FRI AM News: WisBusiness: the Podcast with Roman Gelman, eMBR Genomics; UW-Madison releases data on most popular double majors

February 7, 2025

— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Roman Gelman, CEO and co-founder of eMBR Genomics.

The Madison-based business is developing liquid biopsy tests for cancer and other conditions, “meaning someone can walk into their doctor’s office and from one blood draw, be able to determine if they have a number of cancers or other diseases,” Gelman said.

He discusses the company’s focus on “molecular residual disease” to assess the effectiveness of various treatments for cancer or other diseases. The name eMBR Genomics — pronounced like ember — references mid-body remnants, a leftover cellular material linked to cell division.

“While the body has natural cells that divide, it’s very few … the thing that divides the most is cancer,” Gelman said. “So the mid-body remnant is a very interesting target for research and also diagnostics, and that’s the premise for our business.”

One of the company’s fo-founders, UW-Madison Prof. Ahna Skop, has spent years studying mid-body remnants, and the startup aims to transition the results of her research into a marketable product.

Disease screening would be based on “libraries” of biomarkers that can indicate the presence of cancer, Gelman explains.

“We need to build out those libraries for [mid-body remnants] and that’s what we’re in the process of doing,” he said. “So our partnerships are focused predominantly on that. We know how to isolate them, we know how to analyze them, and then we’re going to be correlating them to those libraries.”

In the coming years, Gelman says the company could help more people identify cancer earlier by offering a less invasive, more affordable testing method.

“That’s what got me into the space … contributing to something that is good for humanity,” he said.

Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.

— UW-Madison’s most popular double-major pairing for the 2023-24 school year was computer sciences and data science, according to figures released by the university.

Steve Wright, chair of the computer sciences department, says students see this double major option as an “opportunity to maximize their college experience and optimize their preparation” for careers in technology.

“The double major equips students with complementary skills: Data science tells us what technique and computations must be performed to make effective use of data, and computer science tells us how to implement those computations efficiently and reliably,” Wright said in a statement.

In the latest academic year, 201 graduates got degrees in both of these fields, which is more than twice as many as any other double major.

The top degree for double majors was computer sciences with 349 students, or nearly 40% of all students in the major. Aside from data science, other popular pairings include mathematics and computer engineering.

The No. 2 degree for double majors — data science, with 249 students or 58% of those in the program — was most often paired with computer sciences, economics and mathematics.

Others in the top five for double majors include: finance, investment and banking business with 214 students or 52.3%; economics, with 192 students or 32.5%; and psychology, with 146 students or 26.7%.

Maria Hartwig, undergraduate program manager for the Department of Psychology, says students in the major learn critical thinking, human behavior and motivation asd well as research and data analytics. She touts the flexibility of the major, which is most often combined with neurobiology, legal studies and economics.

“The psychology training students receive here makes them even more competitive in the job market, no matter the careers they pursue,” she said in a statement.

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is raising concerns about federal funding disruptions for the state’s Head Start child care and early education programs.

The Madison Dem recently sent letters to the acting secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Head Start program, which she calls a “critical lifeline” for families.

The move comes after the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memo to pause “virtually all” federal grants and loans. Though that memo was later rescinded, Baldwin says eight Head Start programs in Wisconsin have still had issues accessing federal funding, leading to one center in Waukesha to close, impacting hundreds of families.

“It is clear that funding issues persisted even after the Administration attempted to backtrack on the OMB memo and clarify that it did not apply to Head Start programs and following federal court orders that blocked the implementation of the memo,” Baldwin wrote, adding she’s “deeply concerned” about the effects this uncertainty will have on Head Start staffing.

In the letter, Baldwin calls for a “full accounting” of directives that HHS and Head Start received from the administration both about the initial federal funding freeze and those received after the later developments; how many Head Start grant recipients had issues with accessing the payment management system and when those occurred; why users couldn’t access the system; and what resources could help avoid such issues going forward.

Read the full letter in the release.

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— U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, this week indicated he supports President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, while acknowledging tariffs can be a “double-edged sword.”

Trump has implemented a 10% tariff on imports from China, while 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico are on hold for a month after Trump reached agreements with their governments this week.

Johnson in a post on X said Trump “has effectively used tariffs to secure our border in the past, and he’s doing it again. Fentanyl overdoses have been fueled by Biden’s open border. He said the United States is “engaged in a war on drugs.”

But Johnson also told NewsNation he shares concerns about generalized tariffs over a long period of time, saying they can be a double-edged sword if used that way.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said Trump’s tariff plans are “bad news” for consumers, manufacturers and farmers, arguing “everyone is going to pay more.”

See more from the WisPolitics DC Wrap.

— StartingBlock Madison is adding 10 new 500-square-foot office spaces this spring, adding more options for entrepreneurs and others looking to rent space in the co-working space.

In an email announcing the addition, StartingBlock Director of Operations Leslie Weissburg said the organization is now taking reservations for these “prime spots” and is targeting an April move-in date.

“StartingBlock is Madison’s top community-oriented coworking office focusing on entrepreneurs, remote workers, and small companies,” she said in the email. “Located in the heart of Capitol East, our 50,000 sq ft workspace is designed to support growing companies at every stage.”

Get more information here.

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