Broken String Biosciences Appoints New CEO to Commercialize Gene Editing Safety Platform
Key Insights
Broken String Biosciences (search) appointed Terry Pizzie as CEO to drive commercialization of its INDUCE-seq® (search) platform for gene editing safety assessment.
The INDUCE-seq® (search) platform directly maps DNA double-strand breaks to measure on- and off-target editing events from any gene editing therapeutic in any cell type.
Recent data showed INDUCE-seq® (search) accelerates early-stage gene editing therapeutic development by cutting candidate screening timelines from months to days.
Broken String Biosciences (search), a Cambridge-based company focused on advancing gene editing safety, has appointed Terry Pizzie as CEO to lead the commercialization of its INDUCE-seq® (search) platform, now available to cell and gene therapy developers worldwide. The leadership change marks a significant milestone as the company transitions from a pioneering technology developer to a fully commercial organization.
New Leadership Team Drives Commercial Expansion
Pizzie brings extensive experience from leading and scaling global life science businesses, having previously served as CEO of Horizon Discovery (search) and Astrea Bioseparations (search), where he guided both companies through successful growth and exits. His background also includes senior roles at Pacific Biosciences (search), GE Healthcare, Applied Biosystems (search), and Genetix (search).
The company has also strengthened its commercial capabilities with the appointment of Gabe Longoria as Chief Commercial Officer, leveraging his significant track record of commercial leadership in cell and gene therapy tools. Co-founder Felix Dobbs will continue to lead company operations and technology development as Chief Operations Officer, while co-founder Professor Simon Reed remains as Chief Scientific Officer.
INDUCE-seq® Platform Addresses Critical Safety Assessment Needs
The company's next stage of growth focuses on scaling access to INDUCE-seq® (search), a proprietary platform that directly maps DNA double-strand breaks to measure and quantify both on- and off-target editing events from any gene editing therapeutic in any cell type. The platform serves as a universal, unbiased solution for mapping genome integrity and was developed to provide a faster and more reliable way to quantify such events, which is critical in evaluating the predicted impact of any gene editing therapy.
"Gene editing technologies such as CRISPR (search) and base editing are already transforming what's possible in medicine," said Pizzie. "INDUCE-seq® (search) gives developers a powerful new way to rapidly and confidently evaluate both the efficacy of on-target editing and the potential impact of off-target effects, helping them design more precise, safer therapies and to advance promising therapies much faster."
Platform Demonstrates Significant Time Savings in Development
Recent data presented at the Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa 2025, including work with the Innovative Genomics Institute (search) at UC Berkeley, showcased how INDUCE-seq® (search) accelerates early-stage gene editing therapeutic development by cutting candidate screening timelines from months to days.
The technology enables direct, cell-based measurements of on-target and off-target edits directly from a clinically relevant biological system, ensuring therapy developers can characterize safety and efficacy as early as discovery, before committing substantial budgets and time to preclinical or clinical trials.
Patient-Specific Safety Assessments
INDUCE-seq® (search) also allows for off-target assessments tailored to a patient's specific genotype, enabling developers to bring safety evaluations closer to the patient. This capability supports faster, more targeted treatments, helping to accelerate progress in life-saving therapies.
"Under his leadership, and with Gabe's commercial acumen, we are now well positioned to make INDUCE-seq® (search) the gold standard for gene editing off-target assessment, a crucial step in the delivery of safe gene editing therapies to patients," said Dobbs about the new CEO appointment.