Company
About BreakSight
Empowering genomic instability research, enabling scientific breakthroughs that improve patient care and redefining the future of precision medicine.
Our Mission
To transform the way researchers uncover insights into DNA damage and its implications for human health.
Our mission is to reshape the fields of biomarker discovery, cancer research, and drug development by providing unparalleled access to the full genome—including non-coding regions often overlooked by traditional assays.
We believe that solving complex challenges in medicine starts with a comprehensive understanding of genomic instability and DNA damage.
Our platform combines cutting-edge DNA break mapping to deliver actionable insights, helping researchers identify new therapeutic targets, predict drug responses, and accelerate breakthroughs in precision medicine.
Our Beginnings
Founded to realize the broader applicability of BrITL
BreakSight, Inc spun out of the research and findings discovered in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Brown at the University of Pennsylvania. As part of Ph.D. thesis work performed from 2011 and continued through her post-doctoral work, Nishita Shastri developed and honed a procedure to tag and retrieve DNA double-strand break ends from the genome of cells experiencing strenuous levels of DNA damage.
With the help of talented players at Penn, rigorous bioinformatic analyses of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data produced from this technique critically identified peaks representing DNA breaks in the genome and unraveled the patterns of DNA sequences associated with breakage. This technique, called BrITL, revealed intriguing findings, some of which are described in Molecular Cell – “Genome-wide identification of structure-forming repeats as principle sites of fork collapse upon ATR inhibition”.
In realizing the broader applicability of BrITL, BreakSight, Inc was founded to provide similar services to customers interested in making their own genome-wide discoveries on sites of DNA breakage in their cell and therapeutic models.
Nishita is a former cancer biology graduate student and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine. Now the Founder and CEO of BreakSight, Inc. she strives to deliver a new technology platform to pharma companies and research institutions to drive breakthrough genomics discoveries and advance precision medicine.
Eric is an Associate Professor of Cancer Biology at University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, and an internationally recognized leader in the DNA Damage Repair (DDR) field. As part of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, his multidisciplinary research focuses on mechanisms that maintain genome stability during DNA replication and the roles they play in cancer treatment and aging.
Farrokh is a Managing Partner and Co-founder of Green Leaf Real Estate Capital where he advises on investment evaluation and real estate sourcing, screening, valuation analysis, negotiation, and execution. He was also co-founder of Artiman Ventures, a fund focused on technology investments. Farrokh brings over 35 years of experience serving on boards and guiding businesses towards success.
Som is a known entrepreneur and incubator of startups, making his mark on companies like AANetcom and Lightwire, Inc. and demonstrating a history of developing innovative solutions. Som is currently the CEO and Founder of NSV, Inc., a medical device startup based in Allentown, PA.
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