[EPISODE 13] Charles Sabine: Huntington’s Disease, Gene Therapy, and Hope

Chad Briscoe and Jim McNally talk with Emmy-winning journalist and producer Charles Sabine on this episode of Molecular Moments. Their discussion centers around rare diseases, gene therapy and Huntington’s Disease (HD). Charles, a carrier of the HD gene who has lost several immediate family members to the disease, is an ardent advocate for patients and families suffering from rare degenerative diseases.

From covering war zones to becoming a gene therapy patient, they discuss Charles’ career with MSNBC, his subsequent coverage of the Bosnian War, and his Emmy-winning coverage of the Romanian revolution. He also shared about his family’s medical issues, including his discovery that his father, uncle, and brother were all HD gene carriers. His father was one of the first people to be tested genetically for the disease in 1993. 

Jim, Chad, and Charles discuss the possibility of gene therapies halting further disease development rather than doctors prescribing drugs for a lifetime. Additionally, the trio discuss the boom in gene therapies, the pros and cons of genetic testing, and how rare disease patients are generally underserved in the biotech industry.