Journey from Vision to Reality
Joey Azofeifa (left), 2017 IQ Biology PhD graduate, and his mentor, Robin Dowell, see a bright future using computational biology to solve bioscience challenges.
Joey Azofeifa听came to CU Boulder looking for a challenge. While he applied to many top notch biology programs, the IQ Biology Program spoke to him as the only place he could听challenge himself and gain new perspective by delving into a completely new field鈥攃omputational biology. 鈥淚Q Biology brings people in from diverse backgrounds and invests in them. They really听took a chance on me and bridged across departments to train me and get me where I wanted to go,鈥 says Joey.
The chance paid off, as Joey threw himself into computational studies and interdisciplinary research that听bridged genomics and machine learning听in听ways that had never been done before.听With their innovative approach, they transformed a sea of previously听undecipherable听genomic data into a goldmine of crucial information for drug development.
颁丑辞辞蝉颈苍驳听Robin Dowell听as his mentor, Joey emulated her interdisciplinary research style. 鈥淩obin really embodies interdisciplinary science. She asks her own questions, not what the field听dictates. She combines disciplines in novel and interesting ways that open up new directions in bioscience. That鈥檚 the kind of scientist I wanted to be,鈥 says Joey. Robin gave Joey the freedom to听explore his own path under her tutelage, which took him to the fringes of bioscience knowledge. 鈥淏y combining fields I pushed myself so far out into the frontier that there wasn鈥檛 anyone else out there听to help me. I grew a lot because I had to figure it out on my own. That鈥檚 the biggest challenge of interdisciplinary science,鈥 says Joey.
Joey credits his peers in the IQ Biology community for helping him develop the mental fortitude, courage and persistence required to navigate the unknown and work through challenges to听succeed as an interdisciplinary scientist. This intrepid crew from diverse backgrounds bonded over听tackling unexplored intersections of science together. Working side by side, they developed听the essential communication skills to bridge disciplines that will serve them throughout their careers.
Joey partnered with听Tim Read, his roommate, who was a wet lab biologist PhD candidate also in Robin鈥檚 lab. As yin and yang, the duo听built off each other鈥檚 vastly different knowledge to听forge a new frontier听in RNA biology. Examining genomic read-outs called enhancer RNA (eRNA), Tim honed state-of-the-art RNA sequencing assays while Joey built the mathematical modeling听and machine learning tools required to decipher the genomic data. Their combined approach brought new perspective to the field. 鈥淏efore we came along the field was dominated by geneticists,听so it was easy for us to make a big impact with new computational tools. The payoff was huge,鈥 says Joey. With their innovative approach, they transformed a sea of previously undecipherable听genomic data听into a goldmine of crucial information for drug development.
Specifically, their platform pinpoints a drug鈥檚 mechanism of action by distinguishing primary drug targets from aftereffects that can obscure the message. This is priceless information for听pharmaceutical companies, which waste millions of dollars and years of R&D on drug candidates that ultimately fail due to misunderstood mechanisms.听
The new insights afforded by Joey鈥檚 work will help companies choose the right drug candidates to pursue, and which diseases and patient populations to target for success. Overall the platform听will accelerate the development of better drugs with fewer side effects at a fraction of the cost.听And so, Arpeggio Biosciences was born. The name resonated with Joey and Tim as musicians: 鈥淭he eRNA signatures we decipher are like discrete ordered chords that run through the genome听and flesh it out. It is the profile, not a single note, that says something interesting,鈥 says Joey. Arpeggio truly symbolizes the IQ Biology spirit, Joey explains, because its value lies in the combined听approach of听employing mathematical tools to derive meaning from biological data.
They teamed with听, Boulder scientist and inventor, whose business expertise and connections helped to make their vision a reality. Arpeggio听will tackle its first real world oncology pipeline this year with FORMA Therapeutics. Focusing first on cancer drugs, Arpeggio is poised to solve diverse bioscience challenges with its highly adaptable听platform. Working from both biological and computational sides gives Arpeggio the dynamic flexibility and nimble approach that sets them up for success in today鈥檚 rapidly changing research and听technology landscape.听
