News

Sequence Bio Appoints Dr. Tom Barber as Chief Scientific Officer

February 5, 2025

sequence bio appoints dr. tom barber as chief scientific officer

Sequence Bio, a Newfoundland and Labrador-based drug discovery company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tom Barber as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Dr. Barber will lead the continued development and implementation of Sequence Bio’s R&D and partnering strategies toward the company’s vision of discovering life-changing medicines for diseases with global unmet medical need. 

Dr. Barber, an accomplished executive leader and researcher, joins Sequence Bio with more than twenty years’ experience at the forefront of medical innovation in the pharma, life sciences, and healthcare IT sectors.

Most recently, Dr. Barber served as CSO at Congenica, a global leader in genomic analysis and interpretation solutions, where he led the company’s scientific, clinical, and business development teams. Prior to that, Dr. Barber led NGS-driven drug discovery and development in multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular disease at global pharmaceutical company Lilly. He also served as Director, Genomics R&D at Beckman Coulter, a global leader in clinical diagnostics, and as Chief Science Officer at LifeOmic, an AI-driven precision health company acquired in 2023 by Fountain Life.

“Sequence Bio presents a unique opportunity to understand the genetic basis of disease and to discover and develop therapeutics that improve medical care for individuals living with a variety of inherited disorders,” said Dr. Tom Barber, Chief Scientific Officer of Sequence Bio. “I am honored to join this highly successful and motivated team as we build upon the company’s promising research and the enabling contributions of research participants throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Sequence Bio’s Chief Executive Officer Lynn Healey added, “Dr. Barber joins us during an exciting period of innovation as we undertake new discovery research for diseases that present at meaningfully higher rates in the Newfoundland and Labrador founder population.” She continued, “We want future discoveries by Sequence Bio to play a transformative role in addressing unmet medical needs for patients both here at home and around the world. With his blend and depth of scientific and corporate development expertise, Dr. Barber is uniquely positioned to help us reach that goal.”

About Dr. Tom Barber

Dr. Barber is an experienced executive leader with a robust background in next-generation sequencing and clinical research and development, delivering strategic insights that drive innovation at leading pharma and biotech companies. He holds a PhD in Genetics from Michigan State University, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Bert Vogelstein Laboratory at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute where he focused on developing advanced approaches to cancer target discovery and validation.

About Sequence Bio

Sequence Bio is researching the genetic characteristics of the Newfoundland and Labrador founder population to identify and validate novel drug targets, helping to accelerate the discovery of new treatments for diseases with high unmet medical need. Sequence Bio is proudly based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

For additional information please contact

Chris McDonald
VP, Market Development
+1-800-296-3481 x708