Ginsberg. Hear what factors led him to co-found CreakyJoints, the first online patient community for people suffering from arthritis. Joe also talks to one our of own Lilly scientists, Dr. Mark Mintun, about why pain has proven to be such a challenging area to research.

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