EP 245: Developing targeted therapies for ALS with Eric Green of Trace Neuroscience [Re-run]

This week on The Genetics Podcast, we're re-airing our conversation with Eric Green, Founder and CEO of Trace Neuroscience, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Maze Therapeutics, and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Patrick and Eric discuss Eric's transition from cardiology to entrepreneurship, the role of highly focused biotechs in creating precision therapies, and the development of high-impact gene therapies for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We're revisiting this episode following Trace Neuroscience's recent announcement that the first patient has been dosed with its antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) designed to restore UNC13A function in ALS.

Show Notes

0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast

02:03 Welcome to Eric, his background in cardiology, and how he got into biotech

06:23 Eric’s experience incubating and spinning out early-stage companies with Third Rock Ventures and developing Maze Therapeutics

09:13 Eric’s decision to transition from academia to the world of biotech

11:24 Building Maze Therapeutics and Eric’s focus on and genetic modifiers to discover new drugs   

15:09 The growth of therapeutic modalities in the context of genetics and gene therapies

16:48 What led Eric to launch Trace Neuroscience to develop ALS therapies

28:35 The process of getting Trace’s ALS therapies into the clinic

32:22 The identification of therapeutic value in low odds ratio genes

35:58 Eric’s view on the APOA1 gene target and its major effect size in kidney disease

40:03 How best to integrate genetics and genetic discovery into small and medium biotechs

41:50 Closing remarks

Find out more

• Trace Neuroscience

• https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260622451252/en/Trace-Neuroscience-Initiates-Global-Clinical-Development-Program-for-TRCN-1023-an-Antisense-Oligonucleotide-Designed-to-Restore-UNC13A-Function-for-the-Treatment-of-ALS