Brian Hashemi

Biography
Brian Hashemi is cofounder and Executive Chairman of Novigenix. A former NASA Principal Investigator and Researcher, Dr. Hashemi has extensive background in healthcare technology development and commercialization and has been an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine where he began his affiliation in the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. Brian holds a Ph. D. in Applied Physics from Cornell University in New York, and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School in Philadelphia.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Novigenix SA
Novigenix is a precision oncology biotech with a proprietary platformLITOseek optimized for mapping the response of the immune system toonsetand progression of disease to provide actionable insights andprecision solutions for optimization of patient’s therapeutic journey.

Cindy Lawley

Biography
Cindy is passionate about innovation to make genetic and multi omic technologies easier and cheaper to measure. She sees such innovation as pivotal to lower the barrier of entry for implementing scalable, reproducible solutions advancing individualized medicine and healthequity. In over 14 years at Illumina and together with customers, shehelpeddevelop solutions to advance the understanding of genetic risk andholdsseveral USDA Excellence in Technology Transfer awards for her workleading Illuminas Consortia Program. She joined Olink in 2020 soon afterthe launchof the Explore Platform that leverages next generationsequencing as a highthroughput proteomic readout. Ask her about how highthroughput proteomicsare helping translate the impact our genetics has onmore real timehealth.

Emily Chen

Biography
Emily Chen is a life sciences professional with over 10 years of experience in NGS service operations. She has led projects across the full workflow—from sample processing to final data delivery—supporting high-throughput NGS applications with a strong focus on quality, efficiency, and collaboration. By optimizing laboratory processes, implementing automation, and streamlining project tracking systems, Emily strives to transform complex and variable biological samples into reliable, actionable data. Her work directly enables genome-, epigenome-, and transcriptome-focused analyses to overcome technical and analytical challenges in molecular diagnostics, improving assay robustness, turnaround time, and data confidence to support accurate decision-making in research and clinical settings.

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Talk
Transforming Molecular Diagnostics Through Improved Sample Collection
We will demonstrate how a novel needle biopsy collection device significantly improves nucleic acid yield, integrity, and sequencing performance in molecular diagnostics applications. By connecting biopsy practices to downstream NGS quality metrics, we highlight sample collection as a foundational—and frequently underestimated—determinant of MolDx workflow success.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Zymo Research
Zymo Research, a privately owned biotech company founded in 1994, is a global leader in molecular tools for life sciences. Driven by the principle "The Beauty of Science is to Make Things Simple," Zymo is dedicated to developing innovative solutions that address complex scientific challenges.

Heejoon Um

Biography
Heejoon Um is an experienced innovator in the field of medical technology, known for driving progress at the intersection of real-time diagnostics and surgical care. With a deep understanding of global healthcare systems, he has spearheaded international expansion strategies and clinical collaborations across North America, Europe, and Asia. Heejoon has played a central role in bringing disruptive imaging technologies to market, improving surgical precision and patient outcomes. He actively engages with key opinion leaders, regulatory experts, and industry stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of transformative solutions. Recognized for his strategic insight and cross-cultural expertise, Heejoon continues to build bridges between cutting-edge science and clinical application, reshaping the future of intraoperative Imaging.

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Talk
The Role of Intraoperative Histopathologyduring Cancer Surgery
This talk will introduce VPIX Medicals real-time imaging platform, cCeLL, which delivers intraoperative histopathology without frozen sections. By enabling immediate, high-resolution cellular visualization at the surgical site, cCeLL enhances intraoperative decision-making, improves margin assessment, and supports maximal safe resection across a range of tumor types.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
VPIX Medical
VPIX Medical is a medical device company specializing in real-time, in vivo histopathology imaging. Its flagship platform, cCeLL, enables surgeons to visualize cellular structures during surgery, enhancing diagnostic precision and improving surgical outcomes.

Andrew Holman

Biography
Andrew Holman is a clinical rheumatologist who discovered and published the role of dopamine agonists (Parkinson's disease medications) as aleading treatment for fibromyalgia (FM). This work, combined with the immunology training of rheumatology, led to exploration of how stress impacts autoimmune disease onset, activity, treatment response and potential remission. The concept is called immuno-autonomics and it is revolutionizing how doctors address stress biology, first in autoimmune disease, and next, in other diseases adversely impacted by stress.

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Talk
Stress as a missing vital sign
Vital signs have widespread integration into health and stress should be included. Stress is biology, controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) within the brain. Divided into two continuously competing components, the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (restrest or ative) jockey for influence of nearly every human physiology. Finally, it can be measured with FDA-cleared precision.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Inmedix
CloudHRV from Seattle-based Inmedix is FDA-cleared, reimbursed, 5-min, next-generation heart rate variability (HRV) in the clinic on a high-fidelity ECG platform. It is first and only to bring discrete indices of sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest/restorative) state to the clinic as a missing vital sign.

