Surfing the MASH Tsunami

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This week, SurfingNASH offers an episode comprising two seperate interviews which focus on stories around career trajectories, transitions and entrepreneurship. Host Roger Green talks with Rachel Zayas (AGED Diagnostics) and Michelle Long (Novo Nordisk) about their unique stories and creating new opportunities amidst a field with broadening but sometimes opaque horizons. These discussions will be very informative for those who may be wondering about what's on the other side, whether it be commercial medicine or academia. Surf on to learn more as Rachel and Michelle expand on bridging these gaps, managing challenges and their excitement for new ways forward.

In this final section of our interview with Michelle, we focus on the advice that Michelle would give a person in academia who wants to consider a corporate career and, conversely, what she now looks for in a corporate candidate coming from academia. Finally, Michelle discusses how she expects to spend the bulk of her research and conference time over the next year.

If you have questions or comments around these interviews or any of the topics discussed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Surf On!

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This week, SurfingNASH offers an episode comprising two seperate interviews which focus on stories around career trajectories, transitions and entrepreneurship. Host Roger Green talks with Rachel Zayas (AGED Diagnostics) and Michelle Long (Novo Nordisk) about their unique stories and creating new opportunities amidst a field with broadening but sometimes opaque horizons. These discussions will be very informative for those who may be wondering about what's on the other side, whether it be commercial medicine or academia. Surf on to learn more as Rachel and Michelle expand on bridging these gaps, managing challenges and their excitement for new ways forward.

This conversation with Michelle shifts focus to why she considers herself to have been naïve about commercial life. She then talks about the traits and characteristics that make an individual a good candidate to succeed and enjoy being in industry, and alternatively, the characteristics that suggest an individual might not enjoy it so much or perform as well.

If you have questions or comments around these interviews or any of the topics discussed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Surf On!

Send us Fan Mail

This week, SurfingNASH offers an episode comprising two seperate interviews which focus on stories around career trajectories, transitions and entrepreneurship. Host Roger Green talks with Rachel Zayas (AGED Diagnostics) and Michelle Long (Novo Nordisk) about their unique stories and creating new opportunities amidst a field with broadening but sometimes opaque horizons. These discussions will be very informative for those who may be wondering about what's on the other side, whether it be commercial medicine or academia. Surf on to learn more as Rachel and Michelle expand on bridging these gaps, managing challenges and their excitement for new ways forward.

This conversation features the first part of our interview with Novo Nordisk International Medical Vice President, Michelle Long. The discussion focuses on the process by which Michelle came to leave academia and transition to corporate life. Along the way, she covers the importance of mentorship as well as deeply understanding what an individual finds exciting about a career in academia and, more specifically in Michelle’s case, academic research.

If you have questions or comments around these interviews or any of the topics discussed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Surf On!

Send us Fan Mail

This week, SurfingNASH offers an episode comprising two seperate interviews which focus on stories around career trajectories, transitions and entrepreneurship. Host Roger Green talks with Rachel Zayas (AGED Diagnostics) and Michelle Long (Novo Nordisk) about their unique stories and creating new opportunities amidst a field with broadening but sometimes opaque horizons. These discussions will be very informative for those who may be wondering about what's on the other side, whether it be commercial medicine or academia. Surf on to learn more as Rachel and Michelle expand on bridging these gaps, managing challenges and their excitement for new ways forward.

This final part of Roger’s interview with Rachel shifts quickly from a discussion around fundraising to one about intentionality. Rachel shares the journey of how her company began with focus on hepatocellular carcinoma, the listening process that led to a refocus on NASH and NAFLD, and some of the opportunities that have accrued as a result of this switch. The rest of the conversation exemplifies the importance of strategic partnerships by focusing on AGED’s partnership with the US Department of Defense through the Henry Jackson Foundation.

If you have questions or comments around these interviews or any of the topics discussed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Surf On!

