Our Story

Diagnostic Biochips’ mission is to provide Intuitive and powerful neural probes designed to enable groundbreaking research in electrophysiology, and cloud-based software for spike sorting and analysis – anywhere, anytime.

Our Team

Our Leadership

Our Progress

Company Timeline

Our Team

How We Started

Diagnostic Biochips was launched on the premise that users are ready for a turnkey multichannel extracellular recording system on par with laboratory assays and instruments found in other fields such as genetics. The foundational probe technology is based on Brian Jamieson and Fan Wu’s doctoral work at the University of Michigan, with several years of development funded in cooperation with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute/JFRC (2007-2016). We are located in Glen Burnie, Maryland (near BWI airport), which we half-jokingly describe as the emerging neurotech capital of the world.

Our Leadership

Greg AldenPresident & CEO

Greg Alden’s 25-year career has been built on optimizing data communications to solve big problems, from the early broadband internet in the early 90’s, the introduction of data to mobile communications, and most recently within the human brain.

Brian JamiesonFounder & CTO

Brian Jamieson founded Diagnostic Biochips (DBC) in 2013 to drive groundbreaking advances in understanding the brain through the development of advanced neural interfacing systems.

Fan WuVP Product Development

Fan Wu is a biomedical and electrical engineer with more than 10 years of experience in design, micro-fabrication and testing of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) for biomedical applications.

Scott SmithVP Sales

Scott Smith is a neurotechnology executive who has enthusiastically embraced innovation in the fields of cognitive and clinical neuroscience and neurology for over 25 years.

Nancy PalmerVP Marketing & Community Outreach

Nancy Palmer has been working in graphics, marketing, and web development for the last 30 years for global technology companies. Her expertise in managing vertical markets with B2B and B2C connections will be applied to further promote DBC’s ground-breaking new products facilitating research in many neuroscience and electrophysiology fields.

Our Progress at a Glance

Formation

Diagnostic Biochips emerged from engineering services company Scientific & Biomedical Microsystems (SBM) in 2013 to commercialize technology developed under contract with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. With over $6M of R&D funding from the NIH and DARPA, Diagnostic Biochips has been expanding our preclinical neurosensor’s capabilities.

Building Momentum

A lack of appropriately scaled and widely applicable tools to study structures at the neural network level was identified as one of the barriers to allowing scientists to develop a detailed, functional description of the brain. In 2014, a consortium of federal agencies including the NIH, NSF, DARPA, the FDA, reached the same conclusion. As a result, The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, a multi-decadal, multi-billion dollar program, was launched to accelerate the understanding of the brain, and advance therapies and cures for the growing burden of brain disease. We are proud to be aligned.

Current Focus

By accelerating the development and application of innovative technologies, researchers will be able to produce a revolutionary new picture of the brain that, for the first time, shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space. Long desired by researchers seeking new ways to treat, cure and even prevent brain disorders, this picture will fill major gaps in our current knowledge and provide unprecedented opportunities for exploring exactly how the brain enables the human body to record, process, utilize, store and retrieve vast quantities of information, all at the speed of thought.

Company Progression Timeline

2003: Brian Jamieson defends thesis on active neural probes

Brian Jamieson defends thesis on active neural probes
2012: DBC Incorporated

DBC Incorporated
2013: SBIR grant from NIAAA to measure interaction of ethanol with neuronal circuits

SBIR grant from NIAAA: SBIR grant from NIAAA to measure interaction of ethanol with neuronal circuits
2013: SBIR Grant from NIDA: effect of drug abuse on brain circuitry

SBIR grant from NIAAA: SBIR Grant from NIDA: effect of drug abuse on brain circuitry
2013: Distribution agreement with Cambridge Neurotech and sale of first product

Distribution agreement with Cambridge Neurotech and sale of first product
2014: SBIR grant from NHLBI: continuous measurement of chemotherapeutic drugs

SBIR grant from NHLBI: continuous measurement of chemotherapeutic drugs
2014: Fan Wu defends thesis on optogenetics probes

Fan Wu defends thesis on optogenetics probes
2015: SBIR grant (Brain Initiative) from NIMH for continuous psychiatric drug monitoring

SBIR grant (Brain Initiative) from NIMH for continuous psychiatric drug monitoring
2015: License and Distribution Agreement with Howard Hughes Medical Institute

License and Distribution Agreement with Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2016: Review paper on Point of care technology in IEEE Journal of Translational Research in Health and Medicine

Review paper on Point of care technology in IEEE Journal of Translational Research in Health and Medicine
2016: VP of New Product Development Fan Wu, Ph.D. joins company

VP of New Product Development Fan Wu, Ph.D. joins company
2017: DARPA grant for continuous measurement of cytokines

DARPA grant for continuous measurement of cytokines
2017: Chemosensing Technology Featured in Journal of Materials Chemistry

Chemosensing Technology Featured in Journal of Materials Chemistry
2018: US Patent issued: In Vivo Biosensor

US Patent issued: In Vivo Biosensor
2019: US Patent issued: Optical Neural probe

US Patent issued: Optical Neural probe
2019: Probe Technology Featured in Frontiers in Neuroscience

Probe Technology Featured in Frontiers in Neuroscience
2019: Review Paper Authored on Continuous Monitoring in Translational Research

Review Paper Authored on Continuous Monitoring in Translational Research
2019: CEO Greg Alden joins company

CEO Greg Alden joins company
2020: Probe User Michael Long Featured on cover of Cell for Work Using DBC probe

Probe User Michael Long Featured on cover of Cell for Work Using DBC probe
2021: VP of Marketing Nancy Palmer joins company

VP of Marketing Nancy Palmer joins company
2021: VP of Sales, Scott Smith, Ph.D. joins company

VP of Sales, Scott Smith, Ph.D. joins company
2021: Series A Financing Completed

Series A Financing completed
2021: Integrated 64 and 128 Probe Product Released

Integrated 64 and 128 Probe Product Released