EP 192: From $88 to breakthroughs: Innovation in retinal gene therapy with Dr. Huma Qamar of Ocugen

Summary: 

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Huma Qamar, Chief Medical Officer at Ocugen. They discuss her journey from arriving in the US with $88 in her pocket to leading gene therapy programs, Ocugen’s breakthrough in retinal disease, and how gene-agnostic therapies could transform treatment for conditions like retinitis pigmentosa.

Show Notes: 

0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast

00:59 Welcome to Huma 

01:40 How Huma arrived in the US from Pakistan with $88 and went on to do medical training and research at Yale and Harvard

06:47 Huma’s approach to challenges throughout her journey and how networking helped boost her career

09:30 Ocugen’s mission to develop therapies for retinal disease and recent successes, including obtaining pediatric breakthrough designation

12:10 Technical advantages and disadvantages of Ocugen’s retinal gene therapy 

15:18 Insights from Huma’s experience across gene therapy trials versus oncology trials 

19:17 Clinical landscape and genetic mutations in retinitis pigmentosa and the advantage of Ocugen’s gene-agnostic and gene modifier platform

23:17 Therapy mechanism of reactivating degenerating photoreceptors via master regulators 

26:32 Clinical trial design and regulatory considerations

29:15 Huma’s vision and hopes for retinal diseases over the next 5-10 years 

30:20 Huma’s experience as an interpreter and dedication to supporting immigrants and refugees

32:12 Closing remarks and Huma’s message to women and patients

Find out more

• Ocugen (https://ocugen.com/)

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