The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Rafael Rosengarten - Part 3 | Leveraging AI in Precision Medicine | How Predictive Biomarkers Transform Oncology | Lessons from Scaling a Startup
Jan 20, 2025
32:16
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Part 3 of 4: My guest today is Rafael Rosengarten, CEO and Co-Founder of Genialis, the RNA biomarker company. Genialis is reimagining biomarkers for every target, drug, and patient using a combination of precision oncology, RNA, and AI.
Rafael, a biomedical research veteran, combines academic excellence with industry innovation. A Dartmouth graduate with a Yale doctorate, he conducted postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he co-invented the j5 DNA assembly tool. As co-founder of the Alliance for AI in Healthcare, he advocates for responsible AI integration in medicine, drawing from his extensive background in evolution, immunology, bioengineering, and genetics.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
- Rafael’s move to Baylor College of Medicine and Houston’s vibrant medical community
- Innovations in molecular cloning and synthetic biology tools at Baylor
- Bridging biology and AI through collaborations with University of Ljubljana researchers
- Founding Genialis and shifting its focus to predictive biomarker development
- Lessons from biotech pivots that shaped Genialis as a leader in precision oncology
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Find Our Guest, Rafael Rosengarten, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
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Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Baylor College of Medicine: https://www.bcm.edu/
University of Ljubljana: https://www.uni-lj.si/en/university
Genialis: https://www.genialis.com/
Lab Equipment List, Synthetic Biology Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/lab-equipment-list-for-synthetic-biology-research
How to Bootstrap Your Biotech Startup & Scale: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup
When & How to Pivot a Biotech Startup: https://www.excedr.com/blog/when-how-to-pivot-a-biotech-startup
Biotech Startup Support Resources: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support
The Role of Machine Learning in Biotech: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/machine-learning-biotech-fundamentals-divya-ramamoorthy-blhte/
Predictive Biomarkers in Oncology: https://oncologypro.esmo.org/education-library/esmo-books/esmo-handbooks/translational-research/predictive-biomarkers
AI and Omics Analysis in Cancer Research: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.588221/full
Collaborative Biotech Partnerships: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research
People Mentioned:
Gad Shaulsky: https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gad-shaulsky-30425
Adam Kuspa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-kuspa-23bab836/
BlaĹľ Zupan: https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/blaz-zupan-33768
Marinka Zitnik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinkaz/
Miha Ĺ tajdohar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mstajdohar/?originalSubdomain=si
00:00 Intro
02:11 Rafael’s move to Houston and postdoc at Baylor College of Medicine
04:09 Collaborating with mentors and early breakthroughs in molecular cloning
07:01 Joining the Gulf Coast Consortium and blending bench science with computational tools
09:44 Transformative partnership with AI pioneers from the University of Ljubljana
13:30 How early machine learning tools shaped Rafael’s career and perspective
17:04 Founding Genialis and the early challenges of pivoting its focus
19:59 Learning from failures and how they shaped Genialis’ mission
23:21 The role of predictive biomarkers in oncology and their real-world impact
27:59 Lessons learned from biotech pivots and navigating the startup world
31:16 Outro
The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.