About Mesa Alta Research

Mesa Alta Research, LLC was founded to create new technology supporting cancer diagnostics, particularly the detection of cancers through “liquid biopsy” – the isolation and analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) shed by cancer cells into the blood circulation.  Liquid biopsy holds great promise for clinical oncology, in detection of residual disease after cancer surgery, in quantifying the response of tumors to drug or radiation treatments, and in monitoring patients who have completed cancer treatment for possible