Michael Milburn

Biography
Dr. Milburn received his Ph. D. in Biophysical Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and was a research fellow at Harvard Medical School for his post-doctoral work. Dr. Milburn has over 25 years of experience in biotech and pharmaceutical companies including over 20 years in senior management research positions. Dr. Milburn has published over 100 scientific articles on technology, research and development in the life sciences. At Gene Centric, Dr. Milburn is responsible for the RNA-based diagnostics development and commercialization.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
GeneCentric Therapeutics
GeneCentric develops and commercialize next generation oncology diagnostics and companion diagnostics built on RNA gene expression signatures in partnership with Biopharma companies and commercial reference labs.

Craig Marshall

Biography
After a short-lived career as a coffee analytical chemist, Craig graduated with a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from Colorado State University in 2021 and immediately joined Watchmaker Genomics as a scientist in enzyme development. He has since transitioned into applications development, focusing mainly on new and existing epigenetics-related projects.

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Talk
Positive methylation readout fuels clinically relevant applications
The TAPS+ positive methylation readout preserves DNA integrity and base complexity. This talk will highlight how direct detection of methylated cytosines supports integrated methylation and genomic variant profiling from a single library, with applications spanning tissue-of-origin studies, tumor profiling, and low-input clinically relevant samples such as FFPE and cfDNA.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Watchmaker Genomics
Watchmaker Genomics specializes in advanced enzymology to develop precision tools for life sciences. We utilize a platform that integrates computational biology, protein engineering, and enzyme production to create high-performance tools for next-generation sequencing and advanced applications, including rare variant detection, ctDNA analysis, transcriptomics, and epigenetics.

Justin Kao

Biography
Justin Kao is an entrepreneur and investor. Prior to DFJ Growth, he co-founded Helix, serving as founding CEO and later as chief business officer. DFJ Growth led the Series B in 2018. Justin loves working with founders who operate at the intersection of different disciplines. In particular, he is excited by companies that use data and AI to improve healthcare. He also focuses on how AI can accelerate the hard sciences, including chemistry, physics, materials, and beyond. Finally, Justin believes AI will reshape the enterprise, with particular interest in finance, legal, HR, IT, and operations. Earlier in his career, Justin was a partner with Khosla Ventures and an investor at Warburg Pincus. He is a lifelong Lakers and Dodgers fan and enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy. On weekends, he can be found treasure hunting at Costco, indulging in a boba, or chasing around his two children (one human, one canine).

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Talk
Investing in the Next Generation of Precision Medicine
Even as technology advances, fundraising for startups in diagnostics and precision medicine has been challenging, particularly beyond seed rounds. What do growth investors look for in the age of AI? How do tech firms think vs. biotech firms?

Clinical Dx Showcase:
DFJ Growth
DFJ Growth is a VC firm based in Silicon Valley singularly focused on helping founders grow and scale. The firm is known for investments in companies like SpaceX, OpenAI, Coinbase, Unity, and Tesla, and has invested in Lifetech companies like Neuralink, Cellares, Cellanome, Paradigm Health, Delfi, and Osmind.

Jay Wohlgemuth

Biography
Jay G. Wohlgemuth, MD Partner, Genesis Bio Capital, CEO, Pacegenix Dr. Jay Wohlgemuth has years of experience leading diagnostic pharmaceutical programs. He served as CMO, SVP for Quest for over a dozen years where he was responsible for RD, Medical, Quests RD and Medical COVID responses, Quests Employer business and healthplan for which he received a Koop Award for the best population health program in the US in 2020. He served as CMO of Health Tap, and as the development team leader for Ocrevus and director of diagnostics for programs for Genentech. He was co-founder and CMO of Care Dx, for which he was awarded Technology Pioneer 2005 at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He also served as chairman of the board for the Personalized Medicine Coalition. Dr. Wohlgemuth earned his BA at Harvard and his MD and cardiology training at Stanford. He is Trustee of the The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.

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Talk
Enabling Breakthrough Therapeutics: Data, Diagnostics and Newco Formation
TBD

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Genesis Biocapital
Genesis Biocapital is a venture firm focused on company creation around breakthrough therapeutics enabled by data and diagnostics.Pacegenix is a Genesis Biocapital portfolio company focused on enabling precision medicine in the area of cardiac rhythm disorders.

