TSC Now

In the first episode of TSC Now in 2025, host Dan Klein tackles the challenging topic of what happens when a clinical trial fails and how failed clinical trials inform future research in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Dan interviews Mary Kay Koenig, MD, Professor of Child Neurology and Associate Vice Chair for Clinical Research at … Continue reading Episode 50: What happens when a clinical trial fails? →

In this episode of TSC Now host Dan Klein is joined by Bruce Hainan and Jim Kotsailidis from Nobelpharma America, LLC and Shelly Meitzler, TSC Alliance Director of Outreach and Support, and mom to Ashlin and Mason with TSC. Shelly shares her experience looking for housing for her eldest daughter Ashlin, a dependent adult with tuberous … Continue reading Navigating Housing Options for Dependent Adults with TSC (sponsored by Nobelpharma America) →

In honor of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, TSC Now host Dan Klein is joined by Steven Wolf, MD, Director at the TSC Clinic Without Walls serving NYC, Westchester, Hudson Valley & Connecticut. Dr. Wolf also serves as the Director of Pediatric Epilepsy at Boston Children's Health Physicians of New York and Connecticut. Dr. Wolf specializes … Continue reading Drug-Resistant and Undertreated Epilepsy (sponsored by LivaNova) →

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the TSC Alliance, which was founded by four moms in Southern California in 1974. To celebrate the anniversary of the organization, throughout the year TSC Now will feature interviews with some of the people who helped shape this organization. In this episode host Dan Klein had the distinct pleasure … Continue reading 50th Anniversary Spotlight – Shonnie Johnson →

In a final bonus episode in 2023, host Dan Klein connects with Gloria Triebenbach, Chair of the TSC Alliance of the Pacific Northwest and Step Forward to Cure TSC Walk Chair for the walk in Renton, Washington. Gloria describes herself as a mother of an adult daughter with TSC, honorary mother of a 2nd adult … Continue reading Episode 49: Community Spotlight – Gloria Triebenbach →

In a bonus episode, host Dan Klein connects with Kristen Moore, Vice Chair of the TSC Alliance of the Carolinas and Step Forward to Cure TSC Walk Chair for the Carolinas Walk. Kristen and her husband, Douglas, moved to Charlotte in 2012 and welcomed their TSC Warrior Jackson to the world in 2019. Jackson was … Continue reading Episode 48: Community Spotlight – Kristen Moore →

In this episode, host Dan Klein learns about Pretola Global Health and Consulting Limited and how they advocate for a better future for people living with epilepsy, learning disability and autism around the world. Earlier this year, the TSC Alliance partnered with Pretola on the 4th edition of the Epilepsy Assessment and Management Course, an … Continue reading Episode 47: Closing the Epilepsy Treatment Gap Worldwide →

In this episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein interviews Karen Keough, MD, a child neurologist at Child Neurology Consultants of Austin. Dr. Keough defines drug resistant epilepsy (DRE), explains how lack of seizure control can impact someone's quality of life and shares some treatment options beyond medication, including surgery, dietary therapies and neuromodulation devices. … Continue reading Episode 46: Understanding drug resistant epilepsy and treatment options →

On this episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recaps the 2023 International TSC Research Conference: Fueling the Future held September 7-9, 2023, in Washington, DC. The conference brought together over 200 researchers from around the world representing a wide array of specialties and the entire spectrum from basic science to clinical research. The comprehensive … Continue reading Episode 45: The 2023 International TSC Research Conference →

Disclaimer: This episode is sponsored by Nobelpharma America LLC. The opinions expressed are those of the host and guest speaker individually and do not reflect the policies or positions of Nobelpharma. The following content is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to recommend or suggest a course of … Continue reading Episode 44: Rare Conversations →

In this episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein dives deep on a new clinical trial in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) called TSC-STEPS. TSC-STEPS is a study to learn more about a drug known as Sirolimus and determine if it can prevent seizures and epilepsy in children diagnosed with TSC. The study is currently enrolling … Continue reading Episode 43: The TSC-STEPS Trial →

In the first episode of TSC Now in 2023, host Dan Klein recognizes International Epilepsy Day (February 13, 2023) and Seizure Action Plan Awareness Week (February 13-20, 2023) by learning about seizure clusters, which are episodes of frequent seizure activity that are distinct from a person's usual seizure pattern. Seizure clusters may also be called … Continue reading Episode 42: Understanding Seizure Clusters →

