On Tuesday, Google announced AlphaGenome Atlas, a resource that attempts to predict the consequences of every possible single-base variant in the human genome. The human genome is about 3 billion bases long, so trying the other three DNA bases that don't appear in our reference genome means sending a total of 9 billion bases through AlphaGenome software.
AlphaGenome is designed to identify potential functions of non-coding DNA, which does not encode proteins but makes up the vast majority of the human genome. Some of this non-coding DNA is essential for controlling the activity of the protein-coding portion—it tells the cell where and when to make messenger RNAs, how to process them into mature protein-coding forms, and so on. But much of it appears to be little more than the remains of viruses and other molecular parasites.
Being able to identify the functional portion is very useful, as is having all the analysis done by a single software package. But until biologists start to use it heavily (assuming they do), it won't be clear what AlphaGenome offers beyond what we could have gotten out of its training data.
A federal judge has entered a final judgment requiring Guardant Health to pay more than $245 million to Seattle biotech TwinStrand Biosciences and the University of Washington over DNA sequencing technology developed at the university.
The judgment, entered Friday in U.S. District Court in Delaware, follows a 2023 jury verdict that found Guardant willfully infringed two patents covering TwinStrand’s Duplex Sequencing technology.
The case also establishes a continuing revenue stream for the university and TwinStrand from some of Guardant’s products.
Jesse Salk, co-founder of TwinStrand. (TwinStrand Photo)
The court’s final judgment includes $83.4 million in damages awarded by the jury for infringement through June 2023, plus $19.5 million in supplemental damages, $119.4 million in accrued royalties and $22.9 million in interest.
Going forward, Guardant is required under the judgment to pay a 6% royalty on covered sales through March 2033, when the patents expire.
The technology at the center of the case traces back to research at the University of Washington, where scientists, including co-founder Jesse Salk, developed Duplex Sequencing as a way to make DNA sequencing more accurate. Salk — who stepped down as CEO of TwinStrand in 2022 — now is the co-founder of cancer diagnostics startup CytoTerra.
The molecular biologist and clinical oncologist is the grandson of the late Jonas Salk, the scientist who discovered and developed the polio vaccine.
TwinStrand says its Duplex Sequencing technology can improve the accuracy of next-generation sequencing by more than 10,000-fold, allowing researchers to detect extremely rare genetic mutations that can be obscured by sequencing errors.
“Duplex Sequencing solved an accuracy problem the sequencing field had worked on for years, and this judgment affirms the jury’s finding that Guardant Health built products on that invention without a license,” said Chad Waite, chair of the TwinStrand board of directors, in a press release. “We remained steadfast in our conviction that the facts would prevail, and they have. We intend to see this through and stand firmly behind the intellectual property at the core of our technology.”
Salk and his colleagues from the University of Washington launched TwinStrand in 2015 to commercialize the technology. Based in Seattle, the startup raised funding from Madrona Venture Group, Soleus Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Ridgeback Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments. Section 32 led a $50 million series B round in the company in 2021.
A jury found in November 2023 that Guardant willfully infringed the patents through 11 products and services. The products identified in the judgment include Guardant360, Guardant Reveal, Guardant Shield and other cancer-testing products.
The Delaware court subsequently rejected Guardant’s effort to overturn the verdict or obtain a new trial. In June, the court also awarded TwinStrand and UW ongoing royalties and supplemental damages. The final judgment now formalizes those awards.
Guardant is not accepting the ruling.
The California-based precision oncology company said Monday that it plans to appeal the judgment, arguing that the court’s order covers products that existed at the time of the 2023 trial and that many have since been discontinued or substantially upgraded. Guardant also said current versions of its Reveal and Shield products are excluded from the final district court order.
Guardant — founded in 2012 — said the judgment and collection of potential royalties will be stayed pending the appeal.
“We strongly disagree with this decision and will promptly be appealing for its overturn,” said John Saia, Guardant Health Chief Legal Officer, in a press release. “We have full faith in the strengths and merits of Guardant’s intellectual property and R&D and are confident we will ultimately prevail on appeal.”
Medical researchers need cutting-edge tools to create new treatments, and Vancouver, BC startup ScopeSys wants to provide them.
Founded in 2017 and tracing its roots to research from University of British Columbia biophysicist Sabrina Leslie, ScopeSys uses physics to make testing new medicines quicker and cheaper.
The 7-person company, which recently closed a $1.1 million seed funding round, is developing tools that let drugmakers observe individual RNA and DNA molecules, giving researchers a more precise way to design new forms of medicines.
We caught up with ScopeSys CEO Padma Kodukula — a longtime biotech leader who most recently served as chief business officer at A-Alpha Bio — for this installment of GeekWire’s Startup Spotlight.
In 50 words or less, give us your startup’s elevator pitch.
ScopeSys is developing next-generation analytical instruments that reveal the size, payload, structure, and dynamic behavior of individual nanoparticles and biomolecules. Our proprietary Convex Lens-induced Confinement (CLiC) technology helps pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies design better genomic medicines, accelerate formulation development, improve scale-up, and strengthen manufacturing control.
What problem are you obsessed with solving?
I am obsessed with improving how genomic medicines are characterized. These therapies are complex and highly heterogeneous, yet many existing analytical methods report only population averages. We want to give scientists particle-by-particle and molecule-by-molecule insight so they can better understand what they are making, why it works, and how to manufacture it consistently.
What surprised you after talking to customers?
I was surprised by how actively customers seek technologies that can give them a meaningful competitive advantage. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology teams are highly sophisticated, but they still face major analytical gaps. They are willing to explore cutting-edge tools when technology can answer important questions that existing methods cannot and provide actionable data.
How has AI changed the way you build your company?
AI has multiplied our efficiency across nearly every part of the company. We use it to accelerate scientific research, analyze market and competitive information, refine product positioning, develop customer materials, support sales outreach, and improve internal decision-making. It allows a small team to operate with the speed and breadth of a much larger organization.
What is one thing people misunderstand about your startup?
Some people assume we are still an academic research project because our technology originated at the University of British Columbia. In reality, ScopeSys is a commercial, revenue-generating company. We are translating years of scientific innovation into robust instruments, consumables, AI datasets, and analytical services designed for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and research laboratories.
What is the toughest decision you have made in the past year?
The toughest decision has been balancing near-term service revenue with the long-term investment required to commercialize our instrument platform. Services generate important customer validation and cash flow, but building a scalable product company requires disciplined choices about hiring, capital allocation, product development, and which opportunities to prioritize.
What is the one piece of advice you give to other entrepreneurs?
There will be many hurdles throughout the entrepreneurial journey, and some will feel overwhelming in the moment. Keep moving forward. Most challenges eventually pass, especially when you remain focused, adaptable, and persistent. Perseverance does not mean ignoring problems; it means continuing to solve them one at a time.
We will know our company has made it when…
Our technology and instruments are routinely used across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic laboratories as a standard tool for developing genomic medicines—helping scientists build better formulations, accelerate process scale-up, understand product heterogeneity, and support manufacturing and quality control.
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