Ovarian cancer is one of the biggest killers, one of the hardest to diagnose, and the second most expensive to treat. Today’s guest is the cofounder of AOA Dx, a company that is transforming ovarian cancer detection and diagnosis.

Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is a Venezuelan-born entrepreneur who grew up in the Middle East and attended school in Europe before moving to the United States. In this episode, she shares how she serendipitously became involved in the women’s health space before the word femtech even existed, how her Hispanic heritage has influenced her career, and the founding story of AOA Dx.

The lack of funding for, lack of research on, and diagnostic challenges of ovarian cancer means that 80% of women are diagnosed when they are in stage 3 or 4 even though they present with symptoms far earlier. Tune in today to hear how AOA Dx is going to change that, and the huge implications it will have for the healthcare space. 

In This Episode:

[00:40] Introducing CEO and cofounder of early cancer detection company AOA Dx, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi.

[01:50] An overview of Oriana’s career journey.

[04:26] Factors that inspired the founding of AOA Dx.

[05:07] What the early days of AOA Dx entailed for Oriana and her cofounders.

[05:55] Oriana’s heritage and how it has impacted her career as an entrepreneur in the biotech industry. 

[08:44] The challenges of conducting early screening for ovarian cancer. 

[10:29] How ovarian cancer is traditionally diagnosed. 

[11:57] How AOA Dx has transformed ovarian cancer diagnoses.

[12:53] An overview of the process of founding and building out AOA Dx. 

[14:50] The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer. 

[16:02] Novel biomarkers that AOA Dx has developed for ovarian cancer screening. 

[17:15] The importance of collaboration in the technology transfer space and some of AOA Dx’s key partnerships. 

[19:27] How AOA Dx’s diagnostic tool will transform the healthcare space. 

[21:12] Plans that Oriana and her cofounders have for the future of AOA Dx. 

[22:19] Major challenges of working in the diagnostics space. 

[23:50] Advice for aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs. 

Resources:

Oriana Papin-Zoghbi

AOA Dx