For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the complexity of life and the data that underpins it. I got my research start at the University of Cambridge, where I worked as a molecular biochemist and computational biologist. I was captivated by the promise of multi-omics data to unlock new insights into human health. In those days, I would spend late nights building disease classifiers and novel biomarker models, not because I had to, but because I couldn’t not. It was thrilling to see patterns emerge from the chaos – signals of potential breakthroughs hidden in raw biological data.

But as I transitioned from academic research into entrepreneurship, I encountered an uncomfortable truth. The science – while complex – was not the hardest part. Discovering biomarkers, as challenging as it is, was far simpler than what came next: turning those discoveries into scaled, compliant, and impactful diagnostics that could actually benefit millions of people.

The Frustration That Shaped Hurdle.bio’s Vision

After completing my PhD and a short post-doc, I founded a company to commercialise epigenetic biomarkers. I believed that if we could translate cutting-edge biomarker science into real-world tests, we could dramatically improve healthcare outcomes.

But very quickly, I saw the magnitude of the problem. The infrastructure required to bring a single diagnostic test to market was fragmented, slow, and outdated.

To launch even one test, we had to:

• Navigate complicated and slow-moving regulatory frameworks.
• Build data pipelines and operational systems from scratch.
• Stitch together everything from logistics to compliance, reinventing the wheel at every step.

What should have taken months took years, and that we were dedicating an increasingly large percentage of our capital to infrastructure not innovation. I realised that this was not just my problem – it was a systemic problem across the entire diagnostics industry.

There was no shared platform for innovation, no “common rails” like we see in software, fintech, or e-commerce. Diagnostics innovators were all forced to climb the same steep mountain, again and again, even though the path was always the same. That realisation became the seed for what would later become Hurdle.bio.

Building the Platform: From Custom Tools to Universal Infrastructure

Our first step was building a custom platform for our own epigenetic biomarkers. In 2018, launching our MVP took months of painstaking work. Achieving a robust, compliant, and scalable platform took years.

But through that grind, a bigger opportunity emerged: If we could build this infrastructure once, why not build it for everyone?

The platform we created could just as easily support:

• Liquid biopsy tests for early cancer detection.
• Advanced cardiovascular biomarkers for preventative care.
• Consumer health diagnostics for skincare, wellness, and beyond.

This was the breakthrough moment. Diagnostics innovators should not have to waste years battling operational and regulatory complexity just to test their ideas. They should be able to focus on what makes their science unique, while a platform like Hurdle.bio handles everything else.

How the Pandemic Shaped Hurdle.bio

The urgency of diagnostics became impossible to ignore during the pandemic. Governments, healthcare systems, and communities needed fast, reliable, and scalable diagnostic solutions – immediately. Our platform wasn’t just tested by this moment; it became part of the response.

We used our platform to rapidly innovate and deliver diagnostic products in-market, meeting the needs of governments and healthcare providers when it mattered most. That period demonstrated the resilience, adaptability, and robustness of our approach, proving that a platform-first model could move faster than traditional diagnostics development while still maintaining the highest standards of compliance and clinical governance.

Instead of treating this success as a finish line, we saw it as the foundation for something bigger – reinvesting every insight and resource to build a platform for the future of diagnostics. We took the funds, experience, and hard-won lessons from the pandemic response and channelled them into generalising and standardising Hurdle.bio.

The result is a platform that can now operate across diagnostics modalities – supporting from discovery to scaled clinical deployment – while maintaining the highest standards of data integrity, compliance, and clinical oversight.

Where We Are Today: A Platform for Innovators

Fast forward to today, and Hurdle.bio is a trusted partner for leading innovators in diagnostics and biopharma. Our platform powers the invisible yet critical infrastructure behind tests that span oncology, cardiovascular health, consumer diagnostics, and more.

What once took years and millions of dollars to achieve for a single test can now be accomplished in a matter of days. With Hurdle.bio, a new bioinformatics pipeline can be written in the morning and launched as a fully operational diagnostic service by the evening.

The Culture and Philosophy That Drives Us

At Hurdle, trust is our foundation. Every diagnostic test we enable represents a high-stakes decision – a treatment plan, a life-changing diagnosis, or a person seeking answers about their health. We take that responsibility seriously.

Our team is resilient, dependable, and uncompromising in our commitment to excellence. We deliver both quality and speed, ensuring that rapid progress never comes at the expense of trust or reliability.

We are building not just for today’s innovators, but for the next generation of diagnostics entrepreneurs who will define healthcare in the coming decades.

The Next Chapter: Evolving to Support the Full Diagnostics Lifecycle

Looking ahead over the coming quarters, our focus is on deepening and expanding the ways we help companies succeed.

• Pre-market acceleration with AI agents: We’re developing AI-powered tools to help researchers and startups move from discovery to real-world impact faster than ever.
• Supporting full diagnostics pathways: In-market success isn’t just about launching a test. Innovators need to integrate with clinicians, health systems, and care workflows. We’re evolving Hurdle.bio to support entire diagnostics pathways, not just standalone tests.
• Unlocking new models for innovation: We’re expanding the financial, legal, and operational structures that allow diagnostics breakthroughs – especially those emerging from academia – to reach the market without decades of delay.

The Hurdle.bio Challenge: Shaping the Future of Diagnostics

We’re opening a challenge focused on bioinformatics and algorithm-based innovations, where we believe the right platform can turn bold ideas into impactful diagnostic solutions faster than ever before.

In therapeutics, there is growing momentum around the idea of “n-of-1 companies” – small, highly focused teams capable of delivering world-changing breakthroughs. We believe diagnostics can be the first to prove this model at scale.

This year, we’re opening the Hurdle.bio platform to a select group of top innovators – entrepreneurs, researchers, and visionaries – who want to push the boundaries of what diagnostics innovation looks like.

This is not an open call; it’s an invitation to the boldest minds in diagnostics.

→ Reach out now to join the Hurdle.bio Challenge and help redefine what’s possible in diagnostics – just as n-of-1 companies are doing in therapeutics.