KarunaNews Story

David Fajgenbaum was in medical school when he was diagnosed with Castleman disease, that causes one’s immune system to attack and shut down vital organs and has no approved treatments or cure. “In a last-ditch effort to save me, my doctors gave me a combination of seven chemotherapies that weren't meant for my disease,” he says. Now 11 years in remission, he has dedicated his life to repurposing existing drugs to treat conditions that have otherwise been deemed untreatable, incurable. Every Cure uses artificial intelligence to find new uses for generic and off-label drugs, gaining a $60 million funding commitment through TED's Audacious Project. Up til now, drug repurposing or off-label prescriptions have “relied on serendipity” or focused on specific diseases. Over the last 15 years, Every Cure has helped advance 28 repurposed drug programs, including the use of lidocaine for breast cancer; folinic acid for deficiencies associated with speech and other neurodevelopmental delays; and beta blockers for neurodegenerative diseases. Every Cure will unlock generic repurposed treatments for an estimated 15-25 diseases by 2030.