The Shawn Ryan Show
#240 Dr. David Fajgenbaum - Can AI Find Cures to Rare Diseases Using Existing Medicine?
29 Sep 2025
Dr. David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, is a pioneering physician-scientist, tenured professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and national bestselling author who transformed his personal battle with the rare, deadly Castleman disease into a global mission to accelerate cures for humanity's 12,000 known diseases. Diagnosed after losing his mother to cancer, Fajgenbaum endured five near-death experiences before using his medical training to identify sirolimus—a repurposed drug—as a life-saving treatment, achieving remission marking over a decade cancer-free as of 2025. A Georgetown University graduate with advanced degrees from Oxford and Wharton, he co-founded the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) and Every Cure, leveraging AI and drug repurposing to unlock hidden treatments, earning spots on TIME's 2025 TIME100 Health list and major media recognition for his "cure thyself" story. Through his book Chasing My Cure and speaking engagements, Fajgenbaum inspires hope, advocates for patient-driven research, and pushes for policy changes to speed up cures for rare diseases affecting millions worldwide. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://americanfinancing.net/srs NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.327% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-781-8900, for details about credit costs and terms. https://bunkr.life – USE CODE SRS Go to https://bunkr.life/SRS and use code “SRS” to get 25% off your family plan. https://shawnlikesgold.com https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS https://simplisafe.com/srs https://USCCA.com/srs https://ziprecruiter.com/srs https://gemini.com/srs Sign up for the Gemini Credit Card: https://Gemini.com/SRS #GeminiCreditCard #CryptoRewards #Advertisement This video is sponsored by Gemini. All opinions expressed by the content creator are their own and not influenced or endorsed by Gemini. The Bitcoin Credit Card™ is a trademark of Gemini used in connection with the Gemini Credit Card®, which is issued by WebBank. For more information regarding fees, interest, and other cost information, see Rates & Fees: gemini.com/legal/cardholder-agreement. Some exclusions apply to instant rewards; these are deposited when the transaction posts. 4% back is available on up to $300 in spend per month for a year (then 1% on all other Gas, EV charging, and transit purchases that month). Spend cycle will refresh on the 1st of each calendar month. See Rewards Program Terms for details: gemini.com/legal/credit-card-rewards-agreement. Checking if you’re eligible will not impact your credit score. If you’re eligible and choose to proceed, a hard credit inquiry will be conducted that can impact your credit score. Eligibility does not guarantee approval. The appreciation of cardholder rewards reflects a subset of Gemini Cardholders from 10/08/2021 to 04/06/2025 who held Bitcoin rewards for at least one year. Individual results will vary based on spending, selected crypto, and market performance. Cryptocurrency is highly volatile and may result in gains or losses. This information is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Consult with your tax or financial professional before investing. Dr. David Fajgenbaum Links: Website - https://davidfajgenbaum.com X - https://x.com/DavidFajgenbaum IG - https://www.instagram.com/dfajgenbaum LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfajgenbaum Every Cure - https://everycure.org Castleman Disease Collaborative Network - https://cdcn.org TED talk - go.ted.com/davidfajgenbaum TED YT - https://youtu.be/sb34MfJjurc Chasing My Cure (Amazon) - https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-My-Cure-Doctors-Action/dp/1524799637 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Full Episode
Dr. David Fagenbaum. John, thanks for having me. Welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. Hey, my pleasure. So, wow. You've had quite the journey with health. And... You made some amazing discoveries and I don't know a whole lot about it, but we're going to dive into all that. But thank you for coming. I'm really excited about this.
And, you know, one of my biggest fears, probably my biggest fear is terminal illness. And we started diving into health stuff last year, you know, primarily about all the stuff you were hearing on the news about COVID.
red dyes and all the shit that's in foods and the water and just everything and it really got my my uh my attention and so um i've been looking for somebody you know on on the subject of cancer and you're like right there so this is this is something i've been a subject i've been wanting to dive into for a long time so i just really appreciate your time and coming here
i'm so happy to be here and looking forward to this conversation cool well everybody starts off with an introduction here nice david fagenbaum trailblazing physician scientist and tenured professor at university of pennsylvania's perilman school of medicine channeled your expertise in immunology and drug repurposing to tackle some of the world's most elusive diseases
Founder of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network to accelerate breakthroughs for rare hyperinflammatory disorder that nearly claimed your life five times. Co-founder of EveryCure, an innovative nonprofit harnessing AI to repurpose existing drugs and unearth hidden treatments for untreatable conditions.
Best-selling author of Chasing My Cure that chronicles your journey and is now being turned into a film. A TED speaker whose 2025 talk, How Nearly Dying Helped Me Discover My Own Cure, and many more, has ignited a movement to change medicine. A husband, a father, and now living over a decade in remission from Castleman's. And you have a great quote that I just wanted to share.
The greatest cures often hide in drugs we already have. It's up to us to find them.
That's right.
Love that quote. Love that quote. So I want to do... A bit of a personal story on you, kind of a life story on how this all happened. I know you were a hell of a collegiate athlete when you got diagnosed, correct? And so we'll start there and then go through all your research, how you cured yourself and all that good stuff. But first, we've got a couple of things to knock out. Sounds good.
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