The Genetics Podcast
EP 241: The hard-won lessons behind Encoded Therapeutics’ Dravet syndrome gene therapy with Salvador Rico [Re-run]
Published: 28 May 2026 at 12:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Salvador Rico, Chief Medical Officer at Encoded Therapeutics. With Encoded’s Dravet syndrome gene therapy program recently reaching major clinical and regulatory milestones, we’re revisiting this conversation on Salvador’s journey into drug development, his work on gene therapy for X-linked myotubular myopathy, and the fundamental challenges and exciting advances shaping the future of genetic medicine.
Show Notes
0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast
01:27 Welcome to Salvador and how he became involved in drug development
11:29 Frustrations and rewards of the genetics field
14:27 Salvador’s study on gene therapy for patients with X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM)
20:13 Risk of liver issues in gene therapy trials and attempts to mitigate them
24:50 Encoded Therapeutics‘ approach to drug discovery and what motivated Salvador to join the team
27:50 Steps towards therapeutic targeting of gene regulatory elements
30:32 Advantages of different methods for drug delivery
32:59 DNA- versus RNA-based therapy
35:24 Insights from approaches in other fields, including psychiatry
37:03 Considerations for using natural history studies
41:00 Expectations and goals for Encoded Therapeutics’ current and upcoming studies
43:45 Closing remarks
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