Welcome to Partnology’s Biotech Leader Spotlight Series, where we highlight the remarkable accomplishments and visionary leadership of biotech industry pioneers. This series is about showcasing the groundbreaking strides made by exceptional leaders who have transformed scientific possibilities into tangible realities. Through insightful interviews, we invite you to join us in following the inspiring journeys of these trailblazers who continue to shape the landscape of the biotech industry. The Biotech Spotlight Series is not just a celebration of achievements, but a source of inspiration and knowledge for emerging talents, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts eager to contribute to the ever-evolving realm of biotech. The week we’re recognizing:
David Ferrick, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. David Ferrick recently served as Chief Scientific Officer at Axion Biosystems. Before that he was the Chief Scientific Officer at Seahorse Bioscience. Prior to joining Seahorse Bioscience, Dr. Ferrick directed Biology and Application Development at Guava Technologies, a cell-based instrument and applications company. In 1999, Dr. Ferrick founded and led Sagres Discovery, an onco-genome research and cancer drug discovery company until it was acquired by Chiron in 2004. Prior to that Dr. Ferrick was the head of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc. since its inception in 1997. Dr. Ferrick received his Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology from Georgetown University and did his postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Tak Mak. Dr. Ferrick held a faculty position at the University of California at Davis, where his contributions to the discovery and functions of gamma T cells have made him a world-recognized leader in this area. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications, inventor on 20 patents and has been awarded over $3M in research funding.
Tell me about your background and the work you have been doing throughout your career:
I began as a Professor of Immunology at UC Davis in 1990. During that time in the Bay Area there was a lot of buzz around the “tech bubble” but there was a lot of biotech occurring as well. Intrigued by the possibilities, I joined my first drug discovery biotech startup, Regal Pharmaceuticals, as Director of Molecular and Cellular Biology in 1997. I was introduced to the company by my postdoctoral mentor, Dr. Tak Mak.
Following that I founded and raised the capital for my own drug discovery startup, Sagres Discovery, which was an oncology therapeutics company taking advantage of the recently sequenced human genome. We performed an in vivo saturation mutagenesis screen in 30,000 animals and then validated those hits in primary human tumors to create the first map of the human oncogenome, so basically a map of the genes in the human genome that have been validated in an in vivo animal model to cause cancer, as a way to target cancer directly. That company was then acquired by Chiron in 2004. My time in drug discovery taught me that progress was dependent on the decisiveness and reliability of the tools we used. From that day forward my goal has been to help advance science by creating cell analysis tools that enable discoveries and therapeutics in this new chapter of biology-based medicines. To that end I was part of the leadership teams of two tool-focused biotech startups, Guava Technologies and then Seahorse Bioscience. At Seahorse we brought the first tool of its kind to market – it was very exciting to bring metabolism into a living cell instead of just pathways and molecules. We were then acquired by Agilent Technologies, and I helped build their new life sciences division through M&A.
I’ve mostly been focused on cell analysis tools in immuno-oncology, which now with the new modalities of cell and gene therapy have become a big focus area. We know that with immunotherapy, we now can heal from within. So we’ve entered this new era of what may be called the green of medicine. I realized that in today’s world, because we’re shifting toward cell/gene therapy, the tools that we’re using need to change into a more biological live cell space, especially for living drugs.
After Agilent grew I could only focus on companies that solve large problems and a lot of the new tools are in the younger, smaller biotechs. So by moving to Axion, it was an opportunity to invest in the companies in the $5-$20 million range that were bringing these new technologies of in-incubator imaging, cell-cell interactions, and 3D models that can basically create a human equivalent in the lab as opposed to an animal, which we finally realized is very different. And so with that, I’m just trying to continue to bring the right tools together.
With rapid advancements in areas like gene editing, personalized medicine, and synthetic biology, what do you see as the most promising technologies in biotech for the next 5 or 10 years?
I really believe it’s the integration of tools. We already have imaging, cell engineering, the ability to measure molecules by electronics, molecular tools and tags. It’s really about integrating those tools in a way that it’s not cumbersome to perform and understand. If you have the ability to measure and integrate multiparametric data, you have a much deeper understanding of what’s going on and how to control or guide the biology to the desired outcome. The challenge is to integrate the tools so they’re multimodal and interoperable. This will enable one to assess biology in its more native form. The first question is do I have something that is accurately mimicking an in vivo condition? Next, can I measure relevant information to test scenarios for intervention and then take that forward.
Because right now the tools we use for drug discovery are different from the tools we use to make the drug, and we lose some of the biology in that journey, which can result in failure in the clinic. It used to be that it took $2 billion dollars and 12-13 years to get a small molecule therapeutic or antibody to market. But now we’re in a time where it can take $60-$80 million in a matter of 3-5 years to get immunotherapies to market. It’s an exciting time. So how do we drive discovery and keep supporting that and translate it efficiently with the integration of tools.
What companies and innovations are you following right now, what do you find most exciting or disruptive?
Definitely in what we call the “cell-cell interaction space” – being able to put cells together in different ways and figure out how they’re working together, what I loosely refer to as higher order biology. We’ve been putting together cells either in pairs or threes, but that doesn’t recapitulate that more dynamic, greater equilibrium. So technologies that can set up and follow cell-cell interactions, that allow us to measure relevant biology (3D/organoids, etc) with single cell resolution all the way to a population outcome is really important.
Lastly, I believe the key to realizing integration of tools is for companies to work across corporate barriers more. With COVID and personalized medicine we are seeing more strategic partnering instead of straight M&A between biotechs and equipment companies. The best way for us to enable progress in life sciences is to present more solutions that have been validated across platforms, and that researchers can become productive with on day one, so that anybody can generate high quality information without needing a lot of skill, and then you’re just left to evaluate and understand it. I think we will be seeing that with machine learning and AI moving forward.
Finally, with the experience and insights you have gained, what advice would you give to young people aspiring to work in the biotech industry?
I believe the opportunities for people in life sciences have expanded greatly over the years with all these new technical areas and targetable indications, including not just biology, but bioengineering, biophysics, etc. So there’s more opportunity than there has ever been. Also, I would say don’t be afraid when you’re in school or in the field to not just focus on the science or technical side, but to learn about the commercial and entrepreneurial aspects of the industry. So that you will be able to bring your ideas, or at least know who to join, to give a conduit to your ideas in a more intentional way.
My advice would be don’t get locked into one thing, have more than one experience. Test your commitments and your interests, don’t be afraid to move into different areas. Don’t be afraid of the small companies or the large companies – try your hand in both – they both have their pros and cons but you’ll learn a lot. The great thing about life sciences is no matter what area you work in, it’s a noble quest. You’re making a difference, it’s not just about the paycheck.
Where can we find you when you’re not in the lab or office? What are your hobbies?
I love spending time with my wife and kids, we have a 12 year old and 9 year old twins. My wife is an Immunologist like me, working at Stanford. We both love what we do, but aside from work, we love being outdoors, traveling, and hiking with the kids. We were just up near Sea Ranch in Northern California, and next we’re going to Donner and doing some Pacific Crest Trail hiking.
