Mar 05 2025 50 mins 5
In this episode of Data In Biotech, Ross Katz interviews Naren Tallapragada, CEO and Co-founder of Tessel Bio, about his background in electrical engineering and physics and how personal circumstances led to him pivoting his focus to enter biotech and start Tessel Bio.
Naren breaks down Tessel Bio’s unique approach to drug discovery, which involves "reverse engineering" chronic diseases. Instead of starting with a potential drug and testing its effects, they begin with a clear picture of the disease itself—specifically, how it appears and behaves in the body. A key part of their method is using human organoids—tiny, lab-grown versions of human tissues—to closely replicate real diseases and see how different treatments interact with them. This “small data” approach is made substantially more efficient with the addition of active learning. Join us for a fascinating conversation about Tessel Bio’s approach to finding cures for chronic diseases that impact hundreds of thousands of people every day.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
- Naren’s journey into biotech and personal motivation
- Understanding Tessel Bio's approach to drug discovery
- The role of organoids in disease modeling
- Data gathering and target identification strategies
- Active learning in drug discovery at Tessel Bio
Connect with Our Guest:
- Sponsor: CorrDyn, a data consultancy
- Find out more about Tessel Bio
- Connect with Naren on LinkedIn
Connect with Us:
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