Hi, I’m Dr. Josie Hayes, the founder of Hayes Consulting, and there is one word that has seemed to follow me throughout my 20+ year career in developing and testing precision medicine.

Focus

In my early career, as I transitioned from my role as a routine clinical scientist to developing next generation sequencing platforms. 

‘‘Focus, focus Josie…” My well esteemed boss in the hospital lab always reminded me. His advice was to zone in on a specific part of the development process.

But I couldn’t.

Not when there were so many other parts of the process that I was curious to understand and I could see were clearly not functioning correctly, and not going to get us the results we wanted. 

‘Every self respecting scientist would know that you can’t diagnose a cancer by solely focusing in on just one part of the slide’, I thought. ‘Surely processes were the same?’

But focusing seemed to be the answer. So I set out to find my focus…

After 10 years working in clinical labs, I began my PhD in the research of brain tumors. 

But it had the complete opposite effect.

I got even more curious…

I wanted to know all parts of the process, from collecting the sample, to preparing it in the lab, to the computer programming used to analyze it. 

Since the first human genome had been sequenced during my undergraduate degree in genetics, advancements in tech to analyze the data had come on in leaps and bounds, and I wanted to know everything about it. 

I surrounded myself with experts. I went to visit them - the expert that knew how to prepare the microRNA samples in the lab in Norfolk, UK, the lab that processed the samples for the open source database ‘The Cancer Genome Atlas’ in Vancouver. I learnt to code.

As well as my main project, I worked with many different projects with the aim- to get a complete overview of the Precision Medicine Development and Testing process.

One day I was listening to a presentation by the new Genome Sequencing Centre at our university (University of Leeds, UK) and I noticed that the lab team had assumed the length of the RNA they needed for downstream processes was 24 base pairs in length, but the computer programmers had been looking for RNA that was 70-80 base pairs in length. 

Nobody in the room at the time could see it. Although they were all experts; they were specialized in one part of the process.

I worked at Harvard Medical School, I moved to San Francisco to work at UCSF, I worked in the clinic trials industry in Silicon Valley (Revolution Medicines), I worked with a small biotech company building therapeutics for cancer.

On the outside, it may have looked like I couldn’t find my focus.

But my career has made me an expert in the Precision Medicine Development process in its entirety.  

I quickly spot where potential gaps and missteps lie.

I prevent a large, lengthy and costly process from failing by identifying potential pitfalls and circumnavigating them before they become forgone conclusions. 

For example, I can see that, despite the protocol, a busy clinical lab could accidentally leave a sample in the refrigerator for a few days, or the sample may have been put in the wrong tube in a hurry. 

I can assist communications between teams and experts who can only see from the perspective of their niche. From their point of focus.

Let me tell you this. 

There is huge value in being an expert in something very niche. 

But there is also huge value in having a unique and first hand 360 view of biomarkers - from the clinic, to academia and industry, and across countries, types of biomarkers and all types of ‘omics’ data. 

The whole process is my ‘niche’.

It was only when I had developed my knowledge of the whole biomarker testing process, that I could then begin to optimize it, create innovative, streamlined solutions and begin to support the companies and clients I’ve worked with to deliver the best solutions and outcomes for their business, for their stakeholders, and most importantly for their patients.

Hayes Consulting is the culmination of over 20 years research and first hand experience in creating bespoke precision medicine development and testing solutions.

All of my experience and knowledge is packed into my services, helping streamline the biomarker strategy and precision medicine development processes for my clients.

To avoid the mistakes and missteps, and accelerate their journey to success.

To share best practices and learnings with clients and organizations to help them do the same.

Hayes Consulting supports you in designing the right biomarker testing process for your organization, ensuring you get the right results.

Because the translational success you’re seeking lies in the development of the biomarker strategy and testing process itself.