Messenger RNA
In these dark times, medical professionals around the globe have — at times — seemed to be clutching at straws in regard to the best way in dealing with the COVID-19 global pandemic. Nations, as well as NGOs, have been at cross-purposes, too. The only bright spot in all this has been the creation of multiple vaccines for the virus. Although Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstrecaZeneca and the rest have their doubters, the world’s nations have already/will start a mass vaccination program on their respective populations.
The usual decade-long wait for an effective vaccine has all been executed in well under a year, impressive when you really think about it. This has been achieved, in part, to the hard work and intelligence of the dedicated medical teams around the globe— but not only them: the Messenger RNA (mRNA) genetic technology at play has also been a major contributor to an early vaccine hitting the shelves.
The 2020s are going to see an acceleration of discoveries and new ways of doing things in biopharma and medicine. And one area of deep tech that is surely going to achieve a lot is quantum information science (QIS). A swathe of startups and larger multinationals have already committed to developing their products and IP utilizing the power of quantum mechanics for medical purposes.
One such company, OakLabs, is doing just that.
OakLabs
Founded in Berlin, Germany, in 2011, the OakLabs has blended quantum physics and biochemistry to build a high-tech life science company that is designing precision medicine.
With its MagicEye Platform™ for compounds in oncology and autoimmune diseases able to work out ‘the hidden value’ still in its research stages, OakLabs is sure — counting on the help of its crack team of specialists in quantum physics, quantum chemistry, biochemistry, and not to mention AI algorithms — it can raise ‘drug efficacy in targeted patient populations’.
‘To contribute to improving patients’ quality of life through enabling the most suitable treatment via AI-derived predictive biomarkers.’
— OakLabs’ Mission Statement
OakLabs’ competencies also lie in a number of other areas, the key to them making a name for themselves in the space:
— biomarker signatures for clinical trials
— companion diagnostics
— software development for medical devices
— lab services
— the simulation of a biomolecular standard procedure (PCRs)
— the development of statistical and mathematical models.
Behind all this incredible stuff is the founding team of Martina Schad and Jim Kallarackal, both of whom are joint CEOs.
With a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Potsdam, Schad has also spent time as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology before founding OakLabs.
Kallarackal, complementing Schad’s medical expertise, has a Ph.D. in quantum field theory from the Humboldt University of Berlin. He possesses a proven CEO history of working in the biotechnology industry, which will be crucial for QakLabs’ future development.
As far as funding intel goes, OakLabs received an undisclosed amount during a Seed round way back in 2012 from German VC company High-Tech Grunderfonds.
Schad’s skills in biochemistry and Kallarackal’s know-how in QIS will be crucial in the months and years ahead. But whatever happens, one thing is for certain, though: they are sure to improve health outcomes in some way, whatever the degree in influence.
