YourBio Health Revamps Leadership Team, Aims to Expand Remote Blood Collection Technology

YourBio Health, a Flagship Pioneering portfolio company specializing in remote blood collection devices, has announced a significant overhaul of its leadership team. The move comes as part of the company's strategy to broaden the reach of its push-button, sample-harvesting hardware across clinical trials and home diagnostic tests.

New Leadership Appointments

Paul Owen, who was appointed as CEO last year, has brought in several new members to YourBio's C-suite. The new appointments include:

• Chester Robson as Chief Medical Officer
• Michael Mina, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer
• Thomas Briggs as Chief Growth Officer

Owen, who also serves as a CEO-partner at Flagship, emphasized the importance of having an experienced team at the helm of YourBio Health. "Every one of the individuals that I brought in I've worked with in the past, in one capacity or another," Owen stated. "They know all the different aspects of this space. I really feel like having an experienced team of individuals running an organization like YourBio Health is really kind of unprecedented."

YourBio's Technology and Market Expansion

YourBio Health, formerly known as Seventh Sense Biosystems, rebranded in mid-2021 to highlight its focus on telehealth and at-home testing. The company's flagship products, the TAP Micro and TAP Micro Select devices, use touch-activated phlebotomy technology to collect whole blood samples from capillaries.

The devices employ an array of thin, short microneedles that adhere to the skin, offering a virtually painless alternative to traditional blood collection methods. Owen describes the process as capable of delivering sample volumes similar to those processed in hospitals today.

YourBio is currently pursuing an expanded FDA clearance that would allow their devices to be used at home by the public for various purposes, including telehealth testing and annual physicals. The company has already made significant strides in the market, providing over 500,000 TAP Micro Selects to Myriad Genetics for its SneakPeek at-home prenatal DNA testing kits last year.

Impact on Clinical Trials and Future Outlook

The company's remote blood collection technology is poised to revolutionize clinical trials. Owen highlighted the benefits of this approach, stating, "That remote capability, and meeting the patients where they are—we've even had a few trials end early. They've seen a much larger retention rate than they ever had in the past … and the demographics were much broader than what they've had in previous experiences."

As YourBio Health continues to expand its reach, the company plans to collaborate with other Flagship Pioneering portfolio companies to aid in the development of drugs and diagnostic tests through decentralized clinical trials. This strategic move, coupled with the new leadership team's expertise, positions YourBio Health at the forefront of the evolving landscape of remote healthcare and clinical research.