Send us Fan Mail

This week, SurfingNASH offers an episode comprising two seperate interviews which focus on stories around career trajectories, transitions and entrepreneurship. Host Roger Green talks with Rachel Zayas (AGED Diagnostics) and Michelle Long (Novo Nordisk) about their unique stories and creating new opportunities amidst a field with broadening but sometimes opaque horizons. These discussions will be very informative for those who may be wondering about what's on the other side, whether it be commercial medicine or academia. Surf on to learn more as Rachel and Michelle expand on bridging these gaps, managing challenges and their excitement for new ways forward.

This conversation with Rachel returns to focus on fundraising and what it takes to win a new venture competition. She expands on the idea that fundraising is a two-way exploration to see whether the investor and investee company can function as partners in the development process. She also goes on to describe how competitions work and what transpired in the recent Pepperdine University School of Business competition that AGED Diagnostics won. Lastly, Rachel shares her thoughts on how and why ventures benefit from doing well in competitions even if there is no prize per se beyond the recognition of winning.

If you have questions or comments around these interviews or any of the topics discussed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Surf On!

Send us Fan Mail

This week, SurfingNASH offers an episode comprising two seperate interviews which focus on stories around career trajectories, transitions and entrepreneurship. Host Roger Green talks with Rachel Zayas (AGED Diagnostics) and Michelle Long (Novo Nordisk) about their unique stories and creating new opportunities amidst a field with broadening but sometimes opaque horizons. These discussions will be very informative for those who may be wondering about what's on the other side, whether it be commercial medicine or academia. Surf on to learn more as Rachel and Michelle expand on bridging these gaps, managing challenges and their excitement for new ways forward.

This first conversation features a section of the interview with Rachel. While we originally planned for the interview to be largely about fundraising and what it takes to win new venture competitions, it didn’t quite turn out that way. After an initial question about fundraising, the two quickly refocus on Rachel’s product development process and the clinical trial work she is doing in preparation for market. Along the way, she describes the thinking behind designing her basic trial specifications and the sequential steps she has taken toward the 2,000 that will be her pivotal effort in obtaining approvals and coming to market.

If you have questions or comments around these interviews or any of the topics discussed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Surf On!

Send us Fan Mail

This week, SurfingNASH offers an episode comprising two seperate interviews which focus on stories around career trajectories, transitions and entrepreneurship. Host Roger Green talks with Rachel Zayas (AGED Diagnostics) and Michelle Long (Novo Nordisk) about their unique stories and creating new opportunities amidst a field with broadening but sometimes opaque horizons. These discussions will be very informative for those who may be wondering about what's on the other side, whether it be commercial medicine or academia. Surf on to learn more as Rachel and Michelle expand on bridging these gaps, managing challenges and their excitement for new ways forward.

If you have questions or comments around these interviews or any of the topics discussed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

Stay Safe and Surf On!

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This episode From the Vault comes from last year's SurfingNASH review of the 2022 NAFLD Summit with Mazen Noureddin, Sven Francque and Hannes Hagström.

The 2022 NAFLD Summit uniquely presented a range of perspectives and insights on fatty liver and metabolic diseases.

Program speakers Mazen Noureddin, Sven Francque and Hannes Hagström join Surfer, Roger Green, on site from Dublin to review their reactions immediately after the conference ended. At the outset of this episode, the group discusses the benefits of participating in a smaller conference more focused on the challenges presented by the field of NAFLD. Mazen likens the NAFLD Summit to NASH-TAG, asserting that these specific conferences advance the field and address deeper layers around the issues that matter most. “You start being provocative.”

Mazen goes on to raise the issue of glycemic control and the impact of glycemic control on NASH drug performance. This bleeds into a brief point about the value of simply stopping fibrosis progression instead of the need to prove regression. He then identifies two sessions he considered particularly valuable: the Saturday morning autopsy of failed Phase 3 trials and therapeutic discussion about drugs at different stages in development. This segues into a discussion of optimism which can derive from the recent Akero and Altimmune results. In terms of Altimmune, Mazen asks whether the drug should go directly from Phase 1b to Phase 3. In general, the group believes that Phases 2a and 2b have value here. The panel agrees that the presentations on three failed Phase 3 trials were richly valuable and that each offered its own clear lessons for researchers.

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The EASL SLD Summit aims at updating a global community of liver stakeholders on the most recent advances in SLD research, both pre-clinically and clinically, focusing on MASLD and tackling the issue of MetALD.