In the final episode of TSC Now in 2022, host Dan Klein connects with two incredible advocates for individuals with disabilities and learns how families can find support to help them with both everyday and long-term decisions for their loved ones. First, Dan chats with Kelly Piacenti, Head of Special Care at MassMutual (01:24). Kelly … Continue reading Episode 41: Help Today, Help Tomorrow →

In a special bonus episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein learns about a new children's book called Totally Super Cool, which was developed by Nobelpharma America, LLC. This Podcast is being sponsored by Nobelpharma America LLC. The opinions expressed are those of the speakers individually based on their experience and do not reflect the … Continue reading Episode 40: Totally Super Cool! →

In a special two-part episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recaps the 2022 World TSC Conference, which was held in Dallas, Texas July 28-31, 2022. In part two, Dan explores the history of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) conferences and speaks to inspiring leaders who have shaped the TSC Alliance's past and will continue to … Continue reading Episode 39: Inspiring a World TSC Community →

In a special two-part episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recaps the 2022 World TSC Conference, which was held in Dallas, Texas July 28-31, 2022. In part one Dan talks to two inspiring and visionary leaders in the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) community. On Thursday, July 28, during the opening of the 2022 World … Continue reading Episode 38: Galvanizing a World TSC Community →

In this episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein celebrates Worldwide LAM Awareness Month (#WWLAM) and raises awareness of lymphanhgioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and a pivotal clinical trial in LAM that is enrolling right now. Dan interviews Frank McCormack, MD, Professor and Director of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at University of Cincinnati … Continue reading Episode 37: The MILED Trial and the Future of LAM Research →

In this episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recognizes TSC Awareness Month and the 10th Annual TSC Global Awareness Day! He starts by providing an update on the Step Forward to Cure TSC® Global Hybrid Walk-Run-Ride. Fundraising pages are open until the end of the year, help us reach our goal at stepforwardtocuretsc.org. You can … Continue reading Episode 36: TSC Awareness Month →

In this episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recognizes World Autism Month by taking a a deep dive on the past, present and future of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research in TSC. Dan talks to Shafali Jeste, MD, Chief of Neurology and Las Madrinas Chair at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and Professor … Continue reading Episode 35: The Past, Present and Future of Autism Research in TSC →

In this episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recognizes the 20th Anniversary Comedy for a Cure® on Sunday, April 3 at the Avalon in Hollywood, California! To kick off the celebration, Dan learns about the past and present of this amazing events from some dedicated volunteers, and interviews one of this year's honorees. First, Dan … Continue reading Episode 34: Celebrating 20 Years of Comedy for a Cure →

In a very special early episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recognizes International #EpilepsyDay and the kickoff of the second annual Seizure Action Plan Awareness Week. In November 2020, a collaboration of three non-profit organizations, the TSC Alliance, Dravet Syndrome Foundation and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) Foundation, launched the Seizure Action Plan (SAP) Coalition to educate people … Continue reading Episode 33: Noema, Basimglurant and a New Clinical Trial for Seizures in TSC →

In the first episode of TSC Now in 2022, host Dan Klein provides an overview of the upcoming 2022 World TSC Conference, co-hosted by Tuberous Sclerosis Complex International (TSCi), which will be held July 28-31, 2022 and will bring together 1,000 participants from around the globe, including families and individuals with TSC, caregivers, healthcare professionals, … Continue reading Episode 32: The 2022 World TSC Conference →

In the final episode of TSC Now in 2021, host Dan Klein recaps the 2021 Virtual International TSC & LAM Research Conference: Driving Discoveries Beyond Boundaries, presented by Greenwich Biosciences and the Rothberg Institute of Childhood Diseases and co-hosted by the TSC Alliance® and The LAM Foundation. The conference brought together 179 people from 18 countries including … Continue reading Episode 31: The Present and Future of TSC & LAM Research →

In Episode 30 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein kicks of Infantile Spams Awareness Week 2021, an initiative from the Infantile Spasms Action Network (ISAN) that runs December 1-7. ISAN is a collaboration of 32 national and international entities, including the TSC Alliance, focused on raising awareness for infantile spasms, a devastating type of seizure … Continue reading Episode 30: Infantile Spasms Awareness Week 2021 →

