Gene sequencing equipment company

Holds 'Shift Your Science' event in Mapo-gu

CEO Molly He delivers keynote, announces latest device shipment

Samsung seeks new business in healthcare

Element Biosciences, a US gene sequencing equipment company in which Samsung Electronics is the largest shareholder, held a roadshow titled "Shift Your Science" at the RYSE Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday, showcasing its latest devices and technology. [Element Biosciences YouTube]
Element Biosciences, a US gene sequencing equipment company in which Samsung Electronics is the largest shareholder, held a roadshow titled "Shift Your Science" at the RYSE Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday, showcasing its latest devices and technology. [Element Biosciences YouTube]

Element Biosciences, a US gene sequencing equipment company in which Samsung Electronics holds the largest stake, hosted a roadshow titled "Shift Your Science" at the RYSE Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday, unveiling its latest devices and technology.

Molly He, co-founder and CEO of Element, and Michael Previte, chief technology officer, attended the Korea roadshow and delivered keynote addresses.

The event featured a demonstration of VITARI, Element's high-throughput benchtop sequencing instrument for reading DNA base sequences, along with the announcement of the first shipment of Cytos, the world's first multiomic analysis solution capable of analyzing diverse biological information simultaneously.

VITARI increases DNA analysis throughput by more than five times compared with previous products in a single run, while cutting per-person genome analysis costs to $100. It supports applications ranging from rare disease and clinical oncology research to single-cell RNA analysis. The device is currently accepting pre-orders and is scheduled to begin shipping by year's end.

Cytos is the world's first solution capable of simultaneously analyzing multiple types of biological information within a single cell — including cell morphology, protein expression and the full transcriptome.

Because it can measure multiple biological data points from the same cell at the same time, Cytos enables researchers to compare changes in cell states at different time points following drug treatment. The company expects the technology to help formulate hypotheses about complex drug-response mechanisms and contribute to drug development.

The headquarters of Element Biosciences in San Diego. [Element Biosciences YouTube]
The headquarters of Element Biosciences in San Diego. [Element Biosciences YouTube]

"Cytos enables researchers to observe changes in cells and comprehensively analyze the results, making experiments more accurate and precise," CEO He said. "It will help researchers find answers to a wide range of biological questions that were difficult to address with conventional analysis technologies."

The roadshow drew researchers from institutions across Korea and abroad, including Samsung Medical Center's Institute for Refractory Cancer Research, KAIST, Yonsei University College of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, the Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology in Australia and Tata Memorial Hospital in India. Participants shared clinical trial results and use cases in cancer research, gene regulation, immunology and agricultural genomics.

Founded in San Diego in 2017, Element has rapidly expanded its presence in global markets since launching its mid-sized sequencing instrument AVITI in 2022.

Samsung Electronics participated in Element's Series D funding round in July 2024 and followed up with an additional $175 million investment in the Series E round in June, securing its position as the largest shareholder. Samsung is now exploring new business opportunities in precision medicine by combining its AI, medical device and digital health capabilities with Element's genomic analysis and multiomic technologies.

The roadshow, which kicked off in Seoul, is set to continue in San Diego, Munich, Boston and Stockholm.


joze@heraldcorp.com