Every Cure Receives Five-Year, $60 Million Commitment Through TED’s Audacious Project to Repurpose Medications for Global Impact Pull Press Release: everycure.org/every-cure-rec…

15 years ago I said goodbye to my friends and family because I thought I wouldn’t survive… Today our TED talk goes live that could help us save patients. You can click this link to watch the full talk: go.ted.com/davidfajgenbaum Please watch, like, repost, and share the talk as far and wide as you can to help us on our mission to save and improve lives by repurposing drugs!

We are thrilled to share that the @nytimes has just featured @EveryCure and our work using repurposed drugs to save lives. Click the link below to read the full article! nytimes.com/2025/03/20/well/…

Doctors are studying the low-cost drug leucovorin, derived from folic acid, as a possible treatment for autism in children. But with little profit potential, pharmaceutical companies won’t fund FDA trials — leaving families dependent on off-label prescriptions. Dr. @celinegounder reports.

Thrilled to share that our work has just been published in the @NEJM highlighting a life saved with a repurposed drug, adalimumab. nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE… Through proteomics and cellular assays in my lab at @PennMedicine, we identified TNF signaling as a key driver of Castleman disease. Concurrently, @EveryCure’s AI platform independently predicted that a TNF inhibitor could be a top treatment. When a patient was on the verge of being transferred to hospice, we recommended administering adalimumab—and it saved his life. Two years later, he remains in remission, thriving on a drug that was never originally intended for his condition. #MedTwitter

What if a common amino acid found at your local health store could alleviate some of the worst pain imaginable for sickle cell patients? Patients with sickle cell disease often endure severe, life-limiting pain from vaso-occlusive crises caused by sickled red blood cells. Research, however, suggests that arginine, a common amino acid, could offer relief. By dilating blood vessels and improving blood flow, arginine has the potential to prevent these crises and reduce pain. While the research is still early, with only a few clinical trials conducted, the data is incredibly promising. This is exactly why @EveryCure exists: to uncover hidden treatments for devastating conditions and bring hope to those who need it most. #MedTwitter

@EveryCure Expands Collaboration with @GoogleCloud to Transform AI-Driven Drug Repurposing @EveryCure will leverage @GoogleCloud’s infrastructure and AI technologies, including Gemini 2.0, to accelerate discoveries and improve patient outcomes. everycure.org/every-cure-exp…

Did you know a simple derivative of vitamin C is transforming the lives of children with congenital disorders of glycosylation? This breakthrough, led by Dr. @eperlste and the CDG Cure Collective is helping kids experience fewer seizures and improved symptoms—an incredible leap forward for CDG patients and their families. Seeing the before-and-after videos of children who have benefited from this treatment is nothing short of inspiring. These moments remind us why innovation and collaboration in rare disease research are so vital. #MedTwitter

A few days ago, we learned that the first patient in the U.S., to our knowledge, has been dosed with lidocaine for their breast cancer treatment. Just six weeks ago, we learned about the potential connection between lidocaine and improved breast cancer outcomes from a groundbreaking clinical trial of 1,600 patients conducted in India. That study showed a potential 30% reduction in five-year mortality for patients who received lidocaine injections into their tumors before surgery. Since then, we've engaged in discussions  with specialists and researchers, and what we’ve discovered has been surprising —no one seemed to be using this approach, despite the data available. The other day, one of those conversations turned into action. A doctor we spoke to decided to inject a tumor with lidocaine before removing it, marking a critical first step toward translating global insights into real-world patient care. This moment excites us because it shows the power of accelerating drug repurposing insights into clinical practice. At Every Cure, this is exactly what drives us: identifying overlooked opportunities and ensuring they reach patients who need them most—quickly and efficiently. #medtwitter

What if a simple, affordable drug could unlock communication skills for children with autism? A significant number of children with autism may have cerebral folate deficiency due to auto-antibodies against the folate receptor, effectively blocking folate from reaching the brain.  However, high-dose leucovorin, an old and inexpensive drug, can bypass this issue by delivering folinic acid through an alternative pathway, restoring functional folate levels in the brain. Three randomized controlled trials have already demonstrated that leucovorin improves verbal communication and other symptoms in children with autism.  Yet, despite its potential, this promising treatment remains underutilized—largely because it's an inexpensive, older drug, and our current system lacks a viable path to repurpose such drugs for new indications. It's a powerful reminder of the urgent need to rethink how we prioritize and adopt therapies for unmet medical needs. #MedTwitter

