Pattern Bioscience Company Profile

Background

Pattern Bioscience, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, is a privately held in vitro diagnostics company dedicated to transforming the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections. The company's mission is to advance single-cell microbiology to make targeted antimicrobial treatment information available days sooner, thereby addressing the global health crisis posed by antibiotic resistance.

Key Strategic Focus

Pattern Bioscience's strategic focus centers on developing rapid, culture-free diagnostic platforms that deliver pathogen identification and antibiotic susceptibility test (ID/AST) results within hours. This approach aims to improve patient outcomes by enabling prompt, personalized treatment and reducing the misuse of antibiotics, which contributes to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria.

Financials and Funding

Since its inception, Pattern Bioscience has secured a total of $68 million in funding. Notable funding milestones include:

February 2020: Received up to $6.8 million in non-dilutive funding from CARB-X, with the potential for an additional $15.1 million upon achieving certain development milestones.

April 2023: Closed a $28.7 million Series C financing round led by Illumina Ventures and Omnimed Capital, with participation from the Antimicrobial Resistance Action Fund and Daleshaw Ltd. The funds are intended to complete the development of the rapid phenotypic test platform, perform clinical validation studies, and submit the platform and initial pneumonia test for FDA regulatory review.

Pipeline Development

Pattern Bioscience is advancing its single-cell microbiology platform, with the initial focus on a rapid phenotypic test for pneumonia. This test has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA in December 2021 and is currently undergoing clinical validation studies. The company plans to expand its test menu to include other critical bacterial infections in the future.

Technological Platform and Innovation

Pattern Bioscience's proprietary single-cell microbiology technology combines single-cell analysis with machine learning to rapidly identify pathogens and determine their antibiotic susceptibility without the need for traditional culture steps. Key aspects of this technology include:

Single-Cell Analysis: Isolates and analyzes individual bacterial cells to measure their live response to antibiotics, bypassing time-consuming culture steps and delivering results within hours.

Machine Learning Integration: Utilizes deep learning algorithms to recognize phenotypic patterns of bacterial response, covering all resistance mechanisms, including known, unknown, existing, emerging, simple, complex, genetic, or epigenetic.

Comprehensive Pathogen Coverage: Enables testing directly from non-sterile specimens, enhancing the attributes that have made traditional culture the gold standard for bacterial diagnosis.

Leadership Team

Carey-Ann Burnham, PhD: Chief Executive Officer since January 2025. Dr. Burnham joined Pattern Bioscience as Chief Clinical Officer in March 2022. She has nearly 20 years of experience as a clinical microbiologist and leader, previously serving as a professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and as the medical director of clinical microbiology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Nick Arab: Founder and Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Arab founded Pattern Bioscience in 2016 and served as CEO until January 2025. He has a background in electrical engineering and held various leadership positions at Luminex Corporation before founding Pattern.

Tim Skansi: Chief Financial Officer since October 2023. Mr. Skansi has nearly four decades of experience in finance and operations, previously serving as Senior Vice President and CFO at McKesson Medical-Surgical.

Travis Davies: Vice President of Operations since October 2023. Mr. Davies spent 25 years at Luminex Corporation, most recently as Vice President of Instrument, Reagent, and Consumable Manufacturing.

Leadership Changes

In January 2025, Dr. Carey-Ann Burnham was appointed as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding founder Nick Arab, who transitioned to the role of Chief Technology Officer. This leadership change reflects the company's progression from development to clinical validation and commercialization phases.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics

The global in vitro diagnostics market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing prevalence of infectious diseases and the rising demand for rapid diagnostic solutions. The market for rapid diagnostic tests, particularly those addressing antibiotic resistance, is expanding as healthcare providers seek more efficient tools to guide treatment decisions.

Competitor Analysis

Key competitors in the rapid diagnostic testing space include:

Surmodics: Founded in 1979 and based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Surmodics operates in the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector, offering a range of diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.

Accelerate Diagnostics: Established in 1987 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Accelerate focuses on rapid diagnostic solutions for infectious diseases, providing automated systems for pathogen identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Adaltis: Founded in 1980 and based in Guidonia Montecelio, Lazio, Adaltis specializes in developing and manufacturing in vitro diagnostic systems and reagents for clinical laboratories.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

Pattern Bioscience has established significant partnerships to advance its mission:

CARB-X Funding: In February 2020, Pattern received up to $6.8 million in non-dilutive funding from CARB-X to develop its rapid ID/AST platform, with the potential for an additional $15.1 million upon achieving certain milestones.

Series C Investors: The April 2023 Series C financing round was led by Illumina Ventures and Omnimed Capital, with participation from the Antimicrobial Resistance Action Fund and Daleshaw Ltd.

Operational Insights

Pattern Bioscience's competitive advantages include:

Rapid Diagnostic Capability: The ability to deliver pathogen identification and antibiotic susceptibility results within hours, compared to the days required by traditional culture-based methods.

Comprehensive Resistance Detection: The platform's phenotypic pattern recognition covers all resistance mechanisms, including those that are known, unknown, existing, emerging, simple, complex, genetic, or epigenetic.