David C. Duffy is an entrepreneurial scientist who has devoted his career to the development of bioanalytical technologies and products for life science research and clinical diagnostics. He has worked to translate novel, enabling technologies from academia into start-ups, and building these companies to initial commercialization and beyond. He focuses on defining and executing technology and product roadmaps, exploring research and clinical applications, and building intellectual property strategies needed for effective commercialization of novel bioanalytical tools.
David most recently served as CTO at Quanterix Corporation for 11 years, where he led the development of the single molecule array (Simoa) technology and products that catalyzed the field of blood-based diagnosis of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to Quanterix, he worked at Surface Logix, Gamera Biosciences, and Unilever.
He was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, and was the first Sir Alan Wilson Research Fellow of Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge. He received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, and earned his M.A. and B.A. degrees from Selwyn College at the University of Cambridge.
David has published more than 50 papers in the fields of microfluidics, surface chemistry, single-molecule detection, and proteomics, and is an inventor on 36 US patents. In 2023, he received the Daniel Perlman Memorial Award from the American Chemical Society for his role in establishing the field of digital immunoassays.
At the Wyss Institute, David is a member of the Wyss Mentor Hive who specializes in developing bioanalytical technologies and products for life science research and clinical diagnostics, and in translating these innovations from academia into startups that he helps build through initial commercialization and beyond.
The Wyss Mentor Hive is a mentoring program that invites investors and business professionals with significant early stage translational experience, clinical and regulatory experts in driving therapeutic and device development, and serial entrepreneurs with a track record of success to work closely with Wyss entrepreneur teams on startup formation and technology commercialization. Mentors provide feedback to founders and entrepreneurs, while also demonstrating commitment and leadership in the Wyss innovation community.