Mar 18, 2021

Jim Shelton Peter Hvizdak/New Haven RegisterYale University Entrepreneurial Institiute graduate students Kara Brower, Chief Technical Officer of IsoPlexis and Sean Mackay, CEO of IsoPlexis at a lab where research created a process where protein secretions are used to monitor the immune system. Thursday June 13, 2013New Haven Register NEW HAVEN >> Yale entrepreneurs are upgrading the way scientists monitor the body's immune system, using the unique protein signature of the human cell itself. IsoPlexis, a new company being developed at the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute 's highly-competitive summer program, hopes to revolutionize everything from the creation of vaccines to tracking tumors. "Providing clarity on the immune system's response opens up life-changing applications," said Sean Mackay , a student at the Yale School of Management and IsoPlexis ' CEO. "If you can help develop better vaccines and drugs, and get a better understanding of how a drug interacts with the immune system, that's a huge development for humanity," Mackay, 30, said. At least, that's the intention. IsoPlexis, founded by Mackay, recent Yale graduate Kara Brower , and Yale professor Rong Fan , centers around a hand-held device that will sell for less than $10,000. It features a microchip that measures protein secretions at the single-cell level, and it claims to offer more data for less money than current immune system monitoring technology. "The market is large, but also very complicated," noted IsoPlexis Chief Technology Officer Kara Brower, 22, who earned her Yale undergraduate degree in May. "We're about five years ahead of most other people on this. We really want to make it a viable commercial product," Brower said. With help from mentors at YEI and support from Yale's Office of Cooperative Research, Brower and Mackay are meeting with potential investors and fine-tuning the aesthetics of their device, including its name. One of the main challenges will be convincing people in the medical research and health care establishment that the device is a significant step forward. Brower and Mackay also must prove that their company is positioned for the long-haul. Brower said the plan is to begin by focusing on academic researchers. Such clients could use the device as they develop vaccines and drugs. Most Popular