Precede Biosciences

Precede Biosciences is a clinical-stage technology company building a first‑in‑class, epigenomics-based liquid biopsy platform that profiles disease-defining transcriptional biology from a small blood draw to inform drug development and precision cancer diagnostics[1][2].

High-Level Overview

• Precede builds a comprehensive *epigenomic liquid biopsy* platform that profiles circulating chromatin and the DNA methylome to infer activation of genes and pathways across the genome from ~1 mL of plasma[2].
  - The company serves pharmaceutical and biotech drug developers, academic researchers, and intends to develop blood-based clinical tests to guide precision use of cancer medicines in practice[1][2].
  - It addresses the problem of limited, invasive, or missing tissue-based molecular information by offering a minimally invasive readout of dynamic, therapeutically relevant biology to help predict response, resistance, and identify novel targets[1][4].
  - Growth momentum: Precede emerged from stealth with an RUO platform, has generated >7,000 genome‑wide transcriptional profiles across cancers and other diseases, and announced $57M in backing from venture and private equity investors at launch[1][2].
  

Origin Story

• Precede was founded from technology that originated in the lab of Matthew Freedman at the Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute and was commercialized by co‑founders including Rehan Verjee, who serves as CEO and brings senior biopharma leadership experience[1][2][4].
  - The idea grew from research showing epigenomic signals (circulating chromatin and methylation) can report on gene and pathway activation noninvasively, motivating a platform to expand precision medicine beyond genomic sequencing alone[4].
  - Early traction/pivotal moments include extensive platform testing that produced thousands of transcriptional profiles, partnerships with drug developers and academic groups via the RUO offering, and the public emergence from stealth with institutional investor backing[1][4].
  

Core Differentiators

• Platform scope and resolution: Genome‑wide profiling of ~20K promoters, ~1M enhancers and ~50K CpG islands to infer activation of individual genes and pathways from plasma[2].
  - Biology‑centric readouts: Focus on *transcriptional* and epigenomic activation (not just mutation or circulating tumor DNA), enabling insight into therapeutically actionable targets and resistance mechanisms[1][4].
  - Low‑volume, minimally invasive input: Claims to generate feature‑rich profiles from ~1 mL of plasma, improving clinical feasibility compared with tissue biopsies[2].
  - Dual commercial path: Providing an RUO platform to drug developers/academia while developing clinical tests to guide precision cancer therapy[1][2].
  - Machine‑learning and wet‑lab integration: Combines advanced molecular techniques with proprietary ML to produce interpretable, actionable readouts[2].
  

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

• Trend alignment: Precede rides the liquid biopsy and epigenomics waves—shifting diagnostics from DNA mutation detection toward functional, transcriptional/epigenomic readouts that better reflect dynamic biology[1][4].
  - Timing: Rising demand for minimally invasive biomarkers to accelerate drug development, stratify patients, and monitor therapy increases opportunity for platforms that report pathway activation and resistance mechanisms[1][4].
  - Market forces: Growth of targeted therapies, antibody‑drug conjugates, and immuno‑oncology creates demand for biomarkers that predict response/resistance and for non‑tissue diagnostics to broaden patient access[4].
  - Ecosystem influence: By offering interpretable, genome‑wide transcriptional profiles, Precede can enable new biomarker‑driven trial designs, aid target discovery, and reduce reliance on difficult tissue sampling for clinical decision making[1][4].
  

Quick Take & Future Outlook

• Near term, Precede is likely to expand collaborations with pharma/biotech to validate epigenomic biomarkers tied to therapeutic response and to advance RUO use cases into clinical‑grade diagnostics[1][2].
  - Key trends that will shape its journey include broader clinical acceptance of epigenomic biomarkers, regulatory pathways for blood‑based diagnostics, and competitive developments in multi‑omic liquid biopsy tools.
  - If Precede continues to demonstrate that blood‑based transcriptional profiles reliably predict response or uncover actionable biology, it could materially influence drug development workflows and diagnostics for oncology and other diseases such as autoimmunity[1][4].
  

If you’d like, I can: summarize recent peer‑reviewed data supporting circulating chromatin/methylome profiling, map Precede’s investor and partnership landscape in more detail, or draft a one‑page investor brief based on the above.