NVC Alumni Impact on Molecular Technology with Aptitude Medical Systems

The earlier you can detect cancer or heart disease and other ailments, the better.

That was the way Scott Ferguson and two fellow UC Santa Barbara graduate students approached a scientific problem four years ago, and the solution they came up with helped launch them into an ever-changing medical technology field.

A huge chunk of the health-care world uses antibody technology to detect diseases or issues in patients, with an antibody helping to identify and neutralize pathogens like bacteria and viruses before they can spread.

Ferguson and his classmates, Qiang (Jackson) Gong and Jinpeng (JP) Wang, formed Aptitude Medical Systems to create their own synthetic version of molecules that could better do the trick at a fraction of the cost.

“Basically we’re trying to tackle some key needs in healthcare at a really fundamental level,” said Ferguson, who’s CEO of the Santa Barbara-based startup.

“If you’re trying to detect certain diseases, you need to interact with molecules. There are some key limitations with antibodies that make it difficult for them to detect certain (bio) markers. Special molecules we create can detect certain targets.”

The research was solid, and the business plan Aptitude Medical put together for the startup competition at the UCSB Technology Management Program New Venture Competition was thorough enough to earn Ferguson’s team best business plan and most fundable venture.

Gina Potthoff, Noozhawk Staff Writer