Rakesh Nagarajan of PierianDx

March 27, 2020 thetechtribune

An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Rakesh Nagarajan, the founder and executive chairman of PierianDx, which was honored in our:

Tell us the origin story of PierianDx – what problem were you trying to solve and why?

PierianDx was founded in May 2014. It was spun out of Washington University in St. Louis where the software and services were developed in a collaboration between the Pathology/Immunology and Genetic departments.

Having been a key player in the sequencing of the human genome, Washington University was among the first to validate and report its experience clinically using next generation sequencing. This was in the very early days, so many other laboratories (about 50) visited to find out how we were addressing the challenges inherent in a clinical next generation sequencing environment. Thus, we operationalized our approach, and PierianDx is the result.

Our mission is to improve patient lives and advance the field of medicine by democratizing clinical next generation sequencing. We want it to be a routine part of healthcare, such that patients can receive better diagnoses and treatments for cancer and other complex diseases.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

Working in one of the most advanced areas of medicine offers great opportunities that can only be realized by overcoming significant obstacles. The field of precision medicine, catalyzed by clinical genomic tests, offers great promise to how all patients will be managed during the course of their medical journey. As a nascent field, multiple stakeholders, including payors, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare provider organizations, need to be aligned on when clinical genomic testing will be conducted, how it will be reimbursed, and what clinical utility it has. Clinical genomic interpretation is complex and requires more advanced and integrative thinking than simple, single gene or biomarker assays. At PierianDx, we take on these significant hurdles head-on in an effort to drive to our mission to improve patient lives and advance the field of medicine by democratizing clinical next generation sequencing

What does the future hold for PierianDx?

Our mission is to democratize NGS clinically, nationally, and globally for somatic/germline indications and to provide supportive services to enable molecular diagnostic laboratories/health systems to practice precision medicine. As precision medicine advances continue to accelerate, our unique network sharing and knowledge update capabilities ensure that the latest advances and consensus-based, best medical practices are applied to patient management using information derived from clinical genomic testing. Indeed, we expect that the PierianDx Knowledgebase will inform the clinical genomic testing that is expected to influence virtually every patient encounter globally as the practice of precision medicine operates at scale in the field of medicine.

What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in St. Louis?

It is a very exciting time for startups in St. Louis. I am seeing more investment capital backing a lot of innovative companies in St. Louis, which is transforming the local economy and fostering greater innovation, research, and investments. This is a catalyst for making St. Louis a prime tech hub.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Having recently closed our Series B financing round, it is important to realize that it takes much longer than you think to raise capital and you need to build that into your plans to align with the trajectory of growth. Solidify your mission, hire good people, like PierianDx has done, and stay the course.