Episode 136

🧬 Rabia Khan - Serna Bio: Unraveling the Genetics of AI-Driven Drug Discovery (Part 1/4)

"I was born and raised in a developing country. I was born and raised in Pakistan. And it's very interesting when you're born in a developing country. That's your world. Right? That's all you know." In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we delve into Rabia Khan's remarkable journey from her childhood in Pakistan to founding Serna Bio, an AI-enabled drug discovery company. Rabia shares how her early experiences in a developing country, her aunt's battle with schizophrenia, and the sequencing of the human genome in 2000 sparked her passion for genetics and healthcare. She recounts how her career options were either medicine or engineering, setting her on a path that would eventually lead to pioneering work at the intersection of AI and biotechnology. Rabia describes her transition to McGill University in Montreal, facing the shock of -40°C weather with only a leather jacket while navigating life as an international student with no support system. Despite these challenges, she pursued dual interests in biology and economics, finding her first research opportunity in a schizophrenia lab where she started by pipetting water and washing dishes.

The Biotech Startups Podcast · Excedr

April 14, 202547m 44s

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Show Notes

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr—helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.

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"I was born and raised in a developing country. I was born and raised in Pakistan. And it's very interesting when you're born in a developing country. That's your world. Right? That's all you know."

In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we delve into Rabia Khan's remarkable journey from her childhood in Pakistan to founding Serna Bio, an AI-enabled drug discovery company. Rabia shares how her early experiences in a developing country, her aunt's battle with schizophrenia, and the sequencing of the human genome in 2000 sparked her passion for genetics and healthcare. She recounts how her career options were either medicine or engineering, setting her on a path that would eventually lead to pioneering work at the intersection of AI and biotechnology.

Rabia describes her transition to McGill University in Montreal, facing the shock of -40°C weather with only a leather jacket while navigating life as an international student with no support system. Despite these challenges, she pursued dual interests in biology and economics, finding her first research opportunity in a schizophrenia lab where she started by pipetting water and washing dishes.

Key topics covered:

Formative Influences: Shaped by Pakistan upbringing, aunt's schizophrenia, and genome sequencing
Educational Journey: Balancing biology and economics at McGill
First Research Experiences: From lab basics to discovering a disease-causing gene
Decision-Making Frameworks: Applying economics principles to business decisions
Family Influence: Mother's practicality and father's entrepreneurial drive guided her path

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Find our guest, Rabia Khan, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabiatkhan/

Website: https://www.serna.bio/

Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

Learn more about Excedr:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/

Website: https://www.excedr.com

Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:

Website: https://flow.page/kyojin

Resources & Articles:

The Human Genome Project https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project

Schizophrenia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

Opportunity Cost https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/opportunitycost.asp

Marginal Utility https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marginalutility.asp

The Prisoner's Dilemma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma

Ray Dalio's Decision Making Frameworks https://www.principles.com/principles/7df5502f-46e5-47d5-8fd7-8fc70843b726/

Nassim Taleb's Antifragility https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragile_(book)

Black Swan by Nassim Taleb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Swan:_The_Impact_of_the_Highly_Improbable

McGill University's Human Genetics Program https://www.mcgill.ca/humangenetics/our-programs/program-information

Hydatidiform Moles Research https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459155/

Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:

Benevolent AI: https://www.benevolent.com/

Meta: https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/23/chan-zuckerberg-initiative-meta/

Bayer: https://www.bayer.com/

BMS (Bristol Myers Squibb): https://www.bms.com/

Roche: https://www.roche.com/

Alexion: https://www.alexion.com/

Gustavo Turecki https://douglas.research.mcgill.ca/gustavo-turecki/

Rima Slim https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=UwK8NS8AAAAJ&hl=en

Danielle Malo https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-malo-a204a174/

Ray Dalio https://www.linkedin.com/in/raydalio/

Nassim Taleb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassim_Nicholas_Taleb

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

03:18 Upbringing in Pakistan and Early Influences

07:27 Formative Experiences: Human Genome Sequencing and Aunt's Schizophrenia

13:49 Educational Experience: British System and Academic Rigor

17:21 Economics and Biology: Dual Interests and Decision Making Frameworks

23:31 Decision Making: Opportunity Cost and Probabilistic Thinking

28:51 International Education: Choosing McGill University

34:09 First Lab Experience: Working in a Schizophrenia Research Lab

40:43 Undergraduate Research: Discovering the Gene for Hydatidiform Moles

45:43 Father's Influence on PhD Decision

48:31 Outro

The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

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