Deepcell Appoints New Head of Bioinformatics to Support Rapid Company Growth

Deepcell, a life science company pioneering AI-powered cell classification and isolation for cell biology and translational research, today announced the appointment of Kevin Jacobs as the Vice President of Bioinformatics. Jacobs will be responsible for the company’s bioinformatics strategy, implementation and its integration with other areas and into the company’s offerings. This appointment is the latest addition to Deepcell’s rapidly expanding team of scientists, engineers and computer science experts.

Deepcell had acquired $20 million in Series A funding last year.

What’s Deepcell’s AI Technology?

Currently, Deepcell is helping to advance precision medicine by combining advances in AI, cell classification and capture, and single-cell analysis to deliver novel insights through an unprecedented view of cell biology. Spun out of Stanford University in 2017, the company has created unique, microfluidics-based technology that uses continuously learning AI to classify cells based on detailed visual features and sort them without inherent bias. The Deepcell platform maintains cell viability for downstream single-cell analysis and can be used to isolate virtually any type of cell, even those occurring at frequencies as low as one in a billion. The technology will initially be available as a service for use in translational research as well as diagnostics and therapeutic development.

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“Kevin is a highly distinguished bioinformatician with impeccable technical credentials, and he will provide significant, forward-thinking leadership to help us meet our goals,” said Mahyar Salek, Co-Founder, President and CTO of Deepcell. “As Deepcell continues on an accelerated development path to commercialize our technology, Kevin will continue to build our bioinformatics team and ensure that our platform optimizes best-in-class bioinformatics capabilities to generate meaningful, novel insights for partners and customers.”

Jacobs brings two decades of experience in bioinformatics to his new role. Prior to joining Deepcell, he worked for four years at Progenity as Distinguished Bioinformatician and Senior Director of Development Bioinformatics, with steadily increasing responsibilities. Before that, he worked in various senior roles heading up bioinformatics functions at Helix, 23andMe, Invitae and SAIC-Frederick Inc. He earned his degree in computer science from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Engineering.

“I’m very excited to join the talented and experienced team of innovators and leaders at Deepcell to help advance AI, cell biology, and life sciences,” said Jacobs. “Combining the power of bioinformatics with Deepcell’s unprecedented view of cell biology is a unique opportunity to transform basic and translational research, and, ultimately, precision medicine. Deepcell has the potential to be a gamechanger in our understanding of the cell, and I am looking forward to contributing to its success.”

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Company Expansion Creates Opportunities in New Space

Ever since Deepcell came out of stealth mode in late 2020, it has been expanding quickly. Having outgrown its old office and laboratory space, the company recently relocated to new facilities in Menlo Park, which include state-of-the-art laboratories for scientists and engineers as well as office space in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The company’s growth has also created new opportunities in bioinformatics; biology application development; system integration; electrical, mechanical and software engineering; data science and microfluidics, among others.

“Our steady cadence of hiring and our move to a facility that is three times larger than our previous location are essential for supporting Deepcell’s aggressive growth,” added Salek. “As we keep expanding, we believe that the new space in Menlo Park will help us thrive with hybrid in-person and remote working arrangements that foster collaboration, innovation and scalability.”

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