Jul 30, 2020
Dr. Deborah Hartman leads the global research program for narcolepsy and other sleep-wake disorders at Takeda, a biopharmaceutical company.
In this episode, Dr. Hartman talks about Takeda’s approach to studying sleep-wake disorders and the importance of working together with people with narcolepsy to better understand what is needed, and with the scientific and medical community to develop potential new therapies. Dr. Hartman and Claire discuss the lack of understanding around narcolepsy, including the difference between narcolepsy type 1 and type 2. Importantly, Dr. Hartman digs into the science behind sleep-wake disorders, including the cause of narcolepsy type 1 and how researchers have identified the neuropeptide, orexin as the master regulator of sleep and wakefulness.
Additionally, Dr. Hartman walks through the process of discovering a new drug and conducting clinical trials, as well as how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted research worldwide. You can learn more about ongoing clinical trials in narcolepsy here: https://www.wakeupnarcolepsy.org/research/clinical-trials/.
Thank you to Dr. Hartman for joining us and to Takeda for their partnership and ongoing research into sleep-wake disorders like narcolepsy. You can follow Takeda at @TakedaPharma on Twitter.
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