In this episode of IDEA Collider, host Mike Rea sits down with Michelle Werner, CEO of Alltrna, to explore a groundbreaking approach that could transform how we treat thousands of genetic diseases.

Michelle shares how engineered transfer RNA (tRNA) technology has the potential to address nonsense mutations — a single class of genetic errors that account for roughly 10% of genetic diseases, affecting millions worldwide. Rather than the traditional “one drug, one disease” model, Alltrna is pursuing a mutation-targeted strategy that could treat multiple diseases with a single therapeutic platform.

Episode Timestamps;

00:00 Welcome to Idea Collider: Asymmetric Learning in Pharma

00:19 Meet Michelle Werner: Leading Alltrna’s tRNA Platform

02:09 From Cancer Clinic to Pharma: A Patient-First Career Path

06:18 Big Pharma vs Biotech CEO: Finding Your Authentic Leadership Style

09:37 Vulnerability & Psychological Safety: Building High-Trust Teams

11:46 A Personal Turning Point: Her Son’s Duchenne Diagnosis

17:11 Rare Disease Renegades: A Nonprofit to Accelerate Innovation

18:19 Why Flagship Pioneering: The Ecosystem Behind Alltrna

22:31 tRNA 101: Targeting Stop-Codon Disease Across Thousands of Conditions

28:46 Rethinking Trials, Indications & FDA Pathways for Mutation-First Medicines

33:49 From Preclinical to First-in-Human: Alltrna’s 2026 Milestones

36:49 What Keeps a CEO Up at Night + Final Takeaway: Is This Rare Disease’s Inflection Point?

Michelle also reflects on how her personal experience as a parent of a child with a rare condition fuels her commitment to accelerating therapies for patients who currently have few or no options.

This episode highlights a pivotal question for the industry:

Are rare diseases at the same inflection point oncology experienced two decades ago?

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Keep up with Michelle Werner;

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-c-werner/

Website: https://www.alltrna.com/

Follow Mike Rea On;

Website: https://www.ideapharma.com/

X: https://x.com/ideapharma

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigidea/

Listen to more fantastic podcast episodes: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/

In this episode of IDEA Collider, hosts Mike and Rick revisit a pivotal project from over a decade ago, the Reblozyl project, undertaken in collaboration with Acceleron and Celgene. Rick, the head of Growth and Innovation at IDEA, reminisces about the early days leading to the successful positioning and market shaping of luspatercept across different hematological indications. The episode features insightful contributions from Robin, Jane, and Tracy, key players from Acceleron and Celgene, who share their experiences and the collaborative efforts that enabled them to redefine the market. The discussion covers the strategic approach to overcoming competitive benchmarking, the importance of a unified messaging strategy, and the critical role of internal and external collaboration. They also reflect on the impact of their efforts on the lives of many patients and offer advice for future teams working on complex drug development projects. The episode concludes with a recognition of the rare and valuable collaborative human elements that drove the success of the Reblozyl project.

Episode Timestamps;

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:27 Rick's Background and Project Overview

02:31 Client Team Introductions

05:32 Collaboration and Challenges

13:29 Defining the Mechanism and Market Positioning

23:52 Communication and Alignment

27:48 Navigating Internal and External Communication

33:15 Launch, Reflections, and Lessons Learned

41:14 Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements

Keep up with the guests;

• Robyn Blackburn - Director Global Commercial Strategy CAR-T at Kite Pharma
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-blackburn-805b8b13/
• Jayne Butler - Director of Strategic Initiatives at Fingerpaint Branding
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynebutler/
• Tracey Sacco - Former SVP Global Strategic Marketing at Acceleron
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-sacco-53 2a034/
• Rick Ritacco - Head of Growth and Innovation
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/rritacco/

Follow Mike Rea On;

Website: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/

X: https://x.com/ideapharma

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigidea/

Listen to more fantastic podcast episodes: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/

In this episode of IDEA Collider, host Mike Rea speaks with Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, founder of Verve Therapeutics and now part of Eli Lilly, about one of the boldest ideas in modern medicine: using one-time gene editing to permanently lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

Dr. Kathiresan shares his journey from immigrant upbringing to Harvard cardiologist, genetic researcher, biotech founder, and now leader inside a global pharmaceutical company. The conversation explores how human genetics, CRISPR base editing, lipid nanoparticle delivery, and asymmetric learning converged to create a potential lifelong solution to cardiovascular disease.

They also dive deep into the ethics of gene editing, global access and pricing, early intervention versus chronic care, FDA regulatory challenges, and what the Verve–Lilly acquisition means for the future of cardiometabolic medicine.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in biotech innovation, gene therapy, cardiovascular disease, and the future of preventive medicine.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:16 Sekar Kathiresan's Early Life and Education

03:19 Founding Verve and Transition to Entrepreneurship

05:35 The Science Behind Verve's Mission

10:27 Challenges and Breakthroughs in Gene Editing

20:05 Regulatory Hurdles and First Human Trials

25:11 Ethical Considerations in Gene Editing

27:06 Introduction to Drug Delivery and Ethical Considerations

27:51 Historical Context and Pioneers in Medical Procedures

28:35 Commercial and Ethical Challenges in Medicine

29:32 Innovations in Cardiovascular Treatments

32:49 The Role of Gene Editing in Long-term Health

37:55 Strategic Partnerships and Industry Insights

45:08 Reflections on the US Medical Ecosystem

48:54 Conclusion and Future Outlook

Keep up with Sekar Kathiresan;

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sekar-sek-kathiresan-3501846/

Website: https://www.lilly.com/

Follow Mike Rea On;

Website: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/

X: https://x.com/ideapharma

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigidea/

Listen to more fantastic podcast episodes: https://ideacollider.simplecast.com/