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Dave Messina
About
Dave Messina - General Partner at Pioneer Fund - Future of Health health.pioneerfund.vc
Best quotes
I got my start working on the human genome project. This was at Washington University in St. Louis, which is one of the two institutions leading the the public effort to do that.
Today we can sequence a genome for a 100 bucks in an afternoon.
We have thousands and thousands of people who use computers to study biology and medicine. It's completely different era.
Gilgamesh pharmaceuticals that we invested in just 5 years ago. That was a seedstage investment. They sold their lead asset to Abby, a major farmer company for over a billion in cash.
AI's greatest impact is going to be in health.
FAQ
What was Dave Messina's role in the Human Genome Project?
Dave Messina started his career working on the Human Genome Project at Washington University in St. Louis, which was one of the two leading institutions in the public effort. Later, he pursued a PhD in computational biology and co-founded co-actor genomics with some of his peers from the project.
How has the cost and speed of DNA sequencing changed over time?
The first human genome sequencing cost $3 billion, took many years, and required a massive international effort. Today, a genome can be sequenced for about 100 dollars in a single afternoon due to advancements that have exceeded Moore's Law over the past 20 years.
What is Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals and what did they achieve?
Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals is a seed-stage investment of Pioneer Fund that focuses on psychedelic compounds for medical purposes. They successfully adapted psychedelic compounds to remove psychotropic effects while preserving therapeutic benefits, leading to their lead asset being acquired by AbbVie for over a billion in cash five years after initial investment.
How long has Pioneer Fund been investing in health and bio?
Dave Messina has been part of Pioneer on the investing side since its inception in 2018 and has been leading health and bio investments there since 2019. The fund currently has a strong bio and health community with over 100 founders.
What is Dave Messina's perspective on AI in healthcare?
Dave Messina believes that healthcare is a five trillion-dollar market—five times the size of the software market—and that AI's greatest impact will ultimately be in health. He highlights the exponential growth of biological data and specialized AI models as key drivers of this transformation.
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