Wobble Genomics
Unlocking a new way to detect cancer through full-length RNA sequencing and biomarker innovation
The story
Wobble Genomics was founded on a simple but ambitious idea: that much of what drives disease remains hidden and that by seeing more, we can understand more.
Led by Dr Richard Kuo, the business builds on over a decade of research into RNA sequencing at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute. While genetic sequencing has traditionally focused on DNA, it is RNA that ultimately determines how cells behave. Yet, until now, much of RNA has remained difficult to access due to its instability, complexity and the limitations of existing sequencing methods.
Wobble has developed a way to overcome these challenges.
Its approach enables the detection of full-length RNA, revealing signals that have previously been invisible. This shift from short-read to long-read RNA sequencing opens up a deeper understanding of how cells function, with potential applications spanning diagnostics, drug development, agriculture and environmental science.
Since spinning out in 2021, Wobble has moved quickly from research to real-world validation. Following an £8.5m investment led by Mercia Ventures and BGF, it has focused on advancing and commercialising its platform and building the capability to translate scientific insight into practical applications.
Early results are already demonstrating the potential of the technology.
In a clinical study, Wobble showed that full-length RNA sequencing from blood samples could detect early-stage breast cancer with high accuracy, identifying signals not captured by existing methods. Beyond detection, the approach offers the potential to better understand disease progression, inform treatment decisions and accelerate the development of new therapies.
At its core, Wobble is not just improving an existing technique. It is expanding what can be observed in human biology.
By uncovering a vast number of previously unseen RNA transcripts, the company is building a new layer of biological insight, with the potential to reshape how disease is detected, monitored and understood.
Why we invested
Wobble stood out as a company pushing the boundaries of what is possible in RNA sequencing. While RNA has historically been difficult to work with, the team demonstrated a novel approach that challenges long-held assumptions in the field. Through early diligence and engagement with Dr Richard Kuo and the team, it became clear that their ability to detect low-abundance RNA from blood samples had the potential to be both technically credible and commercially significant. With strong early data and a clear vision for enabling precision medicine, Wobble represents the kind of breakthrough platform technology that could have a meaningful impact on patient outcomes over time.
Watch: Founder conversations
Wobble Genomics is redefining how we detect and understand disease.
Led by CEO and Founder Dr Richard Kuo, the business has developed a way to detect previously invisible full-length RNA and unlocking new possibilities across diagnostics, drug discovery and environmental science.
Following Mercia Ventures’ £8.5m investment, we visited the team in Edinburgh to hear from Richard about the technology and its potential to transform healthcare, biosecurity and biodiversity.
Dr. Richard Quo, founder and CEO of Wobble Genomics
“The problem that we have is that what we’re trying to do, what we’re trying to achieve is something that has never existed before.
I’m Dr. Richard Quo, founder and CEO of Wobble Genomics. We are currently in what’s called stealth mode, and this is because we have a very large vision that we are very excited about, and because of that large vision, we need time to develop it and incubate it before we release it. So it’s hard for me to really explain the full impact that this will have on the world.
We fully expect that what we’re doing at Wobble Genomics will have a massive impact on the future of healthcare, and also the future of biosecurity and biodiversity. Wobble has two major technologies. We have a biochemical technology called Level Up and a bioinformatic technology called TAMA. And these technologies leverage this really new and fascinating sort of space of RNA sequencing that’s recently emerged that allows us to look at RNA in a way that we’ve never been able to do before.
So what these technologies do is they allow us to actually uncover RNA that have never been seen before, that are responsible for some of the most crucial aspects of biology that we need and want to use in order to find ways of improving everything from healthcare to agriculture, to biotechnology, just in general. So with the advent of this new way that we can look at biology, where we can pick up all this information that’s being produced by our cells or tissues or organs via RNA, we can actually start to decode the essence of life and how it works.
And through this, we can then understand how to do things to make life work for us – help us live healthier lives, find better medicines, and figure out how to protect the environment and everything that we care about.”
Lee Lindley, Mercia Ventures Investor:
“So we don’t invest in therapeutics really very much at Mercia Ventures, but we can support in DNA enabling tools, life science tools and support and infrastructure to help enable precision medicine.
Wobble Genomic is, was an actual inbound to us, and I think there was an inbound because we’ve actually got a really good reputation at Mercia Ventures and a lot of expertise as life science investors. It landing in our inbox back in May 2023, and again, actually to be completely honest, my initial response was, oh, it’s RNA. I’m not sure that they can do what the, what they’re claiming to do because it’s unstable. You can’t do it for what they’re claiming. And actually spending a bit of time with Richard and the team and doing a bit of diligence and a bit of digging on what they’d actually developed quite quickly realized that, oh, this could be transformational and groundbreaking.
And the early data that they generated on their ability to identify RNA in blood at really low levels of abundance was really incredible. If all goes to plan, then it should be pretty transformational, and then helping to change people’s outcomes really.”
Dr. Richard Quo, founder and CEO of Wobble Genomics
“Wobble Genomics is based at the Easter Bush state, which is just at the base of the Pentland Hills just outside of Edinburgh. In total, we have about 20 people with a mixture of backgrounds from biochemical scientists, bioformatics, and operations that are all working together to support the development of this grand vision that we have.
The core focus of Wobble Genomics is to really look under the layer of what we had before in terms of biology, to understand a depth of that biological information that will allow us to unlock a lot of potential for different applications. So what we’re really looking at here is we’re trying to really revolutionize the way that we approach biology and in the way that we use that approach to make a lot of changes in the world that, you know, are going to be hopefully beneficial to a lot of different people.
I’m really interested in the applications of RNA and our RNA has often been a very overlooked bio molecule. We’re all taught at the school and university that is too unstable to be used and as a, as a diagnostic auto identified as disease. But actually that’s not quite right.
There’s new technologies that are being developed that are able to sequence the RNA and identify what the actual RNA is. We’ve all seen that RNA like vaccines from covid can be developed and can be really, you know, really transformational and, health cure disease and Wobble’s technology has the potential to help with cancer vaccines.
Other things related to any sort of in indication or disease really, which is RNA driven. If we could remove the worry that we have about our own health, about the health of those around us, if we knew that we could be safe in our lives, our health, our longevity, and the people around us would be there with us, that would create such a different way that we could live and enjoy our lives and be productive. I don’t like that we have to spend so much time worrying about ourselves and others.
I want a world where we can focus on the joys of life in terms of creativity, producing new things, researching and learning new things. And that’s really the world that, I think with Wobble Genomics with our team, we’re really trying to create here.