Thomas Colarusso launched BioAI Health in 2020, taking his years of studying cancer-causing genes to develop digital biomarkers tests that use AI to connect patients with the best drugs for treatment.
“Our algorithms can analyze digital images of cancer cells and make a range of predictions based on tumor types,” Colarusso says. “By looking at different biomarkers we can quickly predict from the tissue images what specific drugs are available on the market for treatment.”
Colarusso, a Nashua native, graduated from the University of NH with a double major in microbiology and psychology in 1996. He worked at the Boston University School of Medicine, where he studied cancer-causing genes. “I wanted to continue on a journey toward medical school, but I ended up in biotech and never looked back,” he says.
Colarusso worked for several large biotech companies in the U.S. and around the world. “One of the greatest experiences of my adult professional life was working for a company in Munich, Germany, called Definiens,” he says. “I had the honor of working alongside the founder of the company, nobel laureate Gerd Binnig, who I worked with to help bring his imaging technology from an idea into practice.”
Colarusso spent 11 years at Definiens, eventually becoming the global head of business development and serving on the due diligence team when AstraZeneca acquired the company for $300 million.
He was then inspired to launch BioAI, which is now collaborating with pharmaceutical companies and cancer facilities. “I feel like we have a way to go. It’s still early in the journey,” Colarusso says.
Colarusso is driven by a passion to help reduce patients’ suffering and to increase their quality of life after seeing relatives suffer during their own battles with cancer and chemotherapy. “I want to live to see better treatment options,” he says. (For more about BioAI, see story)
