Cambridge MedTech bit.bio has appointed its first chief technology officer as it launches a new platform designed to accelerate human cell-based drug discovery.
bit.bio is a human cell programming company and the newly created executive position will be held by Sejla Salic-Hainzl, who has spent almost six years as vice president of research and development at bit.bio Discovery.
In her previous role, she led the development of the company’s functional genomics capabilities in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cell models.
She will lead the company’s next phase of technology growth and commercial expansion.
bit.bio has also announced the launch of the ioScreen platform, a new CRISPR screening service designed to accelerate human cell-based drug discovery.
Dr Emma Pepperell, CEO at bit.bio, said: “As bit.bio enters its next phase of growth, we’re investing in both the leadership and technologies that will define the future of human first research and drug discovery.
“Creating our first chief technology officer role strengthens our executive team as we continue to scale the business and expand our portfolio.
“At the same time, the ioScreen platform removes many of the barriers that have historically limited access to high-quality functional genomics, enabling researchers to leverage the data without needing the expertise.”
CTO Sejla Salic-Hainzl said: “I’m honoured to take on the role of chief technology officer at such an exciting point in bit.bio’s growth.
“We’ve built deep expertise in applying human iPSC-derived cell models to functional genomics, helping researchers better understand disease biology in systems that more closely reflect human physiology.
“The ioScreen platform is an important step in bringing those capabilities to a much broader community of drug discovery teams, who can supplement their own expertise with ours.
“I’m excited to help shape bit.bio’s technology strategy as we continue to accelerate the development of more predictive human biology tools.”
The creation of the CTO role marks a significant milestone in bit.bio’s evolution as it continues to scale its opti-ox™ deterministic cell programming and commercial capabilities to meet growing demand from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as academic organisations.
bit.bio’s ioScreen platform service enables scientists to switch genes on or off, or modulate their activity, to better understand disease biology.