Alexander Arrow

Biography
Dr. Arrow co-founded Virchow Medical in 2023, whose mission is to allow hospitals to unlock critical molecular data for every cancer patient, enabling precision medicine to save more lives. The companys concordance studies are ongoing in six U. S. medical centers. He has served as its President and CEO since inception. From 2019 through 2022, Dr. Arrow was the CFO of Carlsmed, an orthopedic implant manufacturer that now trades on Nasdaq: CARL with a $400 million market cap. Previously, as the CFO of Arstasis, he helped that company raise $130 million in investment capital. He served on the Board of Paragonix Technologies, which in 2024 Getinge AG acquired for $477 million. Before joining these and other operating companies, Dr. Arrow had been the head of Medical Technology Equity Research at Lazard and Wedbush Morgan Securities. He is an inventor on eight issued U. S. patents.

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Talk
Identifying More Patients Carrying Actionable Drug Targets
Around 50% of positive cancer diagnosis biopsies get genomic sequencing, yet most oncologists would prefer that they all do. In this talk, we'll show how residual cells on used biopsy needles are being collected to allow more patients to be sequenced, while generating new revenue for hospitals and labs.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Virchow Medical, Inc.
Virchow Medical makes the Crow's Nest Biopsy Catchment System and Operates the Virchow Vault Liquid Companion Specimen Biorepository.We allow hospitals to unlock critical molecular data for every cancer patient, enabling precision medicine to save more lives without relying on the limited tissue sample, while generating testing volume for clinical labs and data for targeted therapy development.

Sherry Dadgar

Biography
Dr. Sherry Dadgar, Ph. D., FACMG, is a board-certified Clinical Molecular Geneticist, entrepreneur, and precision medicine innovator focused on advancing healthcare through genomics, artificial intelligence, and digital medicine. Personalized Medicine Care Diagnostics (PMC Dx) advances precision medicine by translating innovation into routine clinical practice and was recognized in 2025 by government officials for leadership in healthcare innovation. Under her leadership, PMC Dx has built a comprehensive precision medicine testing ecosystem, offering focused on nephrology, oncology, cardiology, connective tissue disorders, and pharmacogenetics using top notched technologies. Dr. Dadgar serves as Clinical Assistant Professor at George Washington University, teaches NIH and NHGRI fellows, and advocates nationally for healthcare equity, reimbursement reform, and sustainable innovation in advanced diagnostics.

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Talk
Closing the Kidney Diagnostic Gap in Nephrogenomics
Closing the Diagnostic Gap in Kidney Disease: Clinical Impact of RenaDx and RenaXome in Nephrogenomics

Clinical Dx Nephrogenomics Showcase:
PMCDx
Personalized Medicine Care Diagnostics (PMCDx) is advancing precision medicine by translating innovation into routine clinical practice.

Howard Jacob

Biography
Howard J. Jacob, Ph. D., brings decades of genome knowledge from academiaand the clinical setting to address the current state of whole genomesequencing and its potential for both patients and those interested inlearning more about their own DNA. Jacob is the Vice President and Head of Genomics and Data Integration at AbbVie and Distinguished Research Fellowand member of the scientific Governing Board. He joined AbbVie in January2019 to lead one of the largest Genomics Research Center efforts in thefield with access to over one million genomes and clinical data. Inaddition, he leads AbbVies RD-wide Data Integration Program (called Convergence) which brings together all types of data to create knowledge tosolve and ultimately improve treatment for patients. The Convergence teamrecently launched the AbbVie Research Collaborative, a health data platformthat enables patients to share their health data with AbbVie researchers tohelp advance the development of new medicines. Jacob earned his Ph. D. at theuniversity of Iowa and then completed a post-doctorate with Eric Lander and Victor Dzai at MIT, Harvard, and Stanford. Prior to his work at AbbVie, he led the clinical teams at the worlds first stand-alone genomic medicineclinic, as well as a whole genome clinical sequencing lab. Jacob haspublished over 250 peer-reviewed articles. He founded four companies and ison the advisory boards for numerous academic and commercialorganizations. As a pioneer and leader in genomics, in 2009, Howard and his team at the Medical College of Wisconsin were the first in the world to usegenomic sequencing to save the life of a patient. Nicholasstory was highlighted in a Pulitzer Prize winning series in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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Talk
From Variant to Verdict: Translating Kidney Genomics into Clinical Decisions

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Abbvie

Ronen Schneider

Biography
He is a clinician-scientist specializing in nephrology, trained at Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital in Jerusalem and at Mass General Brigham in Boston. His research focused on discovering novel gene-disease associations in pediatric chronic kidney disease, leveraging whole-exome sequencing analyses and functional validation work conducted at Boston Childrens Hospital. Clinically, he serves as an attending nephrologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital, with experience including expertise in renal genetics through participation in a renal genetics clinic. Through his current role at Natera, he contributes to research and development supporting the Renasight renal genetic testing product and participates in medical affairs activities.

