Targeting the Root Causes of Metabolic Disease w/ Bob Geho, Founder & CEO, Diasome

Jun 7, 2026

37:12

Episode Description

Every year, one in five adults with Type 1 diabetes experiences a dangerous drop in blood sugar that renders them unable to treat themselves. These severe hypoglycemic events are still happening, even though many patients now use continuous glucose monitors and automated insulin pumps.

Why has this trade-off between long-term A1C control and dangerous sugar crashes persisted for over 30 years?

Bob Geho, Founder and CEO of Diasome, joins host David E. Williams to unpack the results of the company’s 200+ patient Phase 2B OPTI-2 trial of HDV™ insulin. The study was presented recently at the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans.

In the trial, five patients using standard insulin experienced severe hypoglycemic events. This compares with zero such events among patients receiving HDV™ insulin. Meanwhile, HDV™ insulin matched standard-of-care A1C control.

Bob also shares how the HDV platform is being studied for its potential to reduce side effects in GLP-1 therapy and to address insulin resistance, considered the root cause of Type 2 Diabetes.

🎙️⚕️ABOUT BOB GEHO
Bob Geho is the Chief Executive Officer of Diasome Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing portal-hepatic -targeted therapies designed to act at the source of metabolic regulation.

Under his leadership, Diasome is advancing its proprietary Hepatocyte-Directed Vesicle (HDV) platform, which targets liver hepatocytes and the portal hepatic region, where metabolic control is centered. The company's lead clinical program, HDV-Insulin, applies this approach to insulin therapy — grounded in the principle that therapies working with the body's natural physiology may produce meaningfully better outcomes. The HDV platform is also being explored across GLP-1 and serotonin programs.

Bob's work in hepatic-directed drug delivery spans more than three decades, including helping lead the first successful human clinical study of liver-targeted insulin in Type 1 diabetes patients. He co-founded Diasome in 2004 and has since guided the company through multiple rounds of financing and into clinical development. He also co-founded SDG, Inc., a Cleveland-based holding company that has supported the creation of multiple life sciences startups and strategic partnerships.

He holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

🎙️⚕️ABOUT HEALTH BIZ PODCAST
HealthBiz is a CareTalk podcast that delivers in-depth interviews on healthcare business, technology, and policy with entrepreneurs and CEOs. Host David E. Williams — president of the healthcare strategy consulting boutique Health Business Group — is also a board member, investor in private healthcare companies, and author of the Health Business Blog. Known for his strategic insights and sharp humor, David offers a refreshing break from the usual healthcare industry BS.

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