In Episode 29 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein highlights TSC Navigator, an easy-to-use, interactive online tool to help guide individuals and families through the complexities of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) across the lifespan, proactively manage their care and live their fullest lives. TSC Navigator was launched in October 2021 and includes sections on “Beginning … Continue reading Episode 29: The TSC Navigator →

In a very special episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein provides a sneak peek of the 19.5 Annual Comedy for a Cure® on Sunday October 17 at 7:30 pm Eastern/ 4:30 pm Pacific! This will be a hybrid event, so if you live in Southern California and are fully vaccinated you can attend in-person … Continue reading Episode 28: Comedy for a Cure® 2021! →

In Episode 27 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein learns how parents can prepare for the start of a new school year despite the ongoing pandemic. Dan also talks to a licensed professional counselor to get advice on how parents and caregivers can cope with the stress, anxiety and trauma the last year and a half … Continue reading Episode 27: Going Back to School and Caring for the Caregiver →

In Episode 26 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein takes a deep dive into one of the newer and exciting frontiers in TSC research: Newborn Screening. Last Fall, the TSC Alliance hosted an Innovation Workshop that brought together TSC researchers, newborn screening experts and other nonprofits with experience advocating for other diseases to be included … Continue reading Episode 26: The Road to Newborn Screening in TSC →

In Episode 25 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recognizes Worldwide LAM Awareness Month (#WWLAM) by focusing on lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease affecting women that is characterized by an abnormal growth of smooth muscle cells, especially in the lungs, lymphatic system and kidneys. LAM is caused by mutations in the same gene(s) as … Continue reading Episode 25: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis & Worldwide LAM Awareness Month (#WWLAM) →

It’s the two-year anniversary of TSC Now and we’re celebrating with a new name, the TSC Alliance! If you missed our announcement on May 16, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance has changed our name to the TSC Alliance to reflect how the organization has evolved over the years and with the name change we also have … Continue reading Episode 24: Achieving Universal Health Coverage and Driving Innovative Research Through Global Collaboration →

In Episode 23 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recognizes World Autism Month and Autism Acceptance Month by learning more about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). ASD occurs in nearly 50% of children with TSC, significantly higher the rate in the general population (roughly 1% worldwide). Additionally, there is a very … Continue reading Episode 23: Autism Spectrum Disorder in TSC and TACERN →

In Episode 22 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein explores overcoming hurdles in healthcare, specifically to help parents/caregivers and individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) navigate issues with access to medications, changes to their health plans and how to best communicate with specialty pharmacies. This episode is sponsored by Greenwich Biosciences. Disclaimer: Greenwich Biosciences utilized … Continue reading Episode 22: Overcoming Hurdles with Health Plans and Specialty Pharmacies →

In a very special early episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recognizes International #EpilepsyDay and the first day of the first-ever Seizure Action Plan Awareness Week. In November, a collaboration of three non-profit organizations, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (TS Alliance), the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and the Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) Foundation, launched the Seizure Action … Continue reading Episode 21: Noema, Basimglurant and a New Clinical Trial for Seizures in TSC →

In the first episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein dives deep on the upcoming Virtual March on Capitol Hill taking place March 1-5, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the TS Alliance has decided to protect our volunteers by holding the march virtually. The March on Capitol Hill is the TS Alliance’s annual … Continue reading Episode 20: The 2021 Virtual March on Capitol Hill →

In a very special early edition of TSC Now, host Dan Klein explores the topic of infantile spasms (IS) as Infantile Spasms Awareness Week (ISAW), held annually December 1-7 to raise awareness of IS with both parents/caregivers and frontline physicians, comes to a close. To learn more about infantile spasms go to www.infantilespasms.org. First, Dan … Continue reading Episode 19: Infantile Spasms Awareness Week (#ISAW2020) →

In episode 18 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein talks to Nishant Gupta, MD, Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Cincinnati where he serves as the Director of the Interstitial and Rare Lung Disease Program. We discuss what researchers and clinicians have learned so far … Continue reading Episode 18: Understanding COVID-19’s Impact on Those with TSC & LAM →

In episode 17 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein talks to Xandra Breakefield, PhD, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a geneticist, specializing in neurology & tadiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Breakefield’s research focuses on gene therapy in preclinical mouse models of TSC in which the TSC1 or TSC2 gene are missing. … Continue reading Episode 17: Gene Therapy in TSC →

In episode 16 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein talks to two of the TS Alliance’s Education Parent Mentors to better understand how parents should approach making the decision on sending their kids back to school during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and what rights they have to advocate for the services their kids need. This … Continue reading Episode 16: COVID-19 and Back to School →

