Shahriar Minokadeh

Opinion author

Dr. Shahriar Minokadeh is a Johns Hopkins–trained anesthesiologist and UC San Diego–trained board-certified pain management specialist. Before his ALS diagnosis at 35 years old, he was practicing in Orange County, California, and now resides in San Diego. He is currently a quadriplegic who relies upon a ventilator to breathe. He used his eye-gaze device to write this. He is one of the petitioners in the ALS Citizens’ Petition (FDA-2025-P-2019).

Vector of a medical staff, group of confident doctors and nurses

Opinion

Capricor, Replimune illustrate why FDA must listen to rare disease specialists

Last month’s FDA advisory committee meetings for therapies developed by Capricor Therapeutics and Replimune effectively illustrate the different outcomes for patients when the agency prioritizes specialization in its reviews.

September 3, 2026

6 min read

Shahriar Minokadeh