BioSkryb Appoints Gary Harton, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Harton to lead the translation of BioSkryb’s Primary Template-directed Amplification (PTA) technology into breakthrough diagnostic applications for targeted indications, including cancer and neurological disorders

DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#biotech—BioSkryb, Inc., today announced the expansion of the company’s leadership team with the appointment of Gary Harton, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer. He has more than 30 years of experience in single cell diagnostic product development across all stages including R&D, reagent manufacturing, finance, sales, and marketing. At BioSkryb, Dr. Harton will apply BioSkryb’s platform technology and cumulative knowledge to develop new diagnostic technologies for cancer, neurological disorders, and assisted reproductive technologies to improve analysis and interpretation of complex genetic data and provide more detailed diagnostic information that can better inform treatment options.

BioSkryb’s Primary Template-directed Amplification (PTA) technology is a novel whole genome amplification approach that amplifies the genomes of single cells in a more accurate, uniform, and reproducible manner than previous methods. PTA accurately calls variants in genomes and reproducibly captures more than 95% of the genomes of single cells in a more consistent and accurate manner than existing approaches.

“Accurate whole genome amplification of single cells is key to understanding, diagnosing, and treating human diseases involving genomic heterogeneity, like cancer,” said Jay West, Ph.D., CEO and cofounder of BioSkryb. “We are excited to have Gary join BioSkryb Genomics to extend our PTA-based innovation pipeline and focus his efforts on developing new diagnostic technologies to better inform treatment decisions in cancer, neurology, and in vitro fertilization.”

Whole genome amplification (WGA) is required for low-input DNA and single-cell analysis, but current WGA technologies only cover a fraction of the genome and have a limited capacity to detect genetic variation in each cell. BioSkryb presented data at ASHG 2020 demonstrating the use of PTA technology to study genetic variants that drive therapeutic resistance in acute myeloid leukemia and triple-negative breast cancer.

Dr. Harton said, “Having spent my career in and around preimplantation genetics and non-invasive prenatal testing using single to low cell number samples, BioSkryb is a natural fit for me as the company’s platform technology is built to interrogate single cells and deliver an amazing quality and quantity of data. The ability to understand genetics, at the cellular level, can enable scientists and clinicians an unparalleled view of the genome and the specific changes that are driving disease and are relevant for therapeutic intervention.”

Prior to BioSkryb, Dr. Harton was the Portfolio Director, Preimplantation Genetic Testing responsible for Perkin Elmer’s new preimplantation genetic testing product line. In his career of 30-plus years specifically in diagnostic companies and laboratories, Dr. Harton has held a variety of positions leading product and portfolio development at Perkin Elmer, Igenomix US, Progyny, Illumina, BlueGnome Limited, and Reprogenetics. He has also been an author on numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles, abstracts, and book chapters and holds several part-time teaching positions in the US and abroad.

About BioSkryb

BioSkryb is a venture-backed developer of genomic amplification technologies based in Durham, North Carolina. Their proprietary Primary Template-directed Amplification (PTA) system delivers reproducible, high coverage breadth, and uniformity for various low or ultra-low input sequencing applications. BioSkryb’s solutions support sequencing library generation produced from limiting samples that have undergone whole genome amplification, resulting in the highest quality genetic analyses available today. For more information, please visit: www.bioskryb.com.

Contacts

Company Contact: Gary Harton, Ph.D., gary.harton@bioskryb.com, +1.919.370.0841

Media Contact: Jessica Yingling, Ph.D., Little Dog Communications, jessica@litldog.com, +1.858.344.8091