Getting To The Point Of Success Through Passion And Patience

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By Tonya Costoff

Yoganathan is in fact the founder of MBI and has been president and chief scientific officer since 2002. An expert in gene expression technology and signaling pathways, he brings with him over 18 years of experience in scientific research, with 15 years spent in biotechnology alone. His rap sheet is long, including such accomplishments as being the author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers and the co-inventor of one patent and seven patent applications, one of which relates to MBI's Hematological Cancer Profiling System.

It's clear that Dr. Yoganathan is in a great position now, with a company that is introducing cutting edge products, but the company did face its share of hurdles and battles in order to get where it is today.
MBI's offices and state-of-the-art laboratory can be found in Discovery Park on the University of British Columbia campus. Its location alone is what Yoganathan attributes much of his success to.

"Med BioGene started as a service company, which provided gene expression and bioinformatics services to the British Columbia science community," explained Yoganathan. "We saw opportunities in using gene expression technology that we might be able to identify biomarkers for human disease. So we, in addition to providing gene expression services to the community, also entered into the field of biomarker discovery." Yoganathan is a big fan of the biotechnology industry in B.C., praising it whenever he can.

"We've been very fortunate to have the assistance of the B.C. biotech community who really help the small biotech community, whether it is mentor wise or financial wise. The community here (B.C.) believes in nurturing small biotech companies. That is very important when you are starting up a company. These people have seen all parts of companies and seen the ups and downs," stressed Yoganathan.
Although he had never been involved in a start-up company before, Yoganathan knew this was his passion and he had to pursue it.

"The reason I got into this business is because I worked on understanding gene expression. I worked on gene transcription for many years so my scientific passion and interest always was to find why certain genes express at certain times, what controlled this. That's why I got into the business of gene expression 15 years ago. What I find now is that my curiosity has led me to be able to bring a product to the market."

MBI is doing its best to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease by identifying the genes, known as 'biomarkers', which indicate the presence of diseases. With a robust set of qualified biomarkers, disease diagnosis will be quicker, less invasive and more accurate. Moreover, treatment decisions will be tailored to the needs of each patient, the safety and effectiveness of new therapeutics will be enhanced and drug products will get to patients in less time.

The development of these biomarkers is the first step towards personalized medicine, which MBI believes will replace the conventional 'one drug fits all' approach to disease management. MBI is currently developing biomarkers for lymphoma, leukemia and cardiovascular disease through its Gene Expression Profiling System™.

MBI's Gene Expression Profiling System, when compared to conventional diagnostics, is expected to: provide faster diagnostics results (24 to 48 hours compared to up to 14 days); be less invasive to patients by eventually relying on a blood sample for diagnostic purposes rather than invasive and often painful procedures required today such as surgery, biopsy, cystoscopy, bone scans or vivo imaging; provide greater savings to healthcare providers by costing approximately 200 to 500 per cent less than conventional diagnostics and offer a shorter time to market and earlier revenues than companies focusing entirely on therapeutics.

"At Med BioGene we want to become a leader in biomarker discovery for human disease. That is our goal. Our DNA is the same whether we have a disease or not, but how our DNA is expressed, in other words how our genes are turned on or off is what is actually causing our diseases – we are discovering and validating these genetic signatures, or 'biomarkes' for use in improving diagnosis, prognosis and treatment decisions for patients suffering from certain cancers and cardiovascular disease,” said Yoganathan.

With any new company there needs to be a hook, something that sets it apart and Yoganathan feels that MBI has it covered.
"What sets Med BioGene apart? What happens today if you walk into a cancer agency across the world is they will take certain types of samples, they will go through batteries of tests and they will go and do a full analysis to find where the mutation is and finally it takes up to two weeks to get the final subtype information to the oncologist, so now they can treat the patient according to the disease subtype that they are suffering from," said Yoganathan. "Med BioGene is developing a microarray diagnostic test that can provide the data within 24 to 48 hours.

The cost will also be substantially less because of the elimination of the batteries of tests required from highly skilled people at different locations. In other words our tests would simplify and provide rapid diagnostic. That’s how we are revolutionizing the world of diagnostics."

The great part is that everyone would benefit from the introduction of products such as Med BioGene's Gene Expression Profiling System. Patients will benefit because nobody wants to wait three to four weeks to find out what kind of cancer they have. The physicians benefit because they are quickly told what disease and disease subtype the patient is suffering from and are able to more determine earlier the appropriate treatment for the patient, which is very important when dealing with certain aggressive cancers. Last, healthcare costs are reduced due to less expensive diagnostic procedures and treatments being more effectively tailored to each patient based upon their individual genetic profile and by minimizing the treatment of non-responders.

"We are not quite there yet, but I can see that the community at large recognizes the importance and I think in the near future there will be a lot more products in this space. People are telling us we're ahead of the curve," said Yoganathan.

The industry at large is starting to realize the benefits of recognizing these 'biomarkers' as well. According to Yoganathan the pharmaceutical industry is recognizing that in order to have a proper pharmacogenomic drug, it’s nice to have this kind of personalized diagnostic information in order to prescribe the appropriate drug.

As far as hurdles goes, MBI had its share and was able to face them all and continue on. Hurdles included managing financial considerations, difficulty recruiting and keeping highly specialized staff whether or not the product would be accepted into the marketplace, but MBI is seeing a fundamental shift now as people realize that biomarker discovery is a very important part of the future of healthcare.
"The trend is there for us now and validating our biomarkers and getting the product to the market are the next steps for us," said Yoganathan.

Yoganathan also shared encouraging comments and advice for others out there facing their own hurdles with a start-up company. "I would suggest that they stay focused, tailor their product to the marketplace and keep apprised of what's going on globally. Be sure to connect with the right/appropriate people that can take your product to the marketplace."

On the ever-important issue of finance, Yoganathan urged innovators not to give up and to keep working at it. "Finance is out there, you just have to show that your company is diligent enough and that they will bring a successful product to the market. The financer wants to see that you are focused and that you have the people and you have the talent to get the job done. If you can show this and that the market needs your product, then I think financing will come through."

"You have to also show financers that you are diligent enough to manage the money and that you have the right team. When they see this win-win situation, financers want to be part of it, particularly in healthcare. I find that in Canada when people see it is a benefit to humankind with healthcare, financers want to listen and that is the first step. If they can see that the company can follow through and bring the product to the market, then the wallet is opened to them," continued Yoganathan.

"You have to be patient and convince other people of your ideas. If you are passionate about your products and are on the right path, people will embrace and accept your idea. My advice to innovators and scientists who are in the forefront is that they have to continue to pursue it and work hard and prove themselves," finished Yoganathan.