Noel is one of the co-founders of DNASimple, a company that helps speed up genetic research by connecting DNA donors with researchers, greatly simplifying the process. Scientists have immediate access to samples, and donors receive a small bonus.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who knew Olivier Noel ’11 during his time at Queens College that, while still pursuing his MD/Ph.D. at Penn State College of Medicine, he co-founded a novel biotech/healthcare company. It’s no surprise, then, that his achievements have earned him a spot on Forbes magazine’s prestigious 30 Under 30 in Science list for 2017, which honors awardees for “discovering new things about our world and new ways to save it.”
Noel, a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was a standout student at Queens, making the dean’s list on several occasions and receiving honors in biology and chemistry, including an American Heart Association Summer Research Fellowship. He found time to tutor students in French, Spanish, biology, and chemistry, as well as volunteer at the Queens Hospital Center Emergency Room, despite being a member of the soccer team.
Noel launched DNAsimple, an online DNA bank for researchers to access DNA samples from people all over the world, in the summer of 2015. For about half the cost of setting up and managing an in-house genomic sample bank, DNAsimple allows donors to contribute to scientific studies while also providing genetic researchers with the samples they require. This eliminates many of the time and geographic constraints that researchers face when trying to obtain DNA samples.
As Noel explains, the need to find people willing to travel long distances to research centers and provide DNA samples stymies research at many genetic institutes. When a speaker at a UPenn medical genetics conference described a similar situation and how it was eventually resolved, Noel realized the scenario could be replicated and systematized in a way that would benefit countless other researchers.
“They were looking into a rare disease that had an even lower incidence rate in Pennsylvania and the Western world,” Noel explains. “They were able to find a support group for people with the disease in India through a Facebook search, and they were able to contact them and have a DNA sample shipped over.”
Hair, various parts of the body, and bodily fluids such as blood and saliva can all be used to collect DNA. Saliva is easy to collect and ship because it isn’t a hazardous substance, according to Noel.
Noel realized that by contacting genetic disease support groups directly, as well as reaching out via social media, potential donors representing various diseases could be identified and asked to join DNAsimple’s registry and eventually provide saliva samples. Researchers would be able to contact a genomics bank instead of conducting their own time-consuming searches.
Donors’ personal information is de-identified so that researchers don’t see it, and vice versa. Donors are mailed saliva collection kits in which to place their samples and return them in the same manner once they match a specific study requirement. A buffer is included in each kit, which helps to keep the sample stable for several months. While some donors are compensated for their samples, others choose to donate them to a charity of their choice instead.
Tarik Salameh, a fellow Penn State MD/Ph.D. student studying bioinformatics, and Jeff Conway, a computer scientist with expertise in algorithms and artificial intelligence, are Noel’s partners in the DNAsimple venture. He boasts that theirs was one of 32 startup companies chosen from 6500 worldwide for the inaugural Y Combinator fellowship program in Silicon Valley. The eight-week program is aimed at startups and early-stage businesses. Y Combinator awards a $12k equity-free grant to those chosen. DNAsimple completed the fellowship in November and opened an office in Center City, Pennsylvania. According to Noel, Y Combinator is still interested in maintaining a relationship.
DNAsimple was recently selected as one of 25 companies to participate in the DreamIt accelerator program in Philadelphia. A total of nearly 1000 businesses from more than 40 countries applied for a spot. Forbes magazine named DreamIt, which collaborates with Independence Blue Cross and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, as one of the top 10 business accelerators in the world.
“I am very proud of Olivier and how far he has come since joining my lab,” Nathalia Holtzman, a former QC faculty mentor in whose biology lab he performed research, said after learning of Noel’s recent accomplishments. He’s always been a hard worker with a lot of charisma. He is capable of balancing everything, and he excels at sports as well. Olivier’s business is a brilliant concept. He’s really filling a void that will be a valuable resource for a lot of researchers.”
Despite his hectic professional schedule, Noel continues to play soccer with a league on Tuesdays and coaches in a youth league.
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