When Biotech Research Is Personal: A Conversation with David Fajgenbaum and Michelle C. Werner

Flagship Dialogues @ JPM will be a special conversation between two leaders in our industry whose work is intensely personal. David Fajgenbaum, MD, was diagnosed with a rare disease – Castleman Disease – while in medical school and, through persistence and ingenuity found treatment where none had been available. He will sit down with Flagship Pioneering CEO-Partner and CEO of Alltrna Michelle C. Werner who has similarly personal motivations for finding gene-modifying therapies for rare genetic diseases. 

Their conversation will take place virtually at 3pm PT, Monday, January 9th 

David Fajgenbaum MD, MBA, MSc, is a physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, co-Founder & President of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, co-founder of Every Cure, and national bestselling author of 'Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope Into Action'. 

Though Chasing My Cure, Fajgenbaum shares his personal journey going from being a former Georgetown quarterback nicknamed the Beast in medical school to suffering from multi-organ failure due to an unknown illness and having his last rites read. Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived—only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease, an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. When he relapsed while on the only drug in development, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: Between hospitalizations, he studied his own charts and tested his own blood samples. He discovered that an existing drug called sirolimus could be repurposed for his disease and began testing it on himself. He has been in remission for over 9 years and this treatment has helped many more patients. 

Over the last 8 years, he has identified and advanced 9 other treatments for Castleman disease and cancer, and he recently launched Every Cure, a non-profit drug development organization focused on unlocking the full potential of approved medicines, like the one saving his life. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA.

Fajgenbaum has published scientific papers in high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and The Lancet, been recognized with awards such as the 2022 Service to Science Award from NDRI and  2016 Atlas Award which he received along with then Vice President Joe Biden, and been profiled in a New York Times cover story as well as by Good Morning America, CNN, Forbes 30 Under 30, and the Today Show. Dr. Fajgenbaum earned a BS from Georgetown University, MSc from the University of Oxford, MD from the University of Pennsylvania, and MBA from The Wharton School.

Michelle C. Werner is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years in the industry spanning both commercial and research & development (R&D) responsibilities. Most recently, Michelle served as Worldwide Franchise Head, Solid Tumors at Novartis Oncology, where she was responsible for delivering the disease area strategies across multiple tumors and led business development efforts resulting in a doubling of long-term portfolio value for the franchise. 

Previous to Novartis, Michelle was a senior leader at AstraZeneca, where she held multiple positions during her five-year tenure. As Global Franchise Head in Hematology, Michelle was critical in launching multiple indications worldwide for CALQUENCE® and was responsible for developing the mid- and long-term strategy for AstraZeneca in hematology. Prior to this role, Michelle served as Head of US Oncology, where she led the business through dramatic growth in both team and revenue through eight-plus product launches as well as Country President for the Nordics and Baltics, where she also served as an elected Board Member to Sweden’s pharmaceutical industry association.

Previous to AstraZeneca, Michelle was with Bristol-Myers Squibb for 10 years in various positions of increasing responsibility including roles in sales, marketing, and market access in the US and UK, and above market in Europe (based in France) and global almost exclusively in oncology. Michelle started her professional career in R&D, working hands-on with patients at the Oncology Clinical Trials Unit at Harvard Medical School before moving into industry in clinical operations.

Outside of her corporate responsibilities, Michelle is a wife and mother to three children and is a member of the rare disease community. She is currently serving a Board appointment for the non-profit organization Rare Disease Renegades, a purpose that fuels her passions both personally and professionally. 

Michelle holds a B.A. in biology & anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the London Business School (UK). She also completed an Executive Education program for Women on Boards at Harvard Business School in 2018.