Hello!We are Depixus
Introducing our work
Depixus is undertaking commercial development of a technology for the fast, accurate, and inexpensive extraction of genetic and epigenetic information from single molecules of DNA and RNA.
The technology is known as SIMDEQ™ (SIngle-molecule Magnetic DEtection and Quantification). It was initially developed in the laboratory of Vincent Croquette, David Bensimon, and Jean-François Allemand at École Normale Supérieure (ENS), one of France’s leading ‘grandes écoles’.
SIMDEQ™ has a wide range of potential applications across the life-science and medical industries.
Using the SIMDEQ™ platform, it will be possible to identify, count, fully sequence, and epitype many millions of individual molecules of DNA at a high speed and accuracy.
Substantial validation of our technology has already been completed and the first steps towards platform optimisation and commercialisation are underway.
Management Team
Dr. Gordon Hamilton MA MBBS MBA
Gordon is the CEO of Depixus. He brings experience of translational research and bioscience commercialization having worked as Medical Director for ChemoCentryx, a successful Silicon Valley biopharmaceutical company. He has previously also founded and built-up The Electives Network Ltd, an international medical education company. He has a First Class Master’s degree in Physiological Sciences from the University of Oxford, a medical degree from Imperial College School of Medicine, and an MBA from INSEAD.
Dr. Chas André BA PhD
Chas has over 17 years of experience successfully bringing life science tools to market with companies such as Applied Biosystems, MJ Research; BioRad, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. He graduated from The University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in biology, and earned a Ph.D. in Genetics from Stanford University. He has overseen the launch of dozens of products in the PCR, qPCR and DNA sequencing sectors, including instruments, consumables, and software, with a particular focus on applications and system integration.
Senior R&D Team
Jimmy Ouellet PhD
Jimmy leads Depixus’ molecular biology activities. He has more than 15 years of research experience in areas spanning molecular biology, cell biology, oncology, and live microscopy. Jimmy has a PhD in biology from McGill University (Montréal, Canada) and did his post-doctoral training at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH, Zürich Switzerland). Before joining Depixus in early 2015, he worked in the “Laboratoire de Physique Statistique” (LPS) of École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Here he was a member of the research group of Vincent Croquette, David Bensimon, and Jean-Francois Allemand, Depixus’ academic founders.
Hua Bai MSc CEng
Hua has been leading Depixus’ micro-electronics and MEMS activities since he joined the company in November 2015. He has a degree in Electronics Science & Technology from Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST) in China, and an MSc in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London. Mr. Bai started his career as one of the very early employees of DNA Electronics, UK company that pioneered the field of semiconductor-based detection and sequencing of DNA. He has also worked at a large medical device manufacturer Elekta, where he worked as electronic system technical lead on the development of a complex new Image Guided Radiotherapy machine for cancer treatment.
Pol d’Avezac PhD
Pol has been leading the data science effort for Depixus since joining the company in April 2016. He holds an engineering degree and a Ph.D. in particle physics from the Ecole Polytechnique. Since then, he has worked as a data scientist and R&D computer engineer, acquiring experience within both startups and multinational companies, in fields ranging from heavy process industries to medical instrumentation and geophysics.
Board Members
John Berriman
John Berriman is the Chairman of ReNeuron Group plc (listed on AIM) and Autifony Therapeutics Ltd; and past Chairman of Heptares Therapeutics Ltd (sold to Sosei in February 2015) and Algeta ASA (listed on the Oslo stock exchange and sold to Bayer AG in March 2014). He is also a non-executive director of Autolus Ltd. Until its sale to Amgen in the spring of 2012 he was a director of Micromet Inc. (listed on NASDAQ). Previously he was a director of Cytos AG (listed on the SIX Swiss exchange) and Abingworth Management, an international healthcare venture capital firm, where he was involved in founding, financing and serving as a director of several biotechnology companies in Europe and the USA – many of which obtained listings on public stock exchanges. Prior to that, he spent 14 years with Celltech Group plc and was a member of its Board when it listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1994. He has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge and a Masters degree from the London Business School. In addition to the positions mentioned above, he was a founder and the first chairman of Solexa Ltd (now owned by Illumina Inc) the company which developed the DNA sequencing technology which is the dominant method of gene sequencing today.
Edward Rayner
Edward Rayner is an Investment Director at Arix Bioscience, a global healthcare and life science company focused on generating value from the development and commercialisation of innovative technologies. Before joining Arix at its inception, Ed spent 18 years as an Equity Analyst and Portfolio Manager in Europe and Australia. From 2004-2014, he was Head of Research at AllianceBernstein and then a Senior Portfolio Manager at AMP Capital, both in Sydney Australia. At AMP Capital, a leading Australian investment house with over A$130bn in funds under management, he managed the Growth Equity portfolios and launched a Small Companies fund. As part of his responsibilities he focused on the Healthcare sector. Prior to his move to Australia, Ed analysed European equities at UBS Asset Management and JP Morgan Investment Management. He gained an MA in Chemistry and MSc in Management at the University of Oxford and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Ronald Lindsay
Dr Lindsay has been a director of Depixus since April 2016. Based in Concord, Massachusetts, he is a co-founder, current CEO and Board Chairman of Zebra Biologics Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of breakthrough treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and pain. He is a director of Arqule Inc. and NeurocentRx Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland, which he co-founded in 2008. Dr. Lindsay is a former director of Sequenom Inc., a molecular diagnostics company, where he was Executive Vice President R&D, from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Lindsay was previously Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President, Research and Development, at diaDexus, Inc. from 2000 to 2004. He held a number of executive positions at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., including Senior Vice President, Biotherapeutics, from 1997 to 2000. At Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he worked from 1989 to 1998, he was a founding scientist and Vice President, Neurobiology. Dr. Lindsay also worked at the Sandoz Institute for Medical Research, London from 1984 to 1989, where he was Head of Cell Biology. Dr. Lindsay completed post-doctoral work at the Friedrich Miescher Institute, and he holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Glasgow and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Calgary. Prior to entering the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Lindsay was a tenured staff scientist in the Neurobiology division of the UK MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London. Dr. Lindsay is the author of over 180 peer-reviewed scientific publications, primarily in the field of neural development and neural regeneration.
Investors
Angel Investors
Depixus has strong backing from a group of very experienced angel investors, several of whom are veterans of the sequencing industry.
Other
The company is also supported financially via a variety of other partnerships, grants, and awards
Venture Capital
Arix Bioscience Limited is a global healthcare and life science company. Headquartered in London and with an office in New York, Arix Bioscience sources and develops businesses addressing medical innovation at all stages of development and is supported with access to breakthrough academic science.
