Certis Oncology CEO, Peter Ellman Talks Innovation in Cancer Models on Mendelspod
“How Certis Is Rewriting Cancer Models with CEO Peter Ellman” on a Scientist.com sponsored episode of Mendelspod
San Diego, CA — September 18, 2025 — Certis Oncology Solutions, a precision oncology and translational science company, was featured on Mendelspod, a podcast sharing stories of biological discoveries and translational breakthroughs. In an episode sponsored by Scientist, Certis CEO Peter Ellman sat down with Mendelspod host Theral Timpson to share the origins of Certis and discuss how AI and patient-derived models are transforming drug evaluation in oncology.
The conversation explored the deeply personal story behind Certis’s founding, born from the 2012 tragedy of patient Barney Berglund, whose family’s grief over failed standard treatments transformed into a mission to revolutionize cancer care. Together with physician-scientists and entrepreneur Peter Ellman, they founded Certis to eliminate the trial-and-error approach in oncology.
During the podcast, Ellman detailed how Certis has become the industry’s orthotopic experts, creating more faithful cancer models by placing the patient tumors in the anatomically ‘correct place’ in mice. These patient-derived xenograft (PDX) avatars have moved beyond supporting research to directly extending lives, including helping one patient achieve his dream of dancing with his daughter at her wedding.
The discussion also highlighted Certis’s ambitious expansion beyond traditional modeling. The company has built a tumor database nearly as large as the National Cancer Institute’s and recently secured a rare patent for their AI platform, CertisAI™. “Patents in AI are rare,” Ellman explained. “To us, this one isn’t just a legal win—it’s recognition that our predictive platform is novel and fundamental to how oncology will be done in the future.”
Looking ahead, Ellman envisions transforming oncology’s landscape by potentially increasing drug success rates from today’s 10% to 50%, paving the way for an era where “standard of care gives way to truly personalized medicine.” Listeners can access the complete interview here to learn more about Certis’s innovative approach to preclinical drug development and its unique role in advancing the future of precision cancer treatment.
About CertisAI™
CertisAI™ is a predictive artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) platform developed by Certis Oncology Solutions. It is the first and only commercially available, validated AI/ML platform that predicts therapeutic efficacy by identifying complex gene expression signatures that correlate with drug response. The platform is designed to assist pharmaceutical researchers to develop and clinicians to identify new treatment options for specific cancers based on a tumor’s unique gene expression profile.
About Certis Oncology Solutions
Certis Oncology Solutions is a life science technology company committed to realizing the promise of precision oncology. The company’s product is Oncology Intelligence® — highly predictive therapeutic response data derived from advanced models of cancer. We partner with physician-scientists and industry researchers to expand access to precision oncology and close the problematic translation gap between preclinical studies and clinical trials.
Since its founding in 2016, Certis has offered personalized functional testing to help inform individual cancer treatment decisions, an approach gaining wide support from cancer researchers and oncology clinicians worldwide. Using our artificial intelligence/machine learning platform and more clinically relevant, patient-derived tumor models, we bring certainty to drug development decisions and help secure clear and compelling evidence of drug efficacy. Certis operates a CLIA-certified, AAALAC- and OLAW-accredited laboratory in Sorrento Valley, the heart of San Diego’s life sciences industry.
For more information about Certis, visit www.certisoncology.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Certis Oncology Solutions
Kristein King
kking@certisoncology.com
573-818-4528