January 20, 2025

🧬 Rafael Rosengarten - Part 3 | Leveraging AI in Precision Medicine | How Predictive Biomarkers Transform Oncology | Lessons from Scaling a Startup

32 minutes

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast, brought to you by Excedr—empowering life science startups with founder-friendly equipment leasing to fast-track R&D and drive commercialization success.
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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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Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994
Find Our Guest, Rafael Rosengarten, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rrosengarten/https://www.genialis.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheehttps://www.excedr.com
Excedr Socials & WebsiteLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:Baylor College of Medicine: https://www.bcm.edu/University of Ljubljana: https://www.uni-lj.si/en/universityGenialis: https://www.genialis.com/Lab Equipment List, Synthetic Biology Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/lab-equipment-list-for-synthetic-biology-researchHow to Bootstrap Your Biotech Startup & Scale: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startupWhen & How to Pivot a Biotech Startup: https://www.excedr.com/blog/when-how-to-pivot-a-biotech-startupBiotech Startup Support Resources: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-supportThe 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-biomarkersAI and Omics Analysis in Cancer Research: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.588221/fullCollaborative Biotech Partnerships: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research
People Mentioned:Gad Shaulsky: https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gad-shaulsky-30425Adam Kuspa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-kuspa-23bab836/Blaž Zupan: https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/blaz-zupan-33768Marinka Zitnik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinkaz/Miha Štajdohar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mstajdohar/?originalSubdomain=siLaura Benjamin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-e-benjamin-04299b34/

Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:11 Rafael’s move to Houston and postdoc at Baylor College of Medicine04:09 Collaborating with mentors and early breakthroughs in molecular cloning07:01 Joining the Gulf Coast Consortium and blending bench science with computational tools09:44 Transformative partnership with AI pioneers from the University of Ljubljana13:30 How early machine learning tools shaped Rafael’s career and perspective17:04 Founding Genialis and the early challenges of pivoting its focus19:59 Learning from failures and how they shaped Genialis’ mission23:21 The role of predictive biomarkers in oncology and their real-world impact27:59 Lessons learned from biotech pivots and navigating the startup world31:16 OutroThe 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.

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January 20, 2025

🧬 Rafael Rosengarten - Part 3 | Leveraging AI in Precision Medicine | How Predictive Biomarkers Transform Oncology | Lessons from Scaling a Startup

32 minutes

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