Qbrane Outsourcing Connectomics

Qbrane Pitch Deck - Outsourcing Connectomics -

Haruo Mizutani

Eric Gastfriend

Harvard University

The Promise of Connectomics

• Connectomics aims to map all synaptic connections between neurons in the brain.

• “The wiring diagrams being generated should lead to better understanding of diseases such as autism and schizophrenia, as well as new insight into learning and other cognitive functions.” (MIT Technology Review)

• Will lead to fundamental breakthroughs in biology, medicine, computer science, and how we understand ourselves

The Challenges of Connectomics

• Mapping the brain at a high level of detail requires: – Expensive equipment (Electron Microscopes cost

millions)

– Technical expertise (only a handful of labs worldwide)

– Significant processing power and data storage

– Months of work for a small sample

• MRI does not provide enough resolution for deep understanding

• Very few companies offer products or services in this area

Our Solution: Qbrane

• We leverage the expertise and equipment of Jeff Lichtman’s lab at Harvard to provide outsourced connectomics as a service

• By sending us small samples, other labs can get a detailed model of a particular brain region

– Includes every neuron, glia, axon, synapse, and dendrite

– We can even determine synaptic strength, and differentiate between inhibitory and excitatory

• Our customers get publishable results that advance their fields

Our Value-Added Services

• Data Acquisition – Sample preparation: fixation & staining – EM Image data acquisition

• Image Processing, Segmentation – Data storage – Segmentation for cellular structure – Volume rendering – Building connection matrix

• Structural / Physiological Analysis – Network visualization – Quantitative analysis – Organize data with ontologies – Activity simulation platform – Publish data on database

Lichtman Lab Equipment:

61 multi-beam SEM

Hayworth et al., 2014

ATUM

(Automatic Tape-collecting Ultra-Microtome )

Commercially

Available in

Boeckeler

Instruments, Inc.

Sample Results: 3D Connectome Map

Daniel Berger

Business model

Fee

($0.2-1M/sample)

Results (1~12 months)

Customer (Research Labs)

Qbrane

University

Fee

For equipment ~$200/hr

Fee

For technical staff salaries

Data Acquisition Image Processing For new technical

developments

Costs

Business Model

• The customer pays fee to the company

– Depends on sample size

– ~$10,000/100GB image data

• The company pays fee to Harvard for equipments

– Regular SEM(~$50/hr), mSEM (~$200/hr)

– Ultramicrotome- ATUM (price TBD)

• The company pays salaries for technical operation staff

• The customer receives results in 1-12 months

Haruo Mizutani • Postdoc fellow at Lichtman Lab,

Harvard University

• Co-founder and CEO of Qbrane

• Visiting Scientist at Riken Institute

• PhD in Neurophysiology from University of Tokyo

• Email: [email protected]

Eric Gastfriend • Harvard Business School

– MBA, class of 2015

• Co-founder and VP Sales, Qbrane

• Before HBS

– VP and General Manager of Happy Cloud

• Venture-backed cloud gaming startup