We have heard the exciting news that the assay found 116 hits, 43 of which are already approved for other conditions. Sanath has pulled together a team of experts to help him sift through this list of compounds and develop a plan for systematically assessing the various properties of these compounds. This is where the hard work begins.

The whole theory behind HTS is 'shots on goal'. The more shots you take, the more likely one of them will score. In the biopharma industry, HTS is done at an industrial scale with literally millions of shots on goal. Because SSMD is so rare, they have no idea what to expect from this relatively small sample. This is groundbreaking work.

Two years ago, Sanath had no exposure to the research process and even had to look up the definition of a gene. In this episode, he sounds like a seasoned researcher. He takes us from where they started, hoping to repurpose an existing drug, through the first few treatments they tried, and finally to the program they have established to look at the potential of thousands of medicines.

In this episode, Sanath explains the origins and future of Open Treatments. (www.opentreatments.org )