Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Pitch

NobleGen aims for affordable DNA sequencing

By Lynette F. Cornell

NobleGen Biosciences Inc.
Headquarters: Concord
Phone: 978-405-2533
Email: frank.feist@noblegenbio.com
URL: www.noblegenbio.com
Founded: 2010
Employees: 4


In the company’s own words:
“NobleGen Biosciences is building a novel DNA sequencing platform to enable cost effective personalized medicine, based on highly differentiated IP exclusively licensed from Harvard University and Boston University. NobleGen’s ‘Optipore’ DNA sequencing platform will deliver highly complex, whole genome sequencing based tests, cost effectively. Low instrument and reagent cost and sub micro-liter sample volumes are possible through the use of custom solid-state nanochips, imaged by a proprietary optical configuration that employs state of the art sCMOS [low-light imaging] technology, and an off-line chemical DNA conversion process. The Optipore solution enables high accuracy and throughput providing a cost effective solution for whole genome sequencing. NobleGen’s goal is to offer the best cost and performance of any single molecule instrument truly transforming medical prevention, diagnosis and therapy.”

About the technology:
NobleGen is developing an instrument for DNA sequencing that uses optical nanopore sequencing technology invented by Harvard Professor Amit Meller. Meller, who serves as the company’s chief technology officer, has been developing a prototype sequencer and has won a total of $8.3 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation for its development. The platform, named Optipore, uses high-speed optical detection to produce single molecule, multiplex reads of DNA nucleotide bases for genome sequencing. The system works by converting the DNA into an expandable representative code, capturing single converted DNA molecules into nanopores and reading the DNA code using an imaging system, with each pixel assigned to a specific pore. The system is geared toward making whole genome diagnostics for personalized medicine more cost-effective than current methods.

People behind the company:
Frank Feist, CEO, has previous startup experience as the vice president of business development for Advalytix, a microfluidic processor company that was acquired by Olympus Corp. Amit Meller, chief technology officer, is an associate professor of biomedical engineering and physics at Boston University. Phil Buzby, vice president of biochemistry, has previously worked at Cambridge-based Helicos BioSciences Corp. in the roles of senior director intellectual property and formerly, senior director of nucleic acid chemistry.

Advisors:
The company’s advisors include George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School; Chad Nusbaum, co-director of the Genome Sequencing and Analysis program at the Broad Institute; Harold Swerdlow, head of sequencing technology at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; Zhiping Weng, professor of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School; and Jorge Leon, founder of Leomics Associates Inc., a molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine consulting firm.

The pitch:
NobleGen is seeking $15 million to complete the prototype sequencing instrument and consumables to specifications that will be attractive to strategic acquirers by 2014. The company’s goals for 2011 include demonstrating conversion of 10 to 20 bases, completing the system design, filing application-related IP and drafting a nanopore manufacturing plan, said Feist. The company is also seeking partnerships with suppliers of biochemistry, nanopore manufacturing, optics and camera systems.

Awards and partnerships:
To date, NobleGen has raised $540,000 in seed funding, including a $200,000 Launch Award from Boston University. The company currently has an investment and collaboration partnership with an unnamed biochemistry company and a partnership under negotiation with a camera business.

The market:
The company estimates its target market of personalized genetic medicine will be worth $20 billion by the year 2020.

The competition:
The company said its competition includes biotech companies Illumina Inc., Life Technologies Corp., Roche Holding Ltd., Pacific Biosciences of California Inc., Complete Genomics Inc. and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd.