Reading the Community’s Pulse | Corina J Shtir

They solve general systemic problems through highly specialized approaches and deploy single-user applications up to enterprise-wide business systems—to focus on the last-mile problem.

InterOme’s main product is its digital platform, PULSE, as they seek to take the community’s pulse. PULSE provides a centralized database and engine through cloud-based software services that support the integration of information, automation of analytics, customizable dashboards, communication, and complete process management. Their centralized database integrates results with demographics, environmental, & Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, while advanced analytics provide contextualized interpretation and predictive modeling.

The company’s platform, which delivers public health applications for Brevi-T Bio, a joint venture between InterOme and Avrok Biosciences, supports wastewater testing of more than 25 upper respiratory infections, multiple drugs of abuse, and environmental compliance monitoring. Avrok, CLIA-certified & CAP-accredited laboratory, was founded by genetic testing and research experts with a team of industry experts who have dedicated their careers to science and medicine. Together, via Brevi-T, they provide an end-to-end solution, from developing tests to sample process management and integration of results via PULSE’s database and advanced analytics. “We offer dynamic reports that include analytics, context, trends, and prediction modeling. Through our integrative platform ecosystem and global collaborations, we bring the best of science into a business and industry framework for day-to-day use by individuals, clinicians, organizations, and the community at large,” says Corina.

Becoming A Leader

Corina believes success is a continuous process. “I often tell people that I spent half of my life generating p-values, and the other half figuring out what to do with them. I spent many years in grad school, not because I did not know what I wanted, but because every time I thought I was answering a question, I was reminded by somebody in the audience that I did not comprehend enough about the other side of the story, to pose the right question or hypothesis,” explains Corina. “As such, after a Ph.D. in Biostatistics at the University of Southern California (2009), I completed a post-Doctoral degree in Statistical Genetics applied in neuroscience at UCLA (2010) and another one at the University of Cambridge (2013), UK, in population genetics applied in complex disorders, especially focused on diabetes.” The other half of her journey consisted of the applied experience acquired while working in the industry, namely at Life Technologies, later acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she ran complex programs that utilized all the facets she has previously examined in academia. Moreover, her role allowed her to bridge academic, industry, and multiple other stakeholder aspects (from the government to private sectors), an experience that opened the horizon for Corina’s professional path.

Most recently, as Head of Precision Medicine at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Corina directed the global expansion of the company’s precision medicine platform. “Upon joining the company in 2013 through the end of my tenure, I navigated the business across a growth journey via the launch of strategic partnerships and programs, developing or bringing advanced products ready for clinical integration to market,” elucidates Corina. “While at Thermo Fisher, I directed and led the growth of its Precision Medicine segment into an operation encompassing more than 200 large or national-scale programs with a presence in more than 100 countries. I was accountable to advise top leadership to drive new business, research, and product development efforts, expanding the group’s global reach through cross-divisional collaborations and external partnerships.”

One common denominator in each stage was outstanding mentorship. Scientific, business, and personal mentors saw in Corina something she was unaware of and worked with her to help her grow and accumulate new skills. She also found that each step relied on strengthening her emotional or mental health, as necessary as other factors in her professional growth.

Building A Brand

With such brilliant experience, Corina has been taking the company to new heights. Established in 2019, InterOme, Inc. aims to close the gaps that slow down health-related decision-making, and develop solutions that accelerate health, from the individual to the community level. They work collaboratively with the precision medicine and public health community to improve disease outcomes and accelerate precision public health via specialized solutions that are scalable, cost-effective, and time efficient.

The company recently utilized its PULSE platform to support monitoring for COVID-19 and to provide substance use and safety assessment for drugs of abuse in two Los Angeles institutions via wastewater testing. “To implement and evaluate action plans aimed at prevention, intervention, and treatment of drug abuse, it is necessary to consistently assess drug consumption trends”, says, Corina. There is increasing concern over the introduction and increase of drugs of abuse, the second pandemic of present time. It’s crucial to have real-time alerts when drug use patterns are changing. For the first time, Brevi-T integrated via PULSE standardized collection, testing methods, and environmental demographics in a user-friendly system. The system aggregates, interprets, and compares real-time data for a wide range of substances in a single panel. Through InterOme’s partnership with Avrok, they provided a cost-efficient and non-intrusive approach for monitoring and managing public health. Their wastewater test covers a broad range of abused drugs, amphetamines, barbiturates, opioids, and stimulants. Wastewater testing allowed for geospatial monitoring of drug use presence at the building level.

“This effort is the beginning of a new system through which we can monitor and also support government efforts that aim to prevent use and spread of Drugs of Abuse, by objectively assessing and evaluating their efficacy,” says Corina. “In addition to identifying a broad range of amphetamines, barbiturates, opioids, and stimulants, PULSE analyzes patterns, predicts trends, and provides vital context for decision-makers, arming them with accurate information to aid in the implementation of strategies aimed at addiction intervention, prevention, treatment, and recovery.”

Corina’s vision is that InterOme and BreviT will transform the practice of medicine by reducing the complexity of integrating fragmented information into simple processes that can speed up the process of disease and wellness management. “My greatest satisfaction comes from realizing that what we have built and continue to develop is welcomed by the community at large,” she asserts. “We build an ecosystem where each participant brings in their content, tools, or assets, and by accessing our platform, they can extract enriched results that facilitate actionable information and responsive decisions.” It is pertinent to mention, Corina and her team’s ability to integrate multiple layers of information allows them to answer better questions that relate to a broad range of parameters, from public health to precision medicine discoveries, as demographics and environmental states are highly correlated with the wellbeing and patterns, or trends observed at the regional or global level.