The average cost of developing a new drug is estimated at over $2 billion. Roughly 10% of pre-clinical drugs ever make it to human trials. And each year, $50 billion is “misspent” in the trial & error method of research and development. An AI-enabled “decision engine” could help researchers find cures to rare diseases, bridge the translational gap between animal models to human systems, and move faster in drug development reducing associated R&D costs. 

Today on the show we chat with Jo Varshney, the founder of VeriSIM Life, about the AI-enabled technology that is cutting the time for drug development in half. Searching for a drug candidate for bone cancer led Dr. Varshney to tackle the challenges of better predicting outcomes, improving methods for drug discovery, and building models closer to human systems.

About Jo Varshney and VeriSIM Life
Dr. Jo Varshney is a multi-disciplinary and celebrated leader in veterinary & human health development. She is the founder and CEO of VeriSIM Life, which is building AI-enabled biosimulation technology to empower researchers to predict how potential drug candidates will interact in animal models. Dr. Varshney holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Oncology and Genomics from the University of Minnesota, a Master's Degree in Translational Pathobiology & Bioinformatics from Penn State University, and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry. She serves as a Scientific Advisor at SVAI, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization promoting education and cooperative research at the intersection of computational and life sciences.

Links: 

VeriSIM Life

LinkedIn | Jo Varshney

Genomics Hackathon

Wikipedia | Drug Discovery

Wikipedia | The Translational Gap

Qualio Website

Previous episodes: https://www.qualio.com/from-lab-to-launch-podcast

Apply to be on the show: https://forms.gle/uUH2YtCFxJHrVGeL8

Music by keldez

Qualio website:
https://www.qualio.com/

Previous episodes:
https://www.qualio.com/from-lab-to-launch-podcast

Apply to be on the show:
https://forms.gle/uUH2YtCFxJHrVGeL8

Music by keldez