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm hiring a Chief of Staff to work as my right-hand person across the three incredible organizations I lead. The official title is Director of Strategy and Business Development, and I’m on the lookout for someone: 🧬 Hungry to make an impact
🧬With a strategic mindset
🧬Backed by biomedical experience—whether that’s in the pharmaceutical industry, a master’s program, a PhD, or beyond This role is perfect for someone ready to dive deep into transformative work and help drive innovation at the intersection of science, strategy, and impact. Click the link below to apply! linkedin.com/jobs/view/40646…

Injecting lidocaine directly into breast cancer tumors resulted in a remarkable 29% reduction in mortality, according to a large randomized control trial involving nearly 1,600 patients! Researchers estimate that this simple, accessible approach could save over 100,000 lives worldwide if widely adopted. As we observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, it’s important to spotlight promising discoveries like this. What's even more exciting is that because similar receptors are present in other cancers, lidocaine could potentially be effective for more than just breast cancer. This is exactly why @EveryCure exists—to match affordable, old drugs like lidocaine with devastating diseases like cancer, ensuring that every patient can benefit from lifesaving treatments.

It was an incredible honor to accept the Vision of Hope Award at the 2024 Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala on behalf of my teams at @PennMedicine, @CureCastleman, and @EveryCure. Angiosarcoma hits especially close to home for me and my family, as my uncle was diagnosed with this devastating disease and given a grim prognosis. Fortunately, we were able to repurpose a drug that had never been used for his condition before—and it saved his life. Now, after 8 years of remission, I had the privilege of watching him walk his son (my cousin) down the aisle at his wedding just a few weeks ago. Moments like these remind me why we do what we do. At Every Cure, we’re committed to finding more life-saving opportunities like this one so patients like my uncle aren’t told, ‘we’ve tried everything’ when there’s a life-saving cure sitting on the pharmacy shelves.

Janet Woodcock, former FDA official, joins board of patient group focused on ‘rediscovering’ old drugs Woodcock @DavidFajgenbaum = ?????? statnews.com/2024/10/07/jane… via @statnews

I am so honored to be accepting the @WebMD Health Hero Award on behalf of my teams at @PennMedicine, @CureCastleman, and @EveryCure! Congrats to Regina Barzilay and Suchi Saria who also received the award!

As a med student, @DavidFajgenbaum nearly died several times from Castleman’s disease, a rare condition with no known treatment. After discovering his own cure, the @PennMedicine leader is now on a quest to help find treatments for others. ow.ly/favP50TuCwz

Celine Dion got her voice back thanks to a repurposed drug! Diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare disease that took away her ability to walk, talk, and sing, she fought an inspiring battle to regain her health. Through intense physical therapy and the use of IVIg, a repurposed drug originally developed in 1952, she was able to make a remarkable recovery. This powerful example of using IVIg for stiff person syndrome is exactly why @EveryCure exists—to uncover more uses like this and ensure that every patient can benefit from existing medicines. #MedTwitter

I'm excited to share that I'll be speaking at #AAMC24 on Nov 11 in Atlanta! Join me for a discussion with @KizzyPhD about the pipeline from scientific discoveries to advanced treatments and optimal health for all. Learn more and register here: bit.ly/learnserveleadspeaker

When a drug receives FDA approval, its research and development (R&D) often shifts away from further exploration into new indications. It's a common misconception that approval marks the peak of a drug's journey. In reality, it’s the opposite. When the drug eventually turns generic, it becomes more affordable and accessible than ever. Yet paradoxically, this is when R&D typically comes to a standstill. As someone whose life was saved by an old, generic drug, I am deeply invested in this topic. We should be maximizing these opportunities, not diminishing them. At @EveryCure, we are on a mission to shift the narrative and focus on how we can leverage these accessible drugs to their fullest potential. What are your thoughts on how we can reinvigorate R&D for generic drugs to enhance their impact and accessibility? #MedTwitter

What does Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Drew Weissman think of drug repurposing? Like us, he thinks it’s a no brainer! Developing new treatments for diseases is costly, time-consuming and driven by profit. Novel drug development requires $1-2B and 10-15 years per drug, and has a 90% failure rate. At @EveryCure we are pioneering a new approach to drug repurposing: to interrogate all of the world’s biomedical knowledge to find the most promising opportunities across all drugs and all diseases. #MedTwitter