In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I’m joined by Rachel Zayas, CEO of AGED Diagnostics, a company tackling one of the most underdiagnosed and overlooked conditions in healthcare: liver disease.

Rachel shares what it really takes to build a diagnostics company from scratch in a high-friction clinical space, why liver disease is so difficult to detect early, and how systemic gaps in specialist access are leaving high-risk patients behind. We also explore the discipline, resilience, and hard lessons that shaped AGED Diagnostics’ mission to diagnose disease earlier—before irreversible damage occurs.

This conversation is a grounded look at early diagnostics, healthcare bottlenecks, and the realities of building in an area where the need is massive, but the infrastructure is stretched thin.

Takeaways:

🔹 Why liver disease often goes undetected until it’s too late

🔹 How non-specific symptoms and specialist shortages delay diagnosis

🔹 The lessons learned as a two-time Founding CEO in Diagnostics

🔹 What early diagnostics could change for high-risk patients

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In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I’m joined by Harald Steltzer, CEO of OrisDX, a company tackling one of the most overlooked gaps in diagnostics: early detection of head and neck cancer. Harald shares his journey from biochemistry and genetics into startup leadership, and why dentistry may be one of the most overlooked frontlines for early cancer detection today. We explore how OrisDX is rethinking diagnostics to reduce clinical friction, improve patient outcomes, and tackle one of healthcare’s hardest problems: reimbursement and adoption. This episode is a focused deep dive into purpose-driven diagnostics, smart go-to-market strategy, and what it really takes to launch a new clinical test in today’s healthcare system. Key takeaways: 🔹 Why head and neck cancer remains under-detected—and how dentistry can change that🔹 The role of early detection, education, and digital health in improving outcomes🔹 How diagnostics founders should think about reimbursement from day one🔹 What it takes to take a novel diagnostic from concept to clinical launch 🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I sit down with Frédéric D. Sweeney, President & CEO of VedaBio, the company pioneering a completely new class of molecular diagnostics — one that detects DNA and RNA without amplification while maintaining full clinical sensitivity in under 10 minutes.

We explore how this platform could transform urgent care, decentralised testing, and infectious disease workflows — and why VedaBio believes the next leap in molecular diagnostics won’t come from making PCR faster, but from removing amplification entirely.

Frédéric also opens up about the realities of transitioning from feasibility to product development, building the right team, navigating today’s funding climate, and why 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the company.

Takeaways:

🔹Why removing amplification could reshape point-of-care diagnostics

🔹How patient experience drives VedaBio’s product vision

🔹The importance of strategic partnerships during early scaling

🔹What founders need to know about fundraising and team building in today’s diagnostics market

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode, Dr. Russ Lebovitz, CEO of Amprion, explains why detecting misfolded proteins years before symptoms begin could completely reshape how we diagnose Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

He breaks down how early detection unlocks new possibilities for intervention, why alpha-synucleinis such a powerful biomarker, and what it really takes to commercialise a diagnostic platform in one of the toughest areas of biotech.

Key Takeaways:
🔹Early detection is essential for slowing neurodegenerative diseases🔹Misfolded proteins can appear up to 20 years pre-symptom🔹Diagnostics commercialisation requires deep regulatory expertise🔹Partnerships like Amprion’s with Mayo Clinic accelerate scaling

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode of DiagnosingDx, I’m joined by Wissam Hamou, Chief Operating Officer of One Biosciences, a company bringing single-cell diagnostics out of the lab and into real clinical practice.

We explore why single-cell analysis is finally ready for the clinic, how AI is unlocking insights that were previously impossible to see, and what this technology means for trials, treatment response, and the future of precision medicine.

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Single-cell technology is advancing toward real clinical validation, backed by fresh Series A funding.

🔹 AI is essential for making sense of the complex and high-dimensional data single-cell methods produce.

🔹 Cost, trust, and education remain key barriers to adoption among clinicians.

🔹 Regulatory clarity is urgently needed to establish standardized guidelines for single-cell assays.

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I’m joined by Mustafa Al-Adhami, CEO and founder of Astek Consulting.

We dive into how his team is building a rapid testing platform that can confirm a UTI, detect E. coli, and identify the right antibiotic within one hour - a breakthrough that has the potential to prevent sepsis and reshape frontline care.

We also explore the realities of building a diagnostics company today, from navigating regulatory pathways to securing funding in a challenging market.

Takeaways:

🔹Mustafa’s journey from refugee to diagnostics founder — and the mission driving Astek Consulting.

🔹How Astek’s rapid UTI platform delivers actionable, one-hour results.

🔹Why regulatory and reimbursement pathways must be built early to ensure adoption.

🔹The challenges of fundraising for diagnostics in the current environment.

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I’m joined by Slava Akmaev, Chief AI Officer and COO at BPGbio, and one of the earliest pioneers applying AI to diagnostics and precision medicine.

We discuss how AI has evolved from early scepticism in pharma to becoming the operational backbone of modern biotech, how it’s reshaping clinical trial design and diagnostic development, and what it will take to rebuild investor confidence in the space.

Takeaways:

🔹How attitudes toward AI in diagnostics and drug development have shifted over the last decade.

🔹Where AI can remove bottlenecks in clinical trials and patient selection.

🔹Why integrating AI across teams, not just data science is now essential for life sciences companies.

🔹The role of diagnostics in enabling precision medicine at scale.

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I sit down with Jenna Anderson, CEO of KiHealth, the company behind a breakthrough diagnostic test that can detect Type 1 diabetes years before symptoms appear.

We discuss how this innovation could transform preventative healthcare, why consumer empowerment is reshaping the industry, and how KiHealth is building a future where early detection becomes the norm.

Takeaways:

🔹Why COVID-19 changed how consumers think about their health.

🔹The growing role of preventative and accessible diagnostics.

🔹How healthcare marketing can catch up with other industries.

🔹Jenna’s vision for affordable, early disease detection.

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I’m joined by Sally Bowden and BJ Kerns, founders of P3 Consulting, who help early-stage diagnostics startups navigate the realities of funding, regulation, and leadership.

We unpack why so much innovation never makes it off the shelf, what investors expect before backing a product, and how founders can de-risk their science to survive in today’s challenging market.

Takeaways:

🔹How funding constraints are reshaping diagnostics innovation.

🔹The growing importance of regulatory strategy and FDA engagement.

🔹Why strong leadership and clear product definition determine success.

🔹Signs of optimism emerging in the diagnostics market.

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.

In this episode of Diagnosing Dx, I’m joined by Ben Casavant, Co-founder and CEO of Tasso, a company redefining how blood testing works.

Ben shares how a PhD side project turned into a diagnostics breakthrough, with over $120 million raised and more than two million patients served. He explains how Tasso’s painless, at-home blood collection device is making healthcare more accessible, and why innovation in something as simple as a blood draw was long overdue.

Key Takeaways:

🔹Tasso’s journey from PhD research to a global diagnostics company

🔹Making blood draws painless, patient-friendly, and scalable

🔹Lessons in iteration, team culture, and deep tech innovation

🔹Why failing fast can accelerate meaningful healthcare change

🔔 Subscribe to Diagnosing Dx for weekly conversations with leaders shaping the future of diagnostics.