In this episode, Jörn Schattenberg, Louise Campbell and Roger Green review the recently concluded meeting with faculty members Sven Francque and Hannes Hagström in two seperate interviews.

This final conversation starts with Roger’s observation that one reason the energy in this meeting might have been higher is sessions like this one, that was less about sharing answers and more about identifying new topics and raising questions. Jörn segues to a talk he gave on weight loss and bariatric surgery and what it might mean for how we consider and treat MASLD patients. Louise asks whether the audience for this meeting was more diverse than in previous years, specifically mentioning the Society of Obesity. Jörn mentions that the impact of the video stream made the meeting far more accessible than in past years. Hannes notes he would like to hear questions from different specialists and more general physicians and surgeons than in years past. Roger notes that he saw more cardiovascular discussion than in prior years, and also perhaps speakers from more geographic regions. Roger also mentions a session on new techniques and their pitfalls and promises. Jörn notes that the outcomes from this basic science will define the targets for future drug research. The rest of the conversation revolves around the impact of making our focus less liver-specific and more metabolic or multi-organ. In closing, Louise asks what came up that we can use today and Hannes goes back to diagnostic pathways and FIB-4.

Listen to the full episode to gain a richer understanding than can be described in this summary. If you have questions or comments around the Summit or any other themes addressed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

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The EASL SLD Summit aims at updating a global community of liver stakeholders on the most recent advances in SLD research, both pre-clinically and clinically, focusing on MASLD and tackling the issue of MetALD.

In this episode, Jörn Schattenberg, Louise Campbell and Roger Green review the recently concluded meeting with faculty members Sven Francque and Hannes Hagström in two seperate interviews.

This conversation featuring Hannes starts with him discussing a couple of very exciting projects that his lab at the Karolinska Institute is working on now. After which, Roger asks Hannes and Jörn to discuss why the energy in this meeting - especially as the debut SLD Summit - felt more vibrant to them than last year’s NAFLD Summit. Jörn comments that the broader aperture afforded by the new nomenclature led to talks on a wider variety of subjects than in previous years. Hannes notes three new areas of focus: first alcohol, second, problems with biopsy and third, a transition from ordinal variables (or what Hannes describes as the human tendency to categorize everything) to using more of a continuous spectrum to categorize MASH and fibrosis. Jörn notes how important this redefinition of variables is in terms of creating analytical error. The next couple of minutes include a conversation on how to consider MetALD in the context of alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver disease. Jörn then discusses a session at which he spoke on Sunday, a look at new mechanisms of action titled “Beyond the Usual Suspects.”

With that, listen to the full episode to gain a richer understanding than can be described in this summary. If you have questions or comments around the Summit or any other themes addressed in this episode, we kindly ask that you submit reviews wherever you download the discourse. Alternatively, you can write to us directly at [email protected].

From the official EASL SLD Summit website:

The EASL SLD Summit aims at updating a global community of liver stakeholders on the most recent advances in SLD research, both pre-clinically and clinically, focusing on MASLD and tackling the issue of MetALD. You will gain insights in the most key techniques employed in research, clinical trials and clinical practice, with an understanding of their potential as well as limitations. You will learn about the most recent advances in our understanding of the disease, including the role of sexual dimorphism, circadian clock or vascular mechanisms, and potential new targets as well as modalities of treatment. You will exchange on these topics with both young fellows and established experts in the field in a highly interactive format with a lot of room for discussion. You will get the latest update on where we stand with the efforts of having MASLD, and SLD in general, on the agenda as a public health problem and the roadmap and policies to tackle this problem, in which the people living with SLD, and many stakeholders have been increasingly joining forces. In light of the latter, the Summit will also provide a space to further discuss the nomenclature change and its potential impact on research clinical practice and awareness. A session will be dedicated to discussing in-depth the issue of people who combine alcohol use and metabolic risk factors, designated as MetALD in the latest nomenclature. You will also get the latest data on diagnosis and prognostication in MASH and on how to tackle MASLD as a multisystem disease, informing you not only on what you need to do, but also on the science and evidence behind it.