Alumni

Eric Kunkel
PhD Biomedical Engineering 1998

Cellular Test Beds

It’s ironic. In the traditional process of drug discovery, researchers carefully strip away complexity, isolating molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways in order to determine the efficacy of a specific therapeutic agent. In solving a problem, they create a new one: the narrowly focused process used to determine these findings intrinsically limits their application. BioSeek, a California-based start-up, has devised an approach that accommodates complexity from the start. Rather than simplify the intricate cell and pathway interactions present in human disease, BioSeek has engineered a cell-based assay system that attempts to replicate the complex interactions relevant to inflammatory and autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

“We engineer in controlled complexity,” says Eric Kunkel (Ph.D. ’98), the head of biology and assay development for the company. “Because our assays duplicate systems found in the human body, researchers know immediately if their findings are significant.” BioSeek’s cell systems can be probed genetically or with chemical inhibitors, and their phenotypic and molecular responses can be used to understand disease-relevant network responses and outcomes. The hundreds of specific changes that a test compound induces are compared to reference profiles in BioSeek’s database using proprietary algorithms and can indicate a likely molecular target for the new compound or the best therapeutic indication.

“Our work at BioSeek incorporates cell biology, statistical analysis, and systems engineering,” says Eric. “My background in biomedical engineering at U.Va. gave me the background and the confidence needed to move comfortably among a variety of disciplines. You need to have a good feeling for several types of fields to be a good systems biologist.”

This broad understanding also provides the basis for more effective collaboration, a skill Eric learned as a member of Professor Klaus Ley’s lab. “In a small company like ours, you’re constantly collaborating, whether the issue is science or business. My experience at U.Va. proved to be excellent preparation.” BioSeek has entered its sixth year and is poised to make a profit. It currently has 14 employees and plans to grow slowly but steadily. Eric believes that working at a small biotech company like BioSeek would be a good experience for a B.S.-level graduate—and that the quantitative background that engineering students bring would be perceived as an asset by most biotech start-ups. He believes that students should see this type of job as a source of valuable real-world experience before going back to school for an advanced degree.