How David Fajgenbaum saved his own life — and thousands of others

David Fajgenbaum had his last rites read to him at 25 years old after a brutal struggle with an inflammatory disease that attacks the vital organs. As a medical student with two weeks left to live, he repurposed a drug and tested it on himself—and saved his own life. Now, he’s repeating the same process for many others through his nonprofit, Every Cure, with the mission of unlocking the full potential of existing drugs to treat every disease possible. David and Adam discuss the building blocks of resilience, explore the disincentives that prevent hidden cures from coming to light, and explain how AI is aiding creative discovery to save lives.

Follow

Host: Adam Grant (Instagram | LinkedIn | Website)

Guest: David Fajgenbaum (Instagram | LinkedIn)

Links

https://everycure.org/

Subscribe to TED

Instagram: @ted

YouTube: @TED

TikTok: @tedtoks

LinkedIn: @ted-conferences

Website: ted.com

Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts

For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch

Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDSports: ted.com/sports

TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.