In episode 15 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein continues exploring how to manage harmful and disruptive behaviors associated with TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Then he explores a new partnership between the TS Alliance and SeizureTracker and how it’s advancing both our understanding of TSC and epilepsy. First, Dan talks … Continue reading Episode 15: Managing Behaviors During COVID-19 (Part 2) + A New Partnership with SeizureTracker →

In episode 14 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein begins the first of an important two-part discussion focused on how parents can begin to address aggressive and harmful behaviors associated with TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND), while continuing to shelter at home during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For part one of this conversation, Dan is joined … Continue reading Episode 14: Managing Aggressive and Harmful Behaviors During COVID-19 (Part 1) →

In episode 13 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein celebrates TSC Awareness Month and one full year of podcasting by once again reaching out to some of the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance’s international partners with the help of Katie Smith, TS Alliance Director of Government and Global Affairs, to see how they are recognizing TSC Global … Continue reading TSC Global Awareness Month in the Age of COVID-19 →

In episode 12 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein does a deep dive on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and its impact on the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) community. Throughout the episode he shares resources the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (TS Alliance) has developed to support the community during the pandemic, and plays clips from past webinars … Continue reading Episode 12: Living with TSC During COVID-19 →

In episode 11 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein recaps our annual March on Capitol Hill, which took place on March 4, 2020 in Washington, DC and brought together more than 100 volunteers from across the country to advocate for continued funding for the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) at the Department of Defense. … Continue reading Episode 11: A #March4TSCresearch Recap & Update on COVID-19 →

In episode 10 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein talks to Darcy Krueger, MD, PhD, TSC Clinic Director at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. They discuss the recent FDA approval of the Sabril label expansion, the study he led that served as supplemental material for that application, and what this process can teach us about the role … Continue reading Episode 10: Expanding Coverage and Ensuring Access to Medications →

In episode 9 of TSC Now, host Dan Klein talks to Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer Kari Luther Rosbeck. They discuss her favorite memories from the organization’s 45th anniversary year in 2019, the major goals and initiatives for the organization in 2020, the newest members of the team, and upcoming events at … Continue reading Episode 9: The State of the TS Alliance →

In the eighth episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein catches up with TS Alliance partners at the annual American Epilepsy Society Meeting (AES), the largest gathering on epilepsy in the world, which was held December 6-10 in Baltimore. Seizures remain one of the most common neurological features of TSC, occurring in 85% of individuals … Continue reading Episode 8: Excerpts from AES and the Current State of Epilepsy Research →

In the seventh episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein explores common challenges parents, caregivers and those affected by tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) face when managing their health and seeking care from physicians. First, he has a conversation with Paul Mullin, MD, Director of Neurology and Epilepsy at Medical Associates of the Hudson Valley (01:22). … Continue reading Episode 7: Common Parent/Caregiver Challenges and Advocating for Your Health →

In episode 6 of TSCnow, host Dan Klein talks to Petrus de Vries, MBChB, MRCPsych, PhD, Sue Struengmann Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Capetown in South Africa. They discuss tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated neuropsychiatric disorders, otherwise known as TAND. TAND refers to a whole spectrum of neurological manifestations of TSC, … Continue reading Episode 6: TSC-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TAND) →

In episode 5 of TSC Now, Dan Klein talks to Dr. John Bissler, MD, Clinic Director of the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Center of Excellence located at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Director of Pediatric Nephrology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and the Medical Director of Nephrology at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. They discuss … Continue reading Episode 5: TSC Kidney Manifestations & Consensus Guidelines for Surveillance and Treatment →

In the fourth episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein talks to Lilian Ansari, MS, Special Needs Advocate, Co-Chair of the TS Alliance of Northern California and Education Parent Mentor. They discuss why she volunteered as an Education Parent Mentor, what types of challenges kids with TSC face in the classroom, and what resources and benefits … Continue reading Episode 4: Educational Issues in TSC and How to Advocate for Your Child in School →

In the third episode of TSC Now, host Dan Klein, Director of Digital Platforms for the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, talks to the two co-chairs of the 2019 International TSC Research Conference: Changing the Course of TSC. First Dan interviews Dr. Elizabeth (Lisa) Henske, MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for … Continue reading Episode 3: The 2019 International TSC Research Conference →