Dr. Kumar: The company was founded in the mid-1990s to develop a technology that uses semiconductors and semiconductor fabrication technology coupled with biotechnology to make something called a DNA array. The company really got going in 2000 when substantial funding came into the organization, and it was then able to conduct its R&D and product development activities, resulting in some exciting products that are on the market today.
TWST: How do you explain to the general public what CombiMatrix does?
Dr. Kumar: We make products and services that enable the analysis of genetics, and that enablement is used in a number of different fields like drug discovery, analysis of genetic factors, genes and how these biomarkers correlate with diseases. Most laypeople have heard about the sequencing of the human genome, and that basically was just the beginning of the process of understanding genetics. From a qualitative standpoint, we understand a little bit - maybe 10% - about the genes in our bodies. However, that understanding is increasing at an exponential rate. Our products help scientists understand how genes function, how they interact with each other and cause diseases, and how the genetic factors control drug responses for various types of people. Our products are used as tools, but they are also used in diagnostics, one of the more exciting areas of biotechnology from an investment perspective. Even though scientists only understand about 10% of our genes, that's enough of an understanding in many cases, especially in oncology, where our products help doctors evaluate a patient's genetics and determine how that disease is going to progress for that patient, and how best to treat that patient. So we not only provide tools for scientists doing these basic research studies to understand genes, but we also provide diagnostic services to physicians and patients who are interested in evaluating what's the best way to treat particular illnesses.
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