The Zetta Genomics roadmap
Zetta Genomics is poised for transformation as we approach Series A funding. As a relative team newbie, our head of Marketing and Communications, Kate Melsom (KM), speaks to our Founder and CEO, Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Medina (IM), to get the low down on where Zetta is headed — and how it’s going to get there.
KM: I’ve worked at a lot of fast-moving, high potential start-ups, but the energy at Zetta is off the charts. What’s driving the company?
IM: An interesting opening question — with no single answer!
First and foremost, I think we’re all acutely aware at Zetta Genomics of the profound impact of genomic data. It’s the key that unlocks democratised genomic medicine — with the potential to open up cutting-edge and cost efficient healthcare to millions, even billions, of people. It will literally change and save lives. Every second counts and we’re driven by the desire to get our technology out into the world.
We also know that XetaBase can transform discovery, as it democratises novel, pharma and clinical research. To date, the scale and complexity of genomic data has meant that insights have only been accessible to data experts. XetaBase changes this — bringing insight to non-data specialists across a range of specialties. We’re just scratching the surface of what this data liberation will bring, as our customers explore and discover new ways to leverage its power.
Finally, we’ve put our heart and soul into getting to this point; on the cusp of Series A funding. It’s taken a tremendous amount of commitment from everyone here. It’s led us to a new technology release that’s so fundamentally different from what’s come before that we’re shifting from the current 1.X.X prefixed series to start the 2. It marks the end of Zetta’s prologue and the beginning of the real story.
Combine these three factors and I think you’ll understand where our energy comes from!
KM: What’s so different about XetaBase 2.0?
IM: We understand that XetaBase enables our customers. Consequently, customer needs guide our technology development. Customer engagement is so fundamental to our business model that we now embed formal feedback sessions within our contracts. Let me give you a few examples of where customer learning has shaped XetaBase 2.0 development:
- Customers have told us they need easy yet completely secure access, so we have built in simple to use but sophisticated single-sign on (SSO) technologies — bringing XetaBase to the laboratory bench or patient’s bedside, and all points in between.
- Customers have told us that they need to access data from a variety of sources.We already offer access to external and public databases through cellbase. Now, with the development of our new Clinical Variance Database (CVDB), we also encompass internal customer variant data — particularly important in the hospital setting. It’s a major step towards fully federated data and accelerated genomic insights.
- Customers have told us that multi-cloud technologies are important to them — bringing greater flexibility. We’ve listened and now offer AWS alongside Microsoft Azure — to encompass over 50% of the cloud market.
These and other customer-led enhancements mean that XetaBase is, and always will be, tailored to highly specific needs — no matter how diverse these needs are across a range of sectors, specialties and subspecialties.
KM: Clearly, there’s a lot happening — how is Zetta aligning to the 2.0 era?
IM: Technology is obviously hugely important, but I see Zetta primarily as a people company. I founded Zetta because I was inspired by the idea we can make a meaningful difference to people across the world — whether that’s researchers, clinicians or patients.
It’s an ethos that’s embedded in our approach to our own employees. Culture is critical: we’ve worked hard to make Zetta a place where people feel able to explore and innovate with complete freedom. As we move beyond the start-up phase, we will keep a start-up culture, where bravery and curiosity are celebrated.
Once again, we’re listening and aligning to customers. Our primary aim is to solve their genomic challenges — so our sales people are also genomic specialists. They understand how XetaBase can be applied to challenges — and suggest novel applications to achieve wider objectives. In the same vein, our investment in UI and UX talent means that every engineering change is informed by customer capability. After all, there’s no point in enhancing our technologies if nobody can use them!
KM: I’m hearing a lot about our customers — can you tell me about them?
The impact of XetaBase defies normal demarcations — it’s a horizontal technology that can make a real difference across virtually every life science organisation and team. But we’ve got to start somewhere, so we’re focusing our engagement on researchers, CROs and pharma companies, and clinicians.
Research is a particularly exciting area for XetaBase deployment. We’ve recently announced, for example, partnership with the Broad Institute in the US. The collaboration combines their pioneering genomic research expertise with XetaBase’s groundbreaking genomic data analysis and insight capabilities. Together, we will help to accelerate discovery and progress their mission of improving human health.
XetaBase will similarly accelerate pharma and CRO customers’ discovery, development and testing. The ability to use XetaBase to preselect the most appropriate participants, for example, will help these organisations to focus clinical trials. It will make them safer, more effective and cost efficient.
In clinical settings, XetaBase is already bringing significant benefits. In the UK, one NHS hospital trust has virtually doubled diagnostic yield using XetaBase within its genomic diagnostic platform for rare disease. In the US, genomic medicine pioneer, Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City, is using XetaBase to build the infrastructure able to deliver faster, more effective diagnosis at scale, while also exploring novel treatments to improve clinical outcomes.
As I said earlier, we’re only just scratching the surface of XetaBase’s capabilities. Customers (and to some extent, Zetta itself) are only just beginning to understand the huge potential of our genomic data platform.
KM: We’ve heard about technology, people and customers – but what’s next for Zetta Genomics?
IM: The simple answer is to get out there and get going! The not so simple answer is, we’ll:
- Work throughout 2024 with our seed investors on our upcoming Series A round. They are genuinely world class innovation funders — who bring finance, life sciences and diagnostic technology expertise to the table. They truly believe in Zetta and we’re learning a huge amount from them.
- Continue to strengthen our team, with ongoing investment to our innovation, engineering, testing and commercial bench.
- Expand existing and build new partnerships with some of the biggest tech and data firms on the planet — critical to XetaBase, particularly where it will be integrated into other solutions to enhance capabilities.
- Further strengthen customer engagement so that their needs continually inform ongoing product innovation and refinement.
- Get out into the field to tell the world about XetaBase, with an initial focus on the research community — so expect to see us at an event near you!
- Engage with ever more potential customers — building our healthy new business pipeline.
It’s a cliché to say “exciting times” – but these are exciting times! It’s sometimes seemed like a long time coming, but we’re finally here. XetaBase is ready to change the world as it transforms research, drug development and diagnosis — and democratises healthcare for countless patients around the world.
