Former OpenAI Executive Fidji Simo Battles POTS, Develops Treatment Using AI and 3,500 Blood Samples

Fidji Simo, a former OpenAI executive who has been battling POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), has co-founded ChronicleBio with the goal of developing treatments for chronic diseases. POTS is caused by autonomic nervous system imbalance and triggers dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, and headaches upon standing, and currently has no cure.

ChronicleBio aims to analyze patient-specific biological differences to identify which patient groups a particular drug will be effective for. The idea is to use AI to address the problem of clinical trials failing because drugs are administered to all patients with the same diagnosis.

In its first year, the company drew blood 890 times from 709 people across Utah, Arizona, Texas, and India. The biobank has accumulated over 3,500 blood samples, and the data extracted from them amounts to 153TB, roughly three times the training data used for GPT-3.5. The company has raised $15 million to date.

Starting August 11, ChronicleBio is also launching a program that sends mobile blood-draw trucks to the homes of people with chronic illnesses. The first 250 participants will receive an in-depth report related to their condition for free, and participants will provide their biological data for the company's research.

Simo continues to manage ChronicleBio while pursuing her own POTS recovery and ongoing medical appointments, and she also continues to advise OpenAI. The company's co-founders, Rohit Gupta and Rishi Reddy, also have personal experience with chronic illness or have family members who have suffered from chronic conditions.