2. Reprod.
Beta Assay dev L Pharma
Inst. mfrs. Fast
Feedback
Install/demo S/M Pharma
Cells Winning Low cost
Service Govt ctrs
KOLs
Easy to use,
Direct,
v
new targets partner CROs/ Univ
IP, cells
Labs
Inj. mold Direct
low run cost
Distributors
Low cost
One Time Recurring Recurring
Inj. mold Instrument Consum. Maint
Inst.
assembly One Time Recurring Recurring
warranty Software Train.
3. Who we have talked to
• Yoke Tanaka, CEO, Tecella
• Doug Krafte, CSO, Icagen
• Glenn Kirsch, ChanTest
• CEO, Small Pharma (confidential)
• Sr. VP Research + 3 scientists, Illumina
– Not interested in IC screening, wanted tech for
sensors
• Dongxian Zhang, Burnham Institute
• Jim Hall, UCI
• Craig McKay, GSK
4. Channel partner
• Competitors’ consumables and instruments are sold direct
– Consumables off of company websites
– Instruments through sales reps
• Yoke Tanaka, CEO Tecella
– Tecella is a multichannel patch clamp amplifier mfr
– Excited about our platform and have loaned us an amp. Presumably
they'd like to develop a new market.
– Expressed an interest in partnering; Tecella would provide amp and
whole instrument system would be sold by us or them or both.
• Tecella sells amps through a traditional sales channel
– One issue was other APC mfrs Tecella has sold to make own software.
• For us to do would be big undertaking and out of our expertise.
• There is an academic in the UK with his own software and he supports Tecella
amps. Perhaps this software could be licensed.
– Since our application is intended to be replication of APC data, and
Tecella makes multichannel APC amps already, it seems that we
wouldn't need much modification to the hardware.
5. Customer
• Doug Krafte, CSO Icagen
– Icagen is a Med/Sm Pharma specializing in ion channel drugs.
– Their e-phys platforms are IonWorks, Patch XPress, and PC
– Not concerned about inst. cost- ~$500K is standard.
• Expensive consumables are a killer. Extremely concerned w/running costs and
cost/dp
– Two opportunities for technology: 1) in HTS, data from opt. assays
often doesn't match PC. If a reliable HTS ephys platform was available,
it would be great. 2) Sometimes APC and PC don't match! So even a
med throughput soln with better data could be viable. (This was a little
bit surprising to me.)
– He is definitely interested in trying our technology. Importance of
validation.
– We have IC50's within 30% of the lit. and industry looks to be within
**a factor of three** so we are good.
– Keep validating and adoption will come if we can deliver cost and
throughput.
6. Customer
• Glenn Kirsch: Sr. Dir. of Pharmacology, ChanTest
– Biggest impact is novel targets (cannot be targeted by APC)
• Intracellular ion channels, IP3, ryanodine receptors, mitochondrial
channels
• “Best bang for the buck”
– Current pain points are cost and cell culture
• HTS plagued by high consum. cost ($150-$200 per plate). If we get to
$15-$50 we could get primary screening.
• Fluorescent meas. bad, industry trying to replace; APC too expensive.
– Cell culture reduces efficiency. Eliminating cell culture is a huge
plus.
– Path to Adoption
• Publish papers
• Early stage screening open to new technologies since nothing works
anyway
• When we are around 2000 dp/day Chantest willing to do full validation,
maybe earlier for new targets.
7. Customer
• Confidential (Local small pharma company)
– Have a difficult target; current tech not well suited. Must
use a host of assays.
– Interested in providing us with target to validate.
• If works then they would be willing to try us.
• They are very small and strapped for cash so they could only
purchase low cost instruments. They could use a service or rent
the machine.
– Ease of use is very attractive. They would consider a 48
simultaneous measurement sites with >90% success a
great achievement and willing to use.
– They understand the adoption problems we have and are
willing to help validate the technology at a lower
throughput.
8. Customers
• Craig McKay, Sr.Scientist/Investigator GSK
– Their e-phys measurements are "end-point" analyses way further down
the discovery pipeline
– In the past GSK has partnered with start-up companies to bring forward
promising technologies.
– They want vendor supported, turn-key solutions.
• Jim Hall, Professor UCI
– Thinks technology is very exciting and would be willing to use a lower
throughput machine (8 channels) in his studies.
– Data quality is the most important thing for him.
– Would like to see additional features like perfusion during recording.
• Dongxian Zhang , Director e-phys group Burnham Institute
– They are very interested in using new technologies.
– Major pain point was throughput with data quality, they want both.
– Cost was somewhat of an issue.
– If we could provide a demo inst then they could host it. They wanted to
see data/publications first.
9. Customer/New application?
• Group at Illumina
– Pain Points: Easy of use, Reliability
– Business Model: Service
• The meeting included the Senior VP of Research and 3 scientists.
• They are working on a new DNA sequencing technology that may require
stable bilayers. They have invested over $40M in a protein engineering
company, Oxford Nanopores, toward this goal.
• They were very concerned about ease of use and reliability of a bilayer
platform. Cost did not really come up that much since this was a very
research oriented conversation.
• They were interested in the platform and tried to get additional scientific
knowledge from the meeting. They are potentially interested in a CRO
type of agreement where we would handle the bilayer development but
this was not very concrete at all.
• It became more of an information meeting where they were probing the
technology and what it can do.
10. Takeaways
• Strong interest from possible channel partner
• Competitors’ consumables and instrument are
sold directly by them
• New product line?- med throughput that gives
better data than APC
• Our IC50 data is already in line for adoption, just
need more of it
• Inst cost not a concern for big pharma
– All costs are concern for small pharma and Univs.
• Confirmation of ChanTest as “earlyvangelist”
