In this special episode (#34) of BioTalk Unzipped, recorded live at the AAPS NBC conference in Boston, Gregory Austin and Dr. Chad Briscoe sit down with AAPS President Dr. Russ Weiner for an unfiltered look inside AAPS NBC, at the state of rare disease research, the evolution of therapeutic modalities, and the human stories that drive scientific innovation.

From navigating the emotional weight of personal loss to watching his son experience the field firsthand, Russ shares not only his scientific insights but the heart behind his leadership. The conversation spans topics like the rising promise of AI diagnostics, challenges with biomarker sampling logistics, the role of CROs in rare disease trials, and the future of autologous vs. allogeneic therapies.

Dr. Weiner also offers an inspiring vision of industry collaboration, sharing how organizations like AAPS are becoming conduits for progress across low- and middle-income countries, underrepresented diseases, and emerging biotechnologies. Whether you're in the lab, the boardroom, or on the frontlines of clinical trials, this episode will reignite your sense of purpose in this field.

00:00 Preview & Intro

01:22 What is conference life like as AAPS President

02:27 Mentoring & Fatherhood at AAPS

03:54 Setting up the Meeting Season for AAPS

05:43 Life back in the Rare Disease Space - a Passion

10:58 The different costs of pharmaceutical & biotech research

12:59 The generosity of Rare Disease Patients

14:41 Dr. Chad Briscoe asks Russ what can we do to help advance Rare Disease efforts

19:57 Rare Disease conversations happening at AAPS and global reach

22:37 Broad use of new technologies, including Olink

24:10 Biggest change expected in Pharma in 10 years

Dr. Russ Weiner

https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellweiner/ 

AAPS - https://www.aaps.org/home 

Dr. Chad Briscoe

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadbriscoe/ 

Celerion - https://www.celerion.com/  

Gregory Austin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryaustin1/ 

Celerion - https://www.celerion.com/  

Takeaways:

• Treating rare diseases early is not only life-saving—it’s economically sound. Gene and cell therapies may carry high price tags, but they dramatically reduce long-term costs.
• The diagnostic delay for rare diseases—often 4 to 7 years—remains one of the biggest barriers to treatment. AI-powered diagnostics and data integration could change that.
• Dr. Russ Weiner shares how personal loss fueled his career in science and how mentoring the next generation, including his son, brings it full circle.
• The shift toward allogeneic cell therapies and in vivo CAR-T treatments will be key to driving down costs and increasing global accessibility.
• CROs must evolve: future-ready organizations will localize biomarker analysis and forge relationships with rare disease investigators to improve site performance.
• Technologies like Olink are revolutionizing biomarker discovery, enabling cost-effective, high-resolution multiplexing that was previously out of reach.
• Spatial imaging, AI pathology, and facial-recognition-based diagnosis are the next wave of precision medicine.

Quotes

“Treating rare disease isn’t just compassionate—it’s a smart investment. Do the math, and curing someone can be far cheaper than managing chronic care for a lifetime.”

“You can’t say it’s not in your backyard when that backyard becomes yours the moment you're on the same plane.”

(on global health and infectious disease risk)

“Some of the most generous people in clinical research are rare disease patients. They fight so no one else has to.”

“It took me six months to even scratch the surface of this portfolio—rare disease isn’t just rare, it’s overwhelmingly complex.”