Diagnosing the Future of Transplant Medicine - Thermo Fisher

Our latest episode features Tina Liedtky, Global President of Transplant Diagnostics at Thermo Fisher Scientific, a division with a 40-year heritage at the forefront of organ transplant compatibility testing.

Tina walks us through how Thermo Fisher develops in vitro diagnostic tests that analyze the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system to ensure compatibility between donors and recipients, the foundational science that makes successful transplants possible. Their primary customers are specialized hospital HLA labs, but the company also works directly with clinicians on novel assays for post-transplant monitoring and personalized treatment.

One of the episode's most compelling threads is Tina's vision for AI in transplantation, a field where adoption is progressing more cautiously than in other areas of medicine given how critical the outcomes are. She sees AI making its biggest impact in three areas: improving matching for highly sensitized patients by learning from vast historical datasets, helping physicians precisely titrate lifelong immunosuppressive medications based on a patient's full genetic and clinical profile, and driving operational efficiency across lab documentation and clinical trials.

On the health equity front, Thermo Fisher has developed the CXCL10 biomarker, a non-invasive, affordable urinary test that can be administered at home, keeping patients who live far from transplant centers connected to their care.

Her advice to early-stage health tech founders: stay true to your core vision, but don't go it alone. Partnering with established companies is often the only way to fund the clinical trials and scale required to bring innovations to market.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in transplant medicine, diagnostic innovation, or the responsible integration of AI into high-stakes clinical workflows.