Margot Karlikow is a molecular biologist and co-founder of En Carta Diagnostics.

Trained at the Institut Pasteur, her research focused on RNA biology and host–pathogen interactions. During her postdoctoral fellowship
at the University of Toronto, she explored how synthetic biology can be harnessed to engineer programmable molecular systems for pathogen detection.

Her interests now center on the development of novel diagnostic approaches based on cell-free genetic circuits and programmable molecular sensors. With this mission she co-founded and serves as a CTO of En Carta Diagnostics where she and her team combine synthetic biology with molecular diagnostics, investigating how laboratory-grade detection methods could be translated into simple and accessible formats.

Working at the interface of academic research and technological innovation, Margot leads the development of experimental diagnostic prototypes designed to bridge the precision of molecular testing with the practicality of point-of-care use, with the long-term goal of expanding access to early detection tools for infectious diseases.