Rover Diagnostics was founded in 2018 by serial tech entrepreneur Mark Fasciano and Biomedical Engineering Professor Sam Sia, in collaboration with Columbia University.
Based in New York City, Rover's primary mission is to bring the latest molecular diagnostics capabilities to the point-of-care at an affordable price.
Our team of scientists and engineers is developing highly-sensitive and cost-effective PCR technology, ready to be mass produced.
Our multidisciplinary team is composed of highly qualified young talent and industry experts with decades of experience in diagnostic medical device development. As the team continues to grow, we maintain a spirit of high involvement and care for our mission and product. We believe that recognizing the immense value our employees offer, listening to them and allowing them to showcase their strengths, yields the resilient and creative team which we have cultivated.
Sabin Zarrandikoetxea
R&D ENGINEER, ENGINEERING MANAGER
Sabin is one of the original developers of the Rover Lightspeed. He worked as a Research Assistant in Professor Sia's lab during graduate school, while the early research on Rover's revolutionary product was being carried out. After graduation, he joined Rover Diagnostics as a full-time R&D Engineer, focusing on the design, testing and optimization of our medical device. With a background in Electrical Engineering and experience in product development for the Automotive Industry, he has been a fundamental contributor to the growth of the company and its products. He now leads the engineering efforts, both internally and externally. Sabin received a B.Eng. in Industrial Electronics and Automation from the University of the Basque Country, where he competed in Formula SAE for two years, and an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University.
Lauren Delgado
LABORATORY TECHNICIAN
Lauren has a variety of biochemical research experience, from chemical analysis of aldehyde formation in vape liquids to fluorescent probe development for neuron imaging. At Rover, Lauren is a Laboratory Technician and R&D Scientist involved in assay testing and optimization. Lauren received her B.Sc. in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics from Yale University.
Krystin Frederick
LABORATORY TECHNICIAN
Krystin has garnered experience working in an Immuno-Nanomedicine Laboratory where her focus was on the effects of free radical scavengers in the presence of chemotherapy drugs. She also worked in a diagnostics laboratory with an emphasis on the detection of Covid-19. Collaborating with fellow scientists and engineers, she applies her knowledge to research, development, and optimization of assays at Rover Diagnostics as an R&D Laboratory Technician. Krystin received her B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering from the City College of New York.
Brian Caplan
VP ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT
Brian has dedicated his career to the development of real-time PCR assays, technologies, and instruments. While at Idaho Technology, Brian began IT BioChem and he grew it to become the US oligonucleotide supplier for Roche LightCycler real-time PCR primers and fluorescent hybridization probes.
Brian is an inventor of several real-time PCR technologies: including dual-color quantitative PCR with hybridization probes, mutation detecting SimpleProbes™, and the ultra-rapid thermal cycling chemistries, consumables, and diagnostic instruments of XCR™. In 2016, Brian received the Healthcare Heros (Utah Business Journal) award for developing XCR technology. Brian earned his BA from Wabash College, and his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Brynn Budka
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Brynn has experience in both MedTech and Pharma. She has been fundamentally involved in the development of orthopedic and pediatric medical devices, where she achieved proficiency in computer aided design and simulation. As a Mechanical Engineer at Rover Diagnostics, Brynn is in charge of designing and testing various components of the Lightspeed instrument. She has optimized the creative workflow of the Engineering team, and she manages our mechanical design repository. Brynn holds an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.
We work closely with our sister company Rover Labs, which provides us with clinical samples, allowing us to seamlessly continue informing our research and refining our product. Additionaly, Rover Labs gives us a unique advantage by providing a direct insight into the diagnostics services market and teaching us how to best serve our customers.
Sam Sia
CO-FOUNDER AND CHEIF SCIENCE ADVISOR
Sam is one of the top experts in point-of-care diagnostics in the US. He has developed technologies for point-of-care blood tests, wearable sensors, and implantable devices, both in an academic and industry setting. He co-developed a point-of-care blood test for prostate cancer which is being commercialized and has garnered FDA approval. Sam's research has received coverage from Nature, Science. JAMA, Washington Post, Science News, Popular Science, Chemical and Engineering News and has been featured on the BBC, NPR, and Voice of America. MIT Technology Review named him as one of the world's top young innovators in 2010, and he is an inducted fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Sam is the founder of Harlem Biospace, a biotech incubator facility in New York City. He also co-directs the entrepreneurship initiative for Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Sam has a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Alberta and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University.
Mark Fasciano
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO