Pantea Khodami

After her interesting (and fun!) presentation at Stanford University entitled “Harnessing AI to Enrich Patient Care”, Yaa Kumah-Crystal, MD MPH FAMIA and I discussed whether MDs/NPs are going to be more liable for using AI to make decisions (and making a mistake) or NOT using AI to make decisions (and making a mistake). Thoughts? Stanford Department of Medicine Functional Medicine Research and Technology Center #AI #Healthcare #Ethics #DecisionMaking Grayson Dimick

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I'm delighted to share news of this new AI-focused drug discovery company, Xaira, built on foundational technology from David Baker and led by Marc Tessier-Lavigne. The company applies AI tools to unlock opportunities in drug discovery for aspects of biology that we believe are not readily obtainable with conventional methods. I co-led NEA's investment in Xaira, along with my NEA partner and the firm’s co-CEO Mohamad Makhzoumi, and I will be joining Xaira’s board. Our enthusiasm for Xaira based on our belief that applying AI and large language models to biology holds immense promise and is still in its early stages. Currently, the application of AI to biology relies on model architectures borrowed from the tech world. A lack of well-curated clinical training sets hinders building and training these models effectively. This limits the advancement of AI in solving biological problems compared to other fields. Xaira aims to bridge this gap. We now have a clear understanding of the data needed to answer fundamental biological questions. By iterating on leading life science models and using focused perturbation data generated through our large-scale experiments, Xaira will generate data specifically suited to building advanced model architectures that are optimized for biology -- and hopefully, unlock therapeutic opportunities for patients who are not being optimally served by existing therapeutics.

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Leaders of San Diego, come and join me at the Alzheimer's Association® San Diego Annual Business Breakfast to learn how you can best support those affected by Alzheimer's in your teams. Details below:

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Redefining medicine and patient care in Hadassah

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I am on my way to embarking on an epic journey across the greater Los Angeles area, visiting some of the brightest minds at UCLA, Caltech, and several of the region’s top cancer hospitals, together with Chris Bishop. I’m beyond excited to dive deep into discussions on biofilm, sterility in gnotobiotic facilities, and microbiome analysis using microcalorimetry. But what excites me the most is sharing our abilities for rapid sterility testing. With our platform, we’re capable of detecting fewer than five microbial cells of most compendium organisms in under 24 hours — and even C. acnes, which has long been a challenge, within 60 hours. And yes, we’ve achieved this even in complex matrices like ATMPs! Looking forward to exchanging insights, sparking collaborations, and showing how we’re pushing the boundaries of microbial detection. Let’s connect if you’re in the area or want to learn more! #Innovation #Microbiology #SterilityTesting #Microcalorimetry #Biofilm #ATMP #gnotobiotic Symcel

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Leveraging Genomic Diversity for Precision Medicine: Insights from Global Experts In a recent webinar, leaders in genomics and biotechnology discussed the critical role of genomic diversity in advancing precision medicine. Here are some key takeaways: ✔️ Global Genomic Diversity 🌍: -The genomic research community is emphasizing the importance of including diverse populations in genomic studies. This helps in understanding the full spectrum of human biology and ensures that advancements in precision medicine are applicable to all populations. ✔️ Innovative Models for Data Sharing 🔗: -New models like federated data networks allow for the secure and ethical sharing of sensitive biomedical data across different regions and populations. This technology ensures data remains in place while allowing for comprehensive analysis, thus addressing privacy and consent issues effectively. ✔️ Public-Private Partnerships 🤝: -Collaboration between governments, academia, and the private sector is essential. Such partnerships can provide the necessary funding and infrastructure to support large-scale genomic studies and the development of new healthcare solutions. ✔️ Capacity Building in Underrepresented Regions 🏥: -There is a pressing need to build local expertise and infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries. This can be achieved through educational programs and by fostering local research initiatives, which in turn can contribute valuable data to global genomic research. ✔️ Patient Engagement and Trust 💬: -Engaging communities and ensuring transparent data practices are key to building trust. Implementing dynamic consent models and providing participants with control over their data can enhance participation and the overall impact of research efforts. *By integrating these strategies, we can move closer to a world where genomic research benefits everyone, leading to more equitable healthcare outcomes. Let’s work together to make precision medicine truly inclusive! 🌟 Thorben Seeger #Genomics #PrecisionMedicine #HealthEquity #DiversityInResearch #DataScience #Innovation

