Slovenian-US firm using AI for targeted cancer treatment
Ljubljana, 7 April - Embracing the promise of AI as an aid in cancer research, Slovenian-US biotech firm Genialis is addressing a key challenge in cancer treatment, the lack of reliable biological markers to predict how patients will respond to therapy, with an advanced AI model, developed from analysing over a million global samples.
Ljubljana, Computer Museum.
A talk entitled How the Power of AI is Transforming Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment, organised by the Slovenian Technology Forum, with Rafael Rosengarten, co-founder and CEO of Genialis, as guest speaker.
Genialis co-founder and CEO Rafael Rosengarten and Genialis CTO and co-founder Miha Štajdohar.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Ljubljana, Computer Museum.
A talk entitled How the Power of AI is Transforming Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment, organised by the Slovenian Technology Forum, with Rafael Rosengarten, co-founder and CEO of Genialis, as guest speaker.
Genialis co-founder and CEO Rafael Rosengarten.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Ljubljana, Computer Museum.
A talk entitled How the Power of AI is Transforming Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment, organised by the Slovenian Technology Forum, with Rafael Rosengarten, co-founder and CEO of Genialis, as guest speaker.
Genialis CTO and co-founder Miha Štajdohar.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Founded nine years ago as a spin-off from the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Computer and Information Science (FRI), Genialis is headquartered in Boston but retains strong Slovenian ties, employing 22 Slovenian experts in computing, maths, physics, medicine, and biology. The company develops software tools for new drug development, treatment planning, and cancer diagnostic.
According to co-founder and CTO Miha Štajdohar, Slovenian expertise was vital to its creation. "Slovenia has a very strong ecosystem in AI. We have renowned laboratories at FRI and the Jožef Stefan Institute, where groups have been developing AI knowledge for decades, and this tradition also enables the development of quality personnel," he pointed out at a recent event in Ljubljana.
Initially developing software for biologists, Genialis pivoted six years ago towards personalised medicine. "We upgraded our software with AI tools that offer diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies answers to specific questions, for example, whether a patient will respond to a specific cancer drug or therapy," Štajdohar explained.
The absence of reliable biomarkers hinders effective care, stated co-founder and CEO Rafael Rosengarten. Genialis tackles this with its proprietary "Genialis Supermodel," an AI using extensive global patient RNA data. Machine learning models then predict drug efficacy for individual patients.
Key challenges however persist. Rosengarten cited accessing diverse, quality patient data as crucial, leading to partnerships across India, the Middle East, Europe, and Taiwan to build a more inclusive database.
Funding is another significant hurdle, as research is costly, with 96% of oncology drugs never reaching the final phase of clinical testing. Genialis is currently seeking its next investment round.
Regarding AI regulation, Rosengarten is not concerned about the heavily regulated healthcare sector, but more about misuse elsewhere, such as direct disinformation for consumers or deepfakes.
Štajdohar is confident the future lies in targeted therapies enabling effective, individualised plans. He explained their biomarkers significantly boost success: while previously only 20-30% might respond, patient selection using their biomarkers means treatment success rises to 65%.
Currently used in clinical studies and research clinics, the ultimate aim is for their software and diagnostic tests to become part of routine clinical practice, directly aiding patients and improving their quality of life.