Big data is promising to help healthcare providers take massive steps forward in treating diseases such as cancer. In this interview, we sit down with Kevin Bermeister, long time technology investor and innovator, about his startup Codondex. Bermeister has decades of experience in technology and entertainment, and is currently involved in a number of startups including augmented reality startup Yaturu. He was an early investor in Skype.
- Q. How is big data be used in cancer research?
A. The big data phenomenon has enabled the discovery of relationships between ever diminishing, small data items. In the dynamic of biology, the domino or network effect of one molecule on others is being computed to produce ever more data that is analyzed to produce models. Meaningful results predict outcomes that can be tested in laboratories for experimental physical proofs, which are used to fine tune big data models for treatment of diseases like cancer. With the advent of GPU computing and the move to Quantum type systems, we expect that massive computation on a per patient basis will eventually allow a person to predict and take action to prevent or slow their demise.
- Q. How does cloud computing help?
A. The accessible, scalable power of cloud computing, combined with new breakthroughs in understanding the functions of cellular molecules, will allow us to identify precise mechanisms required to fight disease, cancer and prevent aging. Cloud has made access to massive computing facilities accessible to any organization, therefore more ingenuity is being applied than ever before. The amount of data necessary to accomplish our goals is enormous, as is the amount of computing power. The cloud compute model is immensely scalable and cost effective.
- Q. What is precisionFDA?
A. The US Food and Drug Administration created a research and development portal in 2015 that would allow community members to test, pilot, and validate existing and new bioinformatics approaches for processing the vast amount of genomic data that is collected using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology. Although the portal is in beta, the community and cloud computing power behind precisionFDA is enabling very fast progress across a wide range of research. The FDA understands the potential of predictive computer models, so precisionFDA will enable them to accelerate their review of these models and their capacity to predict physical proofs.
- Q. How is Codondex looking to help with cancer research?
A. Codondex was born by combining knowledge of the network effect of storage in massively distributed computers with the same in cells, especially at the level of DNA response to an upstream event. We saw that functions of proteins on DNA resembled those of query and document reconstruction. We began applying computing analogies and used big data to sort and analyze non-coding DNA data. Why non coding? Well, these are the sections of genes that allegorically code a documents font, letter, word, sentence and paragraph positions, margins, highlights and all the tangential things that make it readable. After 3 years of analytic work, we began testing at Tel Aviv University and have confirmed that our algorithmic selections all had biological effect of slowing proliferation of diseased cells.
We are focused on precision cell selection for autologous application. This means we want to help laboratories, hospitals, oncologists or doctors to compute unique patient data by precisely identifying beneficial cells from their biopsied samples. The selected cells will be colonized, harvested and re-applied in much greater concentrations as part of a treatment regime.
Every cell in your body is different. We believe that soon, we’ll be able to identify the cells already present in your body that your doctor can grow to help you fight your disease.
- Q. What the ultimate goal of your research?
A. To assist people to fight their own diseases autologously. We hope to begin selling and marketing products within 18-24 months.
Bio:
Kevin Bermeister has developed businesses in the computer, multimedia, Internet, and real estate industries. He is Founder, Chairman and CEO of Brilliant Digital Entertainment Inc. and founding investor in a number of successful technology ventures including Skype. Bermeister is currently Chairman or investor in several technology startups including augmented reality startup Yaturu, big data analytics company Codondex, and advertising network startup Adfreeway.