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In our 1st convo Shekhar Mitra, Ph.D., Former SVP, Global Innovation at Procter & Gamble, on The Biotech Startups Podcast, we delve into the foundational experiences that shaped his leadership style and business philosophy. Some highlights from our conversation: - "I learned my first principles of leadership and management at home." – Growing up in a joint family and how it instilled values of collaboration, responsibility, and leadership. – The importance of teamwork and communication, lessons he carried from personal family dynamics to his time as a cricket team captain. – His unique cognitive style, favoring visual over textual information, and how it influenced his career decisions and management approach. – The critical role of risk-taking in achieving substantial/impactful success and the value of learning from failure. This episode is packed with valuable insights and personal anecdotes that highlight the intersection of family, sports, and professional growth. Apple Podcasts & Spotify links in the comments below! 👇🏽 #leadership #management #biotech #podcast #innovation

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A decade ago, we introduced Futurelab to our South San Francisco community to inspire K-12 students to explore science, prepare for college, and discover opportunities in STEM careers. Building on that foundation, Futurelab+ launched in 2022 as the first-of-its-kind high school biotech curriculum—free and accessible to teachers across the nation. By connecting students with science professionals, it’s helping to unlock their potential as tomorrow’s innovators. In just one year, Futurelab+ was recognized as 2023’s “Best STEM Solution” by the ACEE Excellence in Equity Awards. This past fall, we expanded the program to include capstone independent projects and editable student capture sheets in both English and Spanish. And soon, teachers will also have access to virtual volunteer visits with biotech professionals. To the teachers and students on this journey: thank you. Your passion and curiosity are shaping the future and we can’t wait to see where it leads! https://futurelabplus.com/ #Futurelab #STEMeducation #Teachers #Biotech

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How to build your network in a new industry or country? My TOP 3 IN-PERSON ongoing events around the San Francisco Bay Area organized by the biotech community + how to track occasional events. Two years ago I decided to go all in. I quit my job as a Scientist and shortly after moved to the US with only a few connections. You don't have to move countries to meet new inspiring people. An excellent place to start is here on LI. 1️⃣ California Life Sciences (CLS) Innovation Showcase https://lnkd.in/gu5UTtiW this year will happen on December 10th. Usually, it has a great mix of attendees. Academics, biotech scientists, startup founders, industry veterans, pharma partners and investors. The program and speakers are top-notch. Some of the pitching startups are coming from FAST Advisory Program https://lnkd.in/gQxEjauh. You can apply too to present at the next Innovation Showcase on June 3rd 2025! Application criteria: ✔️ company has less than 12 employees✔️ Raised less than $5 million in dilutive funding ✔️ Early-stage innovative startups with a California presence. 2️⃣ WIB-San Francisco Bay Area Events https://lnkd.in/g5ksyR2H A nice community of females in bio. These women are working in different areas, great to expand your network in biotech! 3️⃣ Biotech hikes https://lnkd.in/g3zu5Tad happen throughout the Bay Area on the first Sunday of the month. In November we enjoyed beautiful Edgewood Park and had awesome conversations about data sharing, aging and sleeping hacks from Andrew Huberman =) Events organized by groups or companies I follow here on LI (for example, Gordian Biotechnology, IndieBio, Pillar VC). Also, check https://lu.ma/sf for AI/bio meetings happening in SF. What are your TOP 3 favourite events Nimi Vashi Violet V. Ramin Farhad? The photo below is courtesy of the Health Innovation District (HID), Amsterdam. I was there 2 years ago with Jeroen Blokhuis Ahmed Mamdouh Khalil Arne Nedergaard Kousholt talking about moving to SF and early-stage startups.

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🚀 Reflecting on my latest workshop with IEEE EMBS INSAT SB It was a privilege to dive into the complex yet exciting world of drug discovery alongside my incredible colleagues at DrugIT, Jawher Khalifa and Koussai Salem. Together, we explored the transformative role of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, touching on current trends and practical applications. My focus? Walking participants through the drug discovery pipeline: 1️⃣ Data Collection and Preprocessing: Curating and refining bioactivity data to ensure accuracy and reliability. 2️⃣ Molecular Activity Prediction: Leveraging AI models to predict how potential drug candidates might behave biologically. 3️⃣ Molecular Docking: Simulating and evaluating interactions between molecules and biological targets. A huge thanks to IEEE EMBS INSAT SB for their unwavering support and collaboration with DrugIT. Here's to driving innovation in health tech together! 👉 How do you see AI reshaping drug discovery? Let's discuss below!

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Please join my colleagues Marissa Powers and Gang Fu on how you can accelerate Generative AI workloads for drug discovery using the latest Advanced Computing instances on AWS. 🔬 🚀 Register for the re:Invent session here: https://lnkd.in/e8vV5TQu #aws #genai #drugdiscovery

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"The hype will play out in the long term," James Fraser said. "The hard part of drug discovery (is) it's a pretty long business. You can't take the wet lab part out of it yet. Stuff needs to play out in the clinic." Ron Leuty takes an in-depth look at Profluent and how #AI has become a force in drug development (biologics & small molecule). We are seeing this play out in applications to the QB3 mentoring program. It is striking how many new companies are touting that their use of AI/ML provides a competitive advantage. It's almost more remarkable if a drug discovery company is NOT using AI. And it is very hard to judge the longer-term commercial prospects of a new company whose approach relies on AI/ML. Obviously the quality of the data the models are using is paramount. Anyone with thoughts about how to assess these companies, please weigh in! https://lnkd.in/gaVr3CPj

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The merger of high tech and biotech is transforming healthcare and research. Innovations like AI-integrated labs on a chip enable the synthesis, analysis, and screening of DNA, RNA, and other molecules on microchips, accelerating complex molecular processes. This convergence is driving advances in personalized medicine and diagnostics, promising more efficient and precise treatments and research methods. The fusion of these fields is set to revolutionize our approach to biology and medicine, offering groundbreaking solutions for the future. Stay tuned for more on this exciting evolution!

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Thank you, Prof. Bob Langer, for joining the JLABS CEO Summit to share your experience and journey of persistent curiosity, asking good questions, pushing boundaries and proving that talent and faith in your abilities and ideas prevails. General principles: - do things that will make a big impact - conventional wisdom isn’t always correct - exposure to very different disciplines - Take risk (failure is ok) - if your idea is importsnt, you can expect a lot of criticism - never give up (almost) - give positive reinforcement “Anyone can do great when things go well; it is what you do when things are iota in your favour that makes the difference”. #mycompany

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For those curious to learn more about the "how" of Color is applying AI to cancer, read this great post by my eng colleagues Kiril Kafadarov and Munir Al - Dajani

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Given the recent Nobel Prizes for miRNA research and AI/ML, I want to share 2 emerging companies that are leveraging both of these areas to improve human health, and offer some reflections on this space from my academic days. Gatehouse Bio is using AI/ML to identify isoforms of miRNAs associated with human diseases. The company has developed a unique precision medicine approach leveraging miRNA (and other small RNAs) for downregulating multiple genes in a disease-state network. It also uses small RNA biomarkers for finding the "right" patients for treatment. The approach has been validated with several industry partners, and the company is currently building its therapeutic pipeline. miRoncol Diagnostics is using AI/ML to identify miRNA-based blood markers of multiple cancers. The beauty of this approach versus others is its not only cheap and accessible (using PCR to detect miRNAs), but the performance to-date is impressive for several cancers where there are limited testing options. When I was in academia, we looked at a variety of biomarkers in disease states (protein, RNA, epigenetic modifications, etc), and miRNAs were often some of the most robust measures. The ability of miRNAs to regulate multiple gene networks is often viewed as a lack of specificity. In some cases, sure, but after spending hundreds of hours doing pathway analyses, I saw another picture - many of these small RNAs had high specificity on a network level. Precision medicine doesn't have to be about single target specificity. This ultra-reductionist thinking works well for monogenic diseases, but we need to expand how we think about common heterogenous diseases. Recent momentum from companies such as Regulus Therapeutics and several gene therapy companies such as uniQure will hopefully fire up more interest for investors to capitalize on the next wave of miRNA companies. What are some miRNA companies you're excited about?

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It’s inspiring to see how AI is making strides in healthcare, tackling challenges from diagnosis to discovery. Grateful to be part of a field that’s shaping the future of medicine. Excited to share this video featuring insights from some of the brightest minds in tech and AI. #MPilot #ClinicalTrials #HealthTech #AIhealthcare

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Colorado's Rise As A Biotech And HealthTech Powerhouse By Dealmakers Staff on November 21, 2024 At last month's Denver Smart Business Dealmakers Conference, Smart Business Dealmakers' Dustin Klein sat down with Elyse Blazevich of Colorado BioScience Association, Afshin Safavi of Colorado Health & Tech Centers, Blake Unterreiner of Agilent Technologies and Kimberly Muller of CU Innovations to explore the reasons for the state's success. https://lnkd.in/gaAg664Y

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