33: Personalized Medicine Tool Development Startup, Encelo labs, Founders, Dr. Natalie and Dr. Katia, Discusses Their Technology, Startup Journey, and What They’ve Learned

May 29, 2018

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Personalized medicine development technology to improve all of our lives, their startup journey, what they’ve learned, and what they still have yet to do.

About CSO Dr. Katia Nazmutdinova:

She has a “PhD in Genetics, experience in kidney disease modelling and the use of patent-specific cells for personalized medicine” Source.

Additionally, she  specialized in rare genetic diseases. is skilled in disease modeling, 3D cell culturing, personalized medicine assays, drug testing and DNA sequencing (NGS, Fluidigm, Sanger). Source. 

About CEO Dr. Natalie Grefenstette:

She has a “PhD in Organic Chemistry Specialised in systems chemistry and aqueous organic chemistry” Source.

Interests: “Astrobiology, Origin of Life, Artificial Life, Synthetic Biology, Cancer Biology, Genetics” Source. 

Their mission and the logic of Encelo labs:

“We are all unique

As we all know, every person is different. This uniqueness is currently being explored thanks to the boom in sequencing that lead to multiple businesses sprouting around the field of personalised genetics.

However, it might surprise more than one to hear that most of research into human biology and disease is stuck in the past, relying on immortalized cell lines or animal models; both containing very little genetic diversity. This is due to the fact that the gold standard of research, human primary cell lines (ie: unadulterated cells from actual patients or healthy people), are rare and expensive; as they are sourced through invasive and opportunistic surgical procedures.

This bottleneck of material particularly affects research into rare diseases and paediatric diseases. Most importantly, this bottleneck is limiting our access to the long awaited advent of personalized medicine.

We are all cells

Access to individuals’ genetic material is greatly helping understand variation in human genetics. Yet, DNA on its own will not reveal all the necessary information. A human body is composed of trillions of cells, each with a specific role. The differences between your skin cells and cardiac cells are obvious both visually and in behaviour. This is due to differences in the expression of the DNA. Expression levels change in response to external stimuli. Cells react. Cells change. Cells are alive.

This is why research needs cells to study biology. We need to understand the relationship between cells and the outside world, as well as the relationship between cellular response and the DNA it holds inside. For this, we need more human primary cells.

Bridging the gap

We have identified a novel method of sourcing human cells, that will allow for unlimited and unprecendented access to stem cell-like cells. Once we develop the necessary tools for this collection, we can source cells from anyone. This will allow for unrestricted access to rare disease patients, children and other patients. This will allow for an abundance of precious material, that will accelerate research into our own biology. And finally, it will allow for personalised medicine to finally be within reach.” source

Hyperlinked Timestamped Show Notes:

  1. [ 01:50 ] The main purpose of Encelo labs.
  2. [ 02:12 ] Why go away from Henrietta lacks cells and facts about those cells, and the benefits of working out a process of attaining personalized cells.
  3. [ 03:39 ] The current methods for harvesting cells and the downsides of those methods.
  4. [ 04:20 ] How their method stacks up against the current methods, and the challenges they are overcoming.
  5. [ 05:00 ] What made them choose to build Encelo over doing anything else.
  6. [ 06:10 ] How they met, and what drew them together to start a biotech company.
  7. [ 06:50 ] How long the startup has existed, and how much more time before the technology will work out how they want it to. Also, what the specific challenges they will overcome in that time to make the product are.
  8. [ 07:50 ] Some of the big hurdles they overcame.
  9. [ 09:15 ] How different entrepreneurs talk, and how they’ve learned to talk like a businessperson versus strictly as a scientist.
  10. [ 10:01 ] The boldest claim they make.
  11. [ 11:15 ] Talking about the team.
  12. [ 12:10 ] Frequent questions they have asked and the types of responses they have gotten (i.e. direction for their business).
  13. [ 13:14 ] How to take advice, and then own the decision to chart the best way forward.
  14. [ 14:08 ] What investors and others tend to overlook.
  15. [ 16:20 ] Some of the common characteristics of the investors they’ve talked with.
  16. [ 17:25 ] What a day in their lab looks like, and what their lab actually looks like.
  17. [ 18:36 ] How they spend their time.
  18. [ 20:20 ] The path they are charting forward, and how they are working to accomplish that.
  19. [ 21:15 ] What the process of asking for money looks like.
  20. [ 23:08 ] What skills they are proud of seeing in the other.
  21. [ 24:32 ] Key skill sets and expansions to their team that they are thinking about for the future.
  22. [ 26:03 ] Their process for overcoming fear and charting the best way forward.
  23. [ 27:20 ] The businesses that inspire/influence them.
  24. [ 30:20 ] How the process of processing their liquid medium into cells will be helpful with personalized medicine work.
  25. [ 32:31 ] The different applications of their technology, and where they think it could be best used.
  26. [ 34:15 ] What particularly is unique about what they are developing.
  27. [ 36:36 ] How much money they need to complete their research and produce their specialized cup technology.

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