Apton Biosystems

About Apton Biosystems

Apton Biosystems, Inc. operates as a developer of multi-omic and single-molecule detection systems geared towards large-scale clinical applications, with a significant focus on early cancer detection and population sequencing. Founded in 2012 by Bryan Staker, the company was born from his ambition to "measure the small," believing that detecting a single molecule of cancer could revolutionize early diagnosis and impact millions of lives. Staker, now the Chief Technology Officer, is a veteran of biotech and high-tech startups with over 25 years of experience at companies like Complete Genomics and Glimmerglass Networks, where he led teams in developing technologies from scratch in diverse fields including DNA sequencing and optical telecommunications.

The company's core offering is its Super-Res™ technology, a proprietary system that re-imagines the optical systems for sequencing. It employs super-resolution imaging to evaluate molecules spaced closer than a wavelength of light, which allows for sequencing tens of billions of reads in a single run. This high-density capability is achieved using simple, un-patterned flow cells, a feature designed to significantly lower the variable costs associated with sequencing. The platform is versatile, capable of analyzing DNA, RNA, and proteins, making it a comprehensive tool for studying cellular pathways. Its applications extend to detecting protein phosphorylation changes, specific gene mutations, and fusion mRNAs from very small samples, such as a few cell equivalents.

Apton's business model centers on providing these high-throughput sequencing instruments and associated consumables to the healthcare and research sectors. The primary clients are those involved in large-scale clinical applications and diagnostics. In June 2021, the company appointed John W. Hanna, an executive with over two decades of senior healthcare management experience, as CEO to guide the company into its commercialization phase. This move followed a significant milestone: a $24 million Series A financing round led by Kern Capital with participation from Casdin Capital and early investor Khosla Ventures. This funding was intended to advance the development of its Super-Res™ systems.

A pivotal event in the company's history occurred in August 2023, when Pacific Biosciences of California (PacBio) announced it would acquire Apton Biosystems. The deal, valued at up to approximately $110 million, involved an upfront all-stock consideration of about $85 million. The acquisition was a strategic move for PacBio to accelerate its entry into the high-throughput, short-read sequencing market. PacBio plans to integrate its own highly accurate Sequencing by Binding (SBB™) short-read chemistry into Apton's advanced instrument, combining Apton's expertise in super-resolution optics and image processing with PacBio's chemistry to create a differentiated, low-cost, high-throughput sequencer.