Steven J. Burden, PhD

Interface Between Science, Business, and Innovation

Being a technologist, I am deeply enthusiastic about building and streamlining systems, particularly at the confluence of science, business, and innovation. One of my significant life ambitions is to assist people in comprehending the significance and value of science and how we can work together to make a positive impact on the lives of people around us.

From my experiences, I identified needs in the marketplace and then successfully built and led interdisciplinary team that effectively developed and manufactured a product leveraging novel and advanced nucleic acid nanotechnology.

Career Highlights

10 Years of Management Experience Nearly 20 Years in Diagnostics

3 Years of Laboratory Management
4 Years of Executive Management
Received over $750k in NIH Grant Funding 
3 Years of Managing Synthetic Biology Team
Raised over $5M in Private Funding
Nearly 10 Years of Medical Technology Experience
Tri-disciplinary PhD in Biophysics, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology

CEO - Founder

Facible BioDiangostics Inc.

I started this company to change the way people measure and understand their health. Often diagnostics are too expensive, too slow, or not accurate enough. These factors often lead to lower quality care and patient frustration. Facible was started to bring a novel technology that is fast, accurate and low-cost. However, due to poor market conditions, this dream will have to wait a little longer until…

Learn more about my Facible journey:

  • • Engaged with various stakeholders including board of directors, multiple legal teams, 70+ shareholders, 20+ employees, manufacturers, grant representatives, industry consultants, and academics.

    • Regularly communicated cutting edge scientific concepts to individuals and groups of various knowledge levels.

    • Publicly spoke as a thought leader in multiple conferences and panels.

    • Managed over $1M in corporate assets.

    • Built and managed proformas, cashflow models, grant budgets, manufacturing budgets, and P&L statements.

  • • Initiated a public offering of common stock utilizing Regulation A+ for a company valued at over $200M.

    • Personally raised over $5M in private funding form many investors.

    • Successfully wrote and received 3 tranches of National Institute of Health grants totaling over $750k.

    • Personally accountable for $18M of an approximate $100M+ revenue funnel.

  • • Assembled a team of 20+ employees comprised of sales, operations, research and development, and manufacturing.

    • Successfully developed a translational research technology starting from academic idea to manufactured product.

    • Oversaw and managed the design, execution, and completion of a IVD clinical trial including 2 accompanying Institutional Review Board approvals.

    • Instituted operational controls and process to ensure projects were within budget and scope.

    • Developed AI/ML image processing pipeline for diagnostic data.

    • Built industry partnerships as a Manufacturer of Record and distributed product internationally.

During this period of time, I became a diagnostic expert. I was exposed to every type of clinical diagnostic technology imaginable and was trained on how to use almost all of it. I moved from an immunology specialty at ARUP to become a generalist in two rural hospital systems. This period of time was crucial in the identification of the industry problems that I identified. The fact that people lacked access to quality and timely diagnostics motivated me to go back to school to work of solutions to this problem.

Medical Technology Expert

    • Performed routine and complex laboratory tests using variety of techniques, instrumentation, and equipment to assist in medical diagnosis and treatment.

    • Conducted multiple tests at once using automated equipment and computerized instruments.

    • Conducted and evaluated quality control measurements to maintain equipment performance.

    • Reviewed test results to confirm accuracy and diagnosed causes behind irregular findings

    • Helped develop and launch a lab developed test for the comparison of CD203 and CCR3 in chronic urticaria.

    • Clinical Laboratory testing for Multiple Myeloma, renal diseases, immunoglobulin quantitation, complement and various other proteins.

    • Interpreted SPEP/IFE graphs and gels, troubleshooting, and consulted clients about laboratory tests.

    • Worked as shift leader to promote lab unity, resolve disputes, and improve workflow processes.

    • Helped develop and launch a lab developed test for the comparison of CD203 and CCR3 in chronic urticaria.

    • Clinical Laboratory testing for Multiple Myeloma, renal diseases, immunoglobulin quantitation, complement and various other proteins.

    • Interpreted SPEP/IFE graphs and gels, troubleshooting, and consulted clients about laboratory tests.

    • Worked as shift leader to promote lab unity, resolve disputes, and improve workflow processes.

I had the opportunity to direct a team in the field of synthetic biology and engineering for 3 years! During this time, we made significant strides in developing novel viral functions. That same team also optimized a novel viral nucleic acid strand production pipeline, which was no easy task! In addition to that, I personally oversaw the development of basic ML capabilities for prediction of nucleic acid function and mutation correlation, which aimed to optimize our approach and improve our outcomes. It's amazing to think about the progress we've made in just a few short years, and I'm incredibly proud of the team's hard work and dedication to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in this field. I can't wait to see what we accomplish next!

Project Group Director

Synthetic Biology

Education

Boise State University Ph.D. - Biomolecular Science 09/2015 - 12/2019

University of Utah Medical Laboratory Science 09/2009 - 08/2012

Brigham Young University B.S. - Exercise Science 09/2001 - 08/2008

Education, Publications, Patents

Patents

  • Steven J. Burden, Eric Hayden, Nicholas Shults. (2020) Nucleic acid-based biosensor and methods thereof (US, US20210123055A1).

  • Steven J. Burden, Clémentine G. Bohachek, Jonathon C. Reeck, Hunter J. Covert, Tanner B. Pollock, Nicholas H. Shults. (2021) Nucleic acid-based biosensor and associated methods (WO, WO2021216914A2).

  • Stephanie F. Hudon, Steven J. Burden, Eric Hayden, Esteban P. Hurtado. (2020) Methods and compositions for assaying repetitive sequences (US, US20210087628A1)

  • Steven J. Burden, Clémentine G. Bohachek, Jonathon C. Reeck, Hunter J. Covert, Tanner B. Pollock, Nicholas H. Shults, Shiwei Li, Aidan M. Poe. (2021) Deoxyribonucleic acid-based biosensor and associated methods (WO, WO2022016010A2).

Publications

  • E. Overgaard, S. Li, H. J. Covert, K. Tawara, A. M. Poe, N. H. Shults, A. A. Chernish, B. Sweet, C. R. Gonzales, C. F.N. Gibard, S. J. Burden. Development of Q-LAAD, an allonamer-based antigen test for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.23.22280297v1

  • Khanolkar, A., Burden, S. J., Hansen, B., Wilson, A. R., Philipps, G. J., & Hill, H. R. (2013). Evaluation of CCR3 as a basophil activation marker. American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 140(3), 293–300. http://doi.org/10.1309/AJCPLSN0RQKHJX1A