Brian, you joined Mission Bio recently without a traditional science background, having been a history and economics major. What motivated you to become the CEO of a biotech company?
Initially, my career was far removed from the sciences. However, it took a turn when I joined Applied Biosystems, a company pivotal in sequencing the human genome. This opportunity required me to dive deep into the sciences, and to my surprise, I developed a real interest for it. My journey in the life science tools industry began there, marking the start of a 20-year-long career. Over these years, the customer base I served shifted from academic/ research to more clinical, focusing on how scientific tools could affect patient care and diagnostics. The role at Mission Bio appealed to me as it aligned with my interest in personalized medicine and making a tangible impact on patient lives.
Do you still engage with your original interest in history?
Absolutely, history remains a passion of mine. In my free time I find myself reading a lot books on WWII and famous historical figures, and watching documentaries on these subjects.
Can you give us a brief introduction to the history and focus of Mission Bio, and how it differentiates itself in the biotech industry?
Mission Bio was founded in 2014 by Adam Abate, a physicist from UCSF, with the vision of advancing single-cell analysis into precision medicine.
The company distinguished itself by focusing on DNA and protein analysis at the single-cell level, a capability that was unique at the time and still is.
Over the years, the field of single-cell analysis has evolved significantly, from being a novel concept to an essential, everyday tool. Mission Bio's technology has developed alongside this evolution. Our mission remains the same: enabling precision medicine by launching pioneering tools intended for clinical research and applications.
How does single-cell analysis differ from traditional bulk sequencing, and what advantages does it offer?
Single-cell sequencing analysis represents a significant advancement over traditional bulk sequencing by preserving the integrity of individual cells in a sample, allowing for a detailed examination of each cell's unique characteristics. This precision is critical in understanding biological processes and diseases at the cellular level, offering insights that bulk analysis, which averages the properties of thousands of cells, cannot provide.
Let me give you an example. We are learning that some forms of cancer are a result of a co-occurrence of mutations within a single cell. This means for the sake of illustration a cell must have mutation A and B to be cancerous. If the cell only contains mutation A or B, it is not cancerous. Now let’s say you have two cells from a patient. You bulk sequence them and find mutation A and B present in the result. Does the patient have a cancerous cell? You do not know. You do not know if the mutations appeared in separate cells or in one cell. The results are inconclusive. So which clinical path do you take—do you as the doctor give the patient the expensive cancer drug or not? Whereas in single cell sequencing, the results are precise and conclusive (thus the term precision medicine). This has profound implications for patient treatment and healthcare costs as you can imagine. This simple example illustrates the limits of bulk sequencing and the power of single cell sequencing. Apply this principle to other biological questions and you can see why single cell sequencing has become such a powerful tool.
Can you give us another example of the application of your technology?
Gene editing, particularly with CRISPR technologies, represents another prime application for our platform. For instance, several companies have recently launched cell therapies using CRISPR, where our technology played a role in ensuring the safety and efficacy of these drugs. Specifically, in gene editing, we focus on QA/QC drug product release, verifying that edits are made correctly without introducing unintended changes. This precision is crucial for ensuring that treatments are both effective and safe, exemplified by an FDA alert in 2023 about a cell therapy causing cancer due to inadequate QA/QC protocols. Our technology enables the detection of precise edits at the single-cell level, enhancing the reliability of gene therapies.
What is unique about the Tapestri platform, and does it utilize AI or machine learning?
The Tapestri platform is designed for efficiency in gene editing QA/QC, combining multiple assays into one, reducing time, errors, and sample use. It features a user-friendly bioinformatics package for easy analysis and reporting. This platform is particularly useful for CRISPR gene editing, where precision is paramount. By streamlining the process and providing clear results, Tapestri aims to revolutionize QA/QC lot release processes in gene therapy, with further developments on the horizon to enhance its capabilities and applications.
How important are partnerships for Mission Bio?
Partnerships are essential for us, especially as a VC-backed company with limited resources compared to larger corporations. They offer a cost-effective way to scale our capabilities and reach. For example, in clinical trials, patient selection is critical, and our Tapestri platform can help identify suitable participants, particularly for blood-based cancers. However, processing samples requires CAP CLIA-certified labs, which are expensive to set up. By partnering with CROs (Contract Research Organizations) that already have the necessary infrastructure, we can extend our technology's application without the substantial investment. Such collaborations are vital for advancing single-cell analysis in diagnostics and therapeutics.
Where do you see Mission Bio in the next five years?
I envision Mission Bio making a significant impact on patient care across diagnostics, therapeutics, and drug release. The company aims to address key challenges in the biotech industry, such as expanding the range of treatable diseases, ensuring safety, reducing costs, and delivering precision medicine. By leveraging single-cell technology, we can contribute to developing targeted therapies, ensuring drug safety, and reducing the overall cost of treatments. This vision includes not only advancing gene editing and cell therapy applications but also driving down the costs of such technologies to enable broader adoption and more precise patient care.
