superior diagnostics that can ‘listen to the conversation of the body.'”
Where genome sequencing provides detailed information about the genes that make up each individual, Blume and Klemm says proteomics (the study of proteins) takes molecular diagnostics to a new level by describing what the genes are actually doing. In his 2010 TedMed talk, Hillis compared genome sequencing to listing all the ingredients a particular restaurant could use to prepare meals. Quantifying the proteins helps to explain what’s actually happening in the kitchen—how the ingredients are being used and what meals are being made.
While scientists have gotten very good at generating information about proteins, Blume says it was necessary to take a systems level approach to accurately measure all the proteins in a blood sample, and then use that data in a meaningful way. “Molecular medicine is now as much about information handling as it is about measurements,” he says.
In API’s statement, Agus says the company “has significantly advanced the technology to look at the whole proteome instead of a single protein biomarker and have a complete picture of a patient’s status to make the best healthcare decisions.”
API has been hiring since it moved to San Diego, and Klemm said he expects the company will reach 25 employees sometime later this year. They will be focused primarily on discovery and development work.
Klemm says he has extensive experience in developing markets for high-value diagnostic tests. Before joining Predictive Biosciences, Klem was the CEO of San Diego’s GeneOhm Sciences, which he joined in 2002. Becton Dickinson acquired GeneOhm in 2006 for roughly $255 million. Klemm also currently serves as chairman of Pathwork Diagnostics, a Redwood City, CA, company that specializes in cancer diagnostics.
