Ep#009: Cell-free DNA as a Precise Diagnostic Marker of Infectious Diseases with Dr. Tim Blauwkamp

04/08/20 • 52 min

In episode 9 we dive deep into the topic that could not be more relevant today - diagnosis of infectious diseases. Our guest on this episode is Tim Blauwkamp, the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Karius, a company that leverages genomics and AI to develop highly-accurate diagnostic tests based on cell-free DNA sequencing. Karius has recently raised a stunning Series B round of $165 million to further the transition of their test to clinic.
Tim did his PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Michigan, where he studied genes involved in nitrogen assimilation in bacteria. He then continued as a PostDoc first in Michigan and then at Stanford researching the mechanisms behind WNT signaling and its role in cell differentiation. He then joined Moleculo as a Head of Molecular biology. Moleculo was acquired by Illumina and Tim was responsible for bringing to life the technologies that made it possible to generate long and accurate sequencing reads. About six years ago, Tim co-founded Karius together with Mickey Kertesz. Tim and his team have achieved enormous progress during the last years, bringing the diagnostic tests to clinics that are already changing the lives of patients.
Together with Tim, we have talked about::
◦ The story behind Karius
◦ Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a blood biomarker of infection
◦ Why DNA sequencing has an edge over classical microbiology methods
◦ The challenge of isolating microbial cfDNA from blood
◦ Untangling cfDNA sequencing data with AI
◦ Why Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is hard to detect using NGS
◦ Diagnosing sepsis based on microbial cfDNA
◦ Clinical evidence as a key to healthcare innovation
◦ Working with payers to spread the use of innovative diagnostic tests
◦ How cfDNA screening can become a cornerstone of next-generation medicine
Get in touch with Tim:
◦ LinkedIn: Tim Blauwkamp
◦ Twitter: @timblauwkamp
◦ Web (Karius): http://kariusdx.com/
◦ Email: [email protected]
Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

Previous Episode

Ep#008: Leveraging AI for Personalized Treatment of Depression with Dr Maryna Polyakova

In the eighth episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast we discuss the role of AI in psychiatric treatments with Dr. Maryna Polyakova. Maryna is a medical doctor by training and a scientist who recieved her PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. She is also the CEO and co-founder of AccuBio, a company that enables personalized treatments for depression leveraging AI approaches.
Together with Maryna we discussed:
◦ The heterogeneity of depression
◦ Investigation of blood biomarkers for depression
◦ Integration of clinical neuroimaging, proteomic and genomic data
◦ Switching from researcher to entrepreneur, and back
◦ Science and business
◦ How entrepreneurs can transfer their ideas to clinics
◦ What motivates young entrepreneurs starting companies in healthcare (hint: not money)
◦ Why is it hard to find treatment for neurodegenerative diseases
◦ Alzheimer’s disease beyond amyloid theory
◦ The role of personalized medicine in neurological disorders
Get in touch with Maryna:
◦ Twitter: @dr_polyakova
◦ LinkedIn: Dr. Maryna Polyakova
◦ Mail: [email protected]
◦ Web (Max Planck Institute): Maryna Polyakova
Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at personalizedmedicinemedia.com

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Ep#010: Digital Health in Rwanda - From Telemedicine to the integration of AI with Dr. Patrick Singa

In the tenth episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast, we talk about digital health technology in Rwanda. Our host Luisa Hallmaier-Wacker talks to Dr. Patrick Singa, the medical director babyl, about telehealth and the integration of AI into clinical diagnostics. Babylon Health, which is based in the UK, launched babyl in 2016 in Rwanda and established a comprehensive fully integrated mobile healthcare service. With over 2 million registered users and over 3,500 consultations a day, babyl has been very successful to date and is currently working on integrating AI technology into clinical diagnostics. Patrick has been involved with babyl since its inception. He has over 10 years of hands-on medical experience and has held different positions within the Rwandan ministry of health as well as the United Nations. Patrick has leveraged his extensive experience and passion for public health to drive the integration of digital health technology to improve patient care in Rwanda and beyond.
Together with Patrick, we discussed:
◦ Rwanda as a pioneer in digital health in Africa
◦ The babyl services platform
◦ The social impact of babyl
◦ Digital health in UK versus Rwanda
◦ Driving patient adoption of telemedicine
◦ Developing and implementing AI
◦ Testing the accuracy of AI algorithms
◦ How the role of clinicians will evolve
◦ Expansion of babyl service locally and globally
◦ babyl response to novel coronavirus
◦ How COVID19 is changing digital health
Get in touch with Patrick:
Twitter: @SingaPatrick
LinkedIn: Patrick Singa Muhoza
Twitter: @babylrwanda
Web: http://www.babyl.rw/
Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com