Rethinking the future of health and medicine | Peter Kolchinsky | TEDxBoston Salon

Virologist and investor Peter Kolchinsky examines where everyday medical standard of care and what he calls "on-science" care diverge. Drawing on his own experience of asking his doctor hard questions, he looks at four areas: heart attack, Alzheimer's disease, colorectal cancer and stroke. The talk is framed around longevity and prevention, and asks what patients should expect from medicine. TED has flagged this TEDx talk as falling outside its content guidelines for TEDx organizers. TED notes that viewers should not use it as medical advice and should consult a physician before changing any medication. TED also points to external scientific articles raising concerns about the safety and efficacy of some newer Alzheimer's medications. The views expressed are the speaker's own.

• Compares standard-of-care medicine with what the speaker calls on-science care
• Four cases: heart attack, Alzheimer's, colorectal cancer and stroke
• Focus on longevity, prevention and what patients should demand from medicine
• TED flag: not medical advice; consult a physician before medication changes

NOTE FROM TED: Do not look to this talk for medical advice and consult your physician before making any medication modifications. TED does not endorse the off-label use of regulated medications that can lead to serious health and safety concerns, especially when used outside of accredited research or therapeutic settings. We've flagged this talk because it falls outside the content guidelines TED gives TEDx organizers. Contents only represent the speaker's personal views and understanding. For more context, see below. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf ADDITIONAL NOTES: Scientists working in the field have expressed concerns about the safety and efficacy of some new Alzheimer's medications. For more information, see below: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13082890/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13039041/ People call Peter Kolchinsky when they get a scary diagnosis, because he’s a virologist who invests in the future of medicine. When his own doctor fired him for asking too many questions, he asked bigger ones: What is the best that medicine can be? What would a scientist want for his own family? Kolchinsky found that not everything outside the guidelines is snake oil, and that some of what’s inside them has quietly fallen off-science. In this talk on longevity and prevention, he looks at four cases where “on-science” care and the standard of care part ways: heart attack, Alzheimer’s, colorectal cancer and stroke; and he asks what we should demand of medicine. Peter Kolchinsky is a founder and Managing Partner at RA Capital Management and author of The Great American Drug Deal. Peter is active in both public and private investments in companies developing drugs, medical devices, diagnostics, and research tools and serves on the boards of publicly- and privately-held life science companies. Peter also leads the firm’s engagement and publishing efforts, which aim to make a positive social impact and spark collaboration among healthcare stakeholders, including patients, physicians, researchers, policymakers, and industry. Peter served on the Board of Global Science and Technology for the National Academy of Sciences, is the author of The Entrepreneur’s Guide to a Biotech Startup, and frequently writes and speaks on the future of biotechnology innovation. Peter founded and serves as a Director of No Patient Left Behind, a non-profit advocate for healthcare reforms that would make today’s medicines affordable to patients and promote the innovation that gives all of us hope for tomorrow. Peter holds a BA from Cornell University and a PhD in Virology from Harvard University. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx