Adj. Prof, PhD, MD Istvan Petak is a world-leading expert in precision oncology (PO), as well as molecular pharmacology for targeted therapies. His journey began with his MD and Ph.D. degrees from Semmelweis University (Budapest, Hungary), followed by his research in pediatric oncology and molecular pharmacology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, Tennessee, USA) as a Fulbright Fellow. He has co-authored more than 200 scientific publications on molecular pharmacology and predictive diagnostics for targeted anti-cancer therapies.

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Adj. Prof, PhD, MD Istvan Petak is also the founder of two medical technology companies that develop new technological solutions for precision oncology. The first is Oncompass Medicine (Budapest, Hungary), which he co-founded in 2003, a pioneer in the development of predictive molecular diagnostics and biomarkers. The second is Genomate Health (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA), which he founded in 2022, focusing on the development of the next generation of computational medical devices that use artificial intelligence reasoning to improve, automate and standardize personalized treatment decisions, thus bringing the concept of precision oncology closer to implementation and democratizing access to effective targeted therapies for cancer patients.

 

In addition to his business and research work, he is also a Visiting Professor of Molecular Pharmacology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in the US. In addition, Adj. Prof, PhD, MD Istvan Petak's major achievements are related to the discovery of the important role of Apoptosis (the process of "cell suicide") in individual (individual disease) drug sensitivity. He pioneered the companion diagnosis of EGFR mutations in 2003, and implemented next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the field of precision oncology since 2008. These are also the foundations for Adj. Prof, PhD, MD Istvan Petak to successfully develop an AI-based drug prescription system (also known as Digital Drug Prescription System/DDA), before publishing convincing clinical evidence of its effectiveness in Nature's Precision Oncology in 2021.