EP 196: A new vision for sequencing: In-sample multiomics and precision medicine with Molly He

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Molly He, CEO and co-founder of Element Biosciences. They discuss the current landscape of sequencing technologies, Element’s innovative sequencing platform, and the potential of using in-sample multiomic profiling across different stages of drug discovery. Show Notes: 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast00:59 Welcome to Molly01:42 Persistent barriers in precision medicine04:54 Limitations of multiomics technologies and the unique advantage of Element’s approach07:33 How Element started by inventing an ambitious sequencing instrument11:33 Overview of the chemistry behind Element’s sequencing technology14:41 Sequencing workflow of Element’s technology and technical advantages18:24 Sequencing inside cells and drug discovery insights from a study on tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance pathways25:57 Sequencing for CRISPR perturbation and direct genotype–phenotype linkage in the same cell27:33 Whole-transcriptome in situ sequencing and applications in patient samples29:19 Simplifying single-cell transcriptomics with direct in-sample sequencing30:31 Applying the single-cell spatial technology to different steps of the drug discovery process36:43 Competition in the sequencing industry and recent news about Illumina filing a patent infringement case against Element38:43 Lessons from building Element over eight years40:32 Insight into maintaining a cohesive culture as Element has multiplied in size and across countries42:06 The importance of input data quality for AI applications and excitement about the possibility of predicting biology45:40 Closing remarksFind out moreElement Biosciences (https://www.elementbiosciences.com/)Pre-print (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.06.652479v1)Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link