Even with strong data, changing minds takes time.

Right Brain Bio is a long-term project. Incorporated as a company in 2022, the initial work started in late 2017. Much of the work takes a lot of time, although often the pace is affected by the enthusiasm of the scientific/medical community. When proposing a novel approach as we are, this enthusiasm can take longer than desired to gather. Recent events show more support for our therapeutic strategy and the methods that led to this strategy.

Event 1:

Recently I attended a scientific conference. From across the room, I recognized a leading expert in Parkinson's. I've been seeking financial support from his group for several years - with little progress. Nonetheless, I headed over to introduce myself. As soon as I did, he responded that he saw my recent presentation that advocated for testing RB-190 as dopamine reduction therapy. He called it "very compelling."

Very compelling? You bet it is. I'll be setting up a conversation to dig in deeper with this leading scientist (and will report on the results of this dialog).

Event 2:

I bring lessons learned from outside of neurology - from my experiences in clinical trials, pharmacology, regulation and cardiology - to the challenge of conquering Parkinson's. Often, I am told that my views are so influenced by my experience as a cardiologist that they are not applicable to Parkinson's.

When I worked in a research lab in high school, I had an amazing role model, Herman Watson. One of his "super powers" was understanding the power of solving problems using methods already discovered (that were in the public domain). He taught me the importance of cross-training to speed innovation. Why struggle under the pressure of inventing something new if others have already figured it out?

This week a world-class clinician/researcher in Parkinson's enthusiastically supported the model of cross-training and learning lessons from other disciplines and diseases - the model we use at Right Brain Bio.

Michael Okun, MD (Professor and Director of University of Florida Fixel Institute) posted this week on LinkedIn about how to leverage lessons from how others study multiple sclerosis - a distinct group of neurologists and neuroscientists from those focused on Parkinson's and movement disorders. This is an efficient way to learn and move drug development forward more quickly - our goal at Right Brain Bio.

I can't tell you with certainty that RB-190 will conquer Parkinson's, although preclinical data suggests very strongly it will. But I can tell you this with certainty: to conquer PD, we need to listen to others, to view data with an open mind, to learn from other disciplines and to be willing to consider approaches different from those we were taught.