The Genetics Podcast EP 198: Reimagining clotting disorders: Patient voices and “unreasonable” leadership with Benny Sorenson of Hemab Therapeutics
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Jul 31, 2025 
Benny Sorensen, CEO of Hemab Therapeutics, leads a groundbreaking company focused on innovative blood clotting therapies, prioritizing patient voices. He shares how persistence and an 'unreasonable' approach catalyzed their first drug development program. The discussion highlights advancements in treating conditions like Glanzmann's thrombocytopenia, the importance of gender considerations in healthcare, and lessons learned from integrating patient experiences. Benny reflects on the balance between leadership and fatherhood, inspiring a vision for empathetic, effective therapies.
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Patient-Driven Drug Development
- Hemab Therapeutics centers its drug development on deep listening to patient lived experience.
- They combine this empathy with biotech advances to create transformative clotting disorder medicines.
Patient Voices Inspire Persistence
- Benny Sorensen called colleagues who said Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia (GT) had no problem needing treatment.
- Patient voices revealed frequent, sometimes daily, life-threatening bleeds, driving Hemab's persistent drug pursuit.
Severity of Glanzmann's Bleeding
- GT causes frequent severe mucosal and skin bleeds, unlike joint bleeds in hemophilia.
- Even common nosebleeds can be life-threatening when they last many hours in GT patients.