In this interview, Adrien Takada, Customer Success Manager at Scispot, sat down with Yiming Huang, CTO of FoliBio, and Marley Giddins, Senior Scientist, to discuss their work in non-invasive RNA sequencing, the challenges of scaling biotech operations, and how Scispot has helped them transition from pilot projects to clinical collaborations.
Q: Could you introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about FoliBio?
Yiming Huang: "I’m the Technology Officer at FoliBio. We are a biotech company focusing on non-invasive RNA sequencing technology. We work closely with pharmaceutical companies, helping with sample processing, and we also acquire samples through collaborations with academic institutions. This involves a lot of sample processing and next-generation sequencing data generation."
Marley Giddins: "I’m a Senior Scientist at FoliBio, primarily working in the lab. My focus is on advancing our exfoliome sequencing technology and helping to scale our platform as we expand into new applications and partnerships. Sample tracking and data management are crucial parts of my work."
Q: How were you managing sample tracking and data management before using Scispot?
Yiming Huang: "Before reaching out to Scispot, we were using basic folder structures and Dropbox. That worked fine when we were handling just 10 to 20 samples for small pilot projects. But as we scaled, we realized we needed a more comprehensive system—one that could link not just sample data but also protocols and experiment documentation."
Marley Giddins: "As we started generating more data, it became clear that tracking samples, standardizing workflows, and keeping everything organized in a way that would be useful long-term was becoming a major challenge. Especially as we started handling clinical samples, we needed rigorous QC and compliance with regulations like HIPAA. Excel spreadsheets were too clunky and no longer sufficient."
Q: What was the tipping point that made you switch from Excel and Dropbox?
Yiming Huang: "The biggest shift came when we started working with larger pharmaceutical companies and moved from pre-clinical to clinical projects. Compliance requirements became much stricter, and we needed a system that could handle regulatory needs like HIPAA compliance, data security, and audit trails. Additionally, as our team grew, it became harder to manage access control across different team members. We needed a system where only the scientists working on a project had access to that specific data."
Q: What led you to choose Scispot over other available options?
Yiming Huang: "We evaluated five to seven different vendors before choosing Scispot. Some of the bigger players, like LabWare, only offered enterprise-level solutions that were too expensive for us. Another key factor was ease of use—Scispot was very straightforward from the demo itself. Many vendors we looked at only provided electronic lab notebooks, but we needed a combination of workflow management and an ELN. Scispot was one of the few platforms that could offer both."
"HIPAA compliance was another major deciding factor. There are very few vendors that offer HIPAA-compliant solutions, which is crucial for us as we transition into clinical projects."
Marley Giddins: "Scispot felt like the best fit because it was flexible enough to adapt to our workflows while still providing the structure we needed. Many LIMS and ELN systems feel either too rigid or overly complicated. Scispot struck the right balance—it’s designed with growing biotech teams in mind. We also appreciate that they don’t just give us a pre-built system and expect us to adjust. Instead, they work with us directly to configure the platform for our specific needs."
Q: What are FoliBio’s biggest priorities right now?
Yiming Huang: "One of our biggest priorities is scaling up a project with one of the top five pharmaceutical companies. We’ve been working with them on pre-clinical projects for over a year, and now we’re transitioning into clinical trials. This means handling hundreds of samples, ensuring data accuracy, and co-developing solutions with them."
"Another key focus is collaborating with top universities to acquire important clinical samples. Our goal is to develop something with more clinical relevance and ensure the reliability of our data. That’s going to be our main priority in the next few months."
Q: How has your experience been working with Scispot so far?
Yiming Huang: "Scispot has been instrumental in helping us prepare for larger-scale projects. Their flexibility and compliance features are exactly what we needed."
Marley Giddins: "We really appreciate that Scispot is working with us to tailor the platform to our workflows instead of forcing us into a rigid system. That level of customization is really valuable."
Conclusion
FoliBio’s innovative approach to non-invasive RNA sequencing, combined with Scispot’s adaptable and regulatory-compliant platform, positions them well for future growth. As Yiming put it, "We anticipate handling hundreds of samples and ensuring everything is correct as we transition into clinical trials." Marley added, "It's exciting to work with a system that scales with us rather than forcing us into rigid workflows."
As they scale up operations, Scispot will continue to support them in managing data, streamlining workflows, and meeting compliance requirements for clinical applications.
Watch the Full Interview
Want to hear directly from FoliBio’s team about their experience with Scispot? Watch the full interview below to get insights into how they are scaling their operations, managing compliance, and optimizing workflows with Scispot.
Stay tuned for more success stories from biotech innovators leveraging Scispot to power their research and operations!
