Could a Filipino find better ways to detect and possibly treat cancer in its early stage?
Aldo Carrascoso is working to make that happen. He’s co-founder and CEO of InterVenn Biosciences, a South San Francisco-based biotech company whose aim is to present a comprehensive cure to cancer through the combined efforts of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) and high-throughput glycoproteomic, glycolipodomic and glycotranscriptomic analysis.
Sure, it’s a mouthful, but look at what it can do. InterVenn Biosciences has developed GLORI, an ovarian cancer liquid biopsy diagnostic test that tells doctors whether a tumor in a woman’s pelvic region is cancerous or benign. Coming soon is DAWN, a test that guides physicians in matching cancer patients with the most compatible immunotherapy based on their glyco score. (Read: Prayer To St. Peregrine, Patron of Cancer Patients)
“The work that we do at Intervenn is highly personal,” says Aldo. “I lost my mother and two close relatives to breast cancer many years ago. I was frustrated with the lack of choices in the so-called standards of care, not to mention the lack of understanding of solutions outside that of the genomic realm as my family does not have any of the known genomic markers.”
Who is this man touted as the “Elon Musk of Philippine tech start-ups”? Here are four things to know:
He’s always been a techie.
Born in a tech-focused family, the San Juan, Metro Manila-raised Aldo was into coding in third grade. In fourth grade, he made his first television set; in fifth grade he assembled his first radio. “We were always surrounded with electronics,” says Aldo in an interview. “We always have physical tools to break down engines, cars, TVs. It was fulfilling and I got into trouble a lot dahil madami akong sinira because I am curious about how things work.” (Read: LOOK: Tradition meets technology in new ‘smart Rosary’)
He had ventures before InterVenn Biosciences.
Aldo, who finished his MBA at Babson College, founded the B2B matchmaking platform Verego and Jukin Media, described as “the worldwide leader in the discovery, acquisition, monetization, and distribution of user-generated content.” There was also Veem, a next-generation global payment provider and the first in the industry to use blockchain technology as a payment rail. Veem bagged the Emerging App Partner of the Year for 2017 at the Xero Awards Americas. It was also recognized in the 2019 at the Benzinga Global Fintech Awards.
He isn’t Intervenn’s only Pinoy.
Aldo co-founded Intervennn Biosciences with Dr. Carlito Lebrilla, Ph.D. The University of California Davis professor is also a glycoproteomic pioneer.
He’s proof that we can do anything we set our mind to.
Who would have thought that the guy behind all this breakthrough cancer-detecting technology stuttered as a child and did poorly in school? But Aldo was determined to get past these perceived weaknesses. To overcome stuttering, he made random phone calls to strangers to hone his speaking skills and build confidence. And while he didn’t get the best of grades, he was always very curious and eager to learn—qualities that led him to where he is today. (Read: 2 PH-made Cube Satellites Reach The International Space Station)
The post Early Cancer Detection, Treatment May Become Possible Thanks To This Pinoy Elon Musk appeared first on My Pope Philippines.
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