Conversations with CEOs: Genoptix's Tina S. Nova

Q and A with Tina S. Nova, CEO of Carlsbad's Genoptix

By BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff writer | Tuesday, October 21, 2008 9:32 AM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- Tina S. Nova, chief executive officer of Genoptix Inc., is a member of the local biotech community's most elite group: the alumni of Hybritech, San Diego County's first biotech company.

Nova began her career as a scientist, earning a doctorate in biochemistry from UC Riverside. But Nova began to get interested in the business side of biotech after leaving Hybritech, leading her to executive roles at Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Selective Genetics and Nanogen Inc.

Genoptix, which provides medical testing for leukemia and lymphoma, is the first company where Nova has been chief executive. It held its initial public stock offering last October, and is trading at nearly double its $17 per-share IPO price.

Genoptix was first in this year's Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program for San Diego, which ranks the 50 fastest companies in high-tech, biotech and media. Genoptix achieved revenue growth from 2003 to 2007 of 28,288 percent.

Nova recently spoke with the North County Times and discussed her career and experiences.

<b>Q:</b> What scientific role did you play at Hybritech?

<b>A:</b> Biochemistry. I managed other laboratory technicians, I directed them on what experiments needed to be done. And I was right next to them, doing experiments as well ... and deciding how to take the science forward, based on the data that I would analyze.

<b>Q:</b> How did you make the transition from science to the business side, and why?

<b>A:</b> After I went to Ligand, I started presenting to investors on the science side of the company. At that point, I realized I liked the combination of business and science.

I don't feel like I've ever gone 100 percent business. I've been able to stay very close to the science. I've gone more to the business side but haven't left the science side, which is a great combination.

<b>Q:</b> How are Genoptix's services different from competitors?

<b>A:</b> (Doctors) can tell how their treatment is going, and if they need to make a change. We've given them the final diagnosis. We don't just give back test results. And that's what makes us very different from the competition.

Once we have multiple samples from a patient, we give not only the current lab results, we give the diagnosis that was made prior to that, so they can track the patient's progression over time. No other company is doing that.

<b>Q: </b>Genoptix originally provided cell-sorting services. How did Genoptix come up with its present business model?

<b>A: </b>We talked to hem/oncs (doctors who specialize in blood cancers) who were customers. They said they didn't have a place to send these bone marrow and blood samples to get a good diagnosis, and it was an area that really needed more personalized medicine.

Because of what we heard from our customers, we developed the business model that fit the clinical need, rather than the other way around.

<b>Q: </b>How does Genoptix recruit the medical experts needed to perform these specialized diagnoses?

<b>A: </b>The main thing we have to offer ---- besides beautiful Carlsbad, being two miles from the ocean and having beautiful labs ---- is that when they come to Genoptix, they get to do hematopathology (blood disease diagnosis) 100 percent of the time.

And if they were working at a hospital or a different setting, they would have to do a lot of regular pathology as well, because nobody focuses 100 percent on this area except for us.

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.