DNA Today is a multi-award winning podcast and radio show exploring how genetics impacts our health.

Host/Producer Kira Dineen interviews leaders in genetics including genetic counselors, researchers, physicians and patient advocates.

New episodes every Friday.

DNA Today is broadcast Fridays at 10:30am EST on WHUS 91.7 FM in Connecticut.

#156 Rich Horgan on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

#156 Rich Horgan on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

Genomenon is a genomic health IT company powering precision medicine with genomics. Genomenon has designed the Mastermind Genomic Search Engine, which is used by hundreds of genetic labs worldwide to accelerate diagnosis, increase diagnostic yield, and assure repeatability in reporting genetic testing results. Genomenon also created the Mastermind Genomic Landscapes to inform pharmaceutical and bio-pharma companies on precision medicine development and deliver genomic biomarkers for clinical trial target selection. Look out for our October 1st episode, the founder of Genomenon will be a guest on DNA Today to explore the genetics of ALS. Learn more about Genomenon at genomenon.com


Joining our host, Kira Dineen, is Rich Hogan. Rich is the Founder and President of Cure Rare Disease, a company that develops customized therapeutics for those who have been diagnosed with rare, genetic diseases that have no treatments or cures. On this episode, we specifically sat down to discuss Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy during DMD awareness month!

Rich Hogan has a deep passion for reimagining how rare and ultra-rare diseases are treated. With a younger sibling impacted by a rare disease, Rich has a strong interest in accelerating promising treatments for rare diseases. He formed an interdisciplinary collaboration of world-class researchers and clinicians to pioneer the rapid development of customized therapies for rare, genetic diseases. Prior to making his foray into biotech, Rich had extensive experience working in new business development at Corning Incorporated where he led the successful launch of a new product line. He also launched a successful car washing business in New York. He holds a BS from Cornell University where he graduated summa cum laude and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was awarded the Blavatnik Fellowship for Life Science Entrepreneurship. Rich was recognized by Business Insider as one of ‘30 leaders under 40 transforming healthcare in 2020’ and, most recently, was named on the 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 list.

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Do you or someone you know have Prader-Willi syndrome? Harmony Biosciences is looking for people with Prader-Willi syndrome to enroll in a new clinical study in the United States. Harmony Biosciences will be studying the safety and impact of an investigational medication on excessive daytime sleepiness, cognition, and behavioral function in people with Prader Willi syndrome. Learn more about the clinical study and refer a patient to a study center here.

On This Episode We Discuss:

  • Patient advocacy 

  • DMD heredity

  • Founding Cure Rare Disease 

  • Current & developing treatments for DMD

  • In-vitro versus in-vivo research

  • Neutralizing antibodies 

To learn more about Rich, DMD, and Cure Rare Disease, visit their website or check them out on TwitterFacebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram

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If you enjoy DNA Today you will also love Eureka’s Sounds of Science, a podcast from Charles River. Sounds of Science tells the stories of how – how chicken eggs impact vaccine development; how a single parent can change the FDA; how a horseshoe crab saves lives. If you enjoyed our episode (#74) with Huntington Disease patient advocate Antonio Maltese, you should check him out in this episode of Eureka’s Sounds of Science podcast! Listen to Eureka’s Sounds of Science on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you download your podcasts. 


If you live in Canada, check out Muscular Dystrophy Canada, which serves 50,000 Canadians impacted by neuromuscular disorders themselves, family members/caregivers, healthcare professionals, and researchers. They support individuals impacted by neuromuscular disorders by investing in research, delivering critical programs and services, and challenging public policy.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today where we’ll be recapping the NSGC Annual Conference! New episodes are released on the first and third Friday of the month. In the meantime, you can binge over 150 other episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Today”. All episodes in 2021 are also recorded with video which you can watch on our YouTube channel.  

See what else we are up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and our website, DNApodcast.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to info@DNApodcast.com

#157 NSGC 2021 Recap

#157 NSGC 2021 Recap

#155 Genetic Counseling Grad School FAQs

#155 Genetic Counseling Grad School FAQs