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Talk
Turning Kidney Genomics Into Clinical Impact
After decades of gene-kidney disease discovery, monogenic CKD burden was unclear. A 2019 NEJM study showed 10% diagnostic yield in adults with advanced CKD, enabling broad access via Renasight (2020). Subsequent clinic studies report 20% yield, 50% diagnostic reclassification, and 90% actionable changes with significant clinical benefits- now reflected in KDIGONKF guidance.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Natera
Natera is a global leader in cell-free DNA and genetic testing, with a portfolio spanning prenatal screening, oncology, and organ health. The company develops clinically validated diagnostics to enable earlier detection, more personalized care, and improved patient outcomes.

Jennifer Stone

Biography
Dr. Jennifer Stone is a commercial life sciences executive specializing in building markets, high performing international teams and sustainable topline growth. She joined biomodal in 2023 to build out and lead the business development, sales and customer solutions teams to deliver on the companys commercial growth objectives. Dr. Stone has over two decades of experience in the omics space. Before joining biomodal, Dr. Stone worked at PacBio as part of the leadership team that led to transformative change within that organization and ultimately the launch of the game changing Revio long read sequencing platform. She also held several commercial roles at Illumina. Dr. Stone has focused her career on the intersection of technology and precision health, specifically with early mid stage technologies as they cross the chasm into translational and applied use.

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Talk
Ultra‑sensitive ctDNA detection for ECD/MRD
biomodal’s 6-base sequencing enables ultra-high sensitivity ctDNA detection by expanding feature selection for detection from one-dimensional DNA variants to multi-dimensional genetic variant, methylation, hydroxymethylation, and fragmentomics features - greatly expanding the power of precision medicine to detect ctDNA in early cancer and minimal residual disease.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
biomodal
biomodal is an omics-based life sciences technology and analytics company delivering products that reveal the dynamism of biology. Our duet multiomics solution evoC generates rich epigenetic insight from a single, low-input DNA library without harsh chemistry or complex bioinformatics. With single‑base, phased sequencing, we unify genetic and epigenetic data in one workflow, advancing research in cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and ageing.

Prajwal Rajappa

Biography
Prajwal Rajappa, MD, MS, is a physician-scientist at the Cleveland Clinic who serves as the Director of Pediatric Precision Oncology and specializes in immuno-oncology. In this role, he will lead the effort across the enterprise to streamline precision oncology approaches that integrate molecular diagnostics and next-generation sequencing as an addition to the standard of care for pediatric and young adult patients with cancer. In addition, his laboratory will be based in the Department of Cancer Sciences. After obtaining his MD, Dr. Rajappa earned his Master’s Degree in Clinical and Translational Investigation at Cornell University and completed postdoctoral training with a specific focus on brain tumor immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Prior to his recruitment to the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Rajappa was an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurological Surgery with Tenure at the Ohio State University and Principal Investigator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rajappa’s laboratory has been specifically focused on immune regulation in glioma malignant progression, developing next-generation cellular immunotherapies, and personalized medicine approaches for Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) patients with Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors. His work has been supported by NIH and foundation grants, and he has served on national committees including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pediatric Immunotherapy Development Network, the NIH Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor (CNBT) Study Section, as well as the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO). His research has appeared in leading journals such as the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, and Cell Reports.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Cleveland Clinic

Yana Aznavour

Biography
Dr. Yana Aznavour is building a new generation of non-invasive diagnostics for women’s health, starting with a menstrual-blood-based test for endometriosis and expanding toward broader gynecologic and precision-oncology applications. Her work sits at the intersection of clinical medicine, molecular biology, and translational bioinformatics, with a focus on converting complex biological signals into clinically actionable tools. She has led multidisciplinary teams across academia, healthcare systems, and early-stage biotech to advance biomarker discovery, clinical validation, and regulatory strategy. Her research and innovation have been recognized by major professional societies in minimally invasive gynecology. She is the youngest recipient of the Jordan Phillips Award for the best research in minimally invasive gynecology by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. Passionate about closing longstanding diagnostic gaps in women’s health, she advocates for rigorous science, clinically integrated development, and evidence-driven commercialization pathways that prioritize real-world utility and patient impact.

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Talk
Unlocking Menstrual Blood for Molecular Diagnostics
Menstrual blood is emerging as a rich, non-invasive diagnostic specimen. Endometrics is building a clinically integrated platform, starting with a validated at-home test for endometriosis and expanding into gynecologic oncology. We combine proprietary biobanking and advanced bioinformatics for biomarker discovery, with home collection kits and CLIA-grade infrastructure to deliver clinically actionable diagnostics at scale.

Clinical Dx Showcase:
Endometrics Ltd.
Endometrics is a women’s health diagnostics company advancing molecular technologies for non-invasive gynecologic care. Backed by UC Berkeley SkyDeck, the company won first place at the WHIS Startup Showcase and is a finalist in the NIH RADx ENDO Challenge. Endometrics participates in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Accelerator, working with clinical and industry partners to scale next-generation women’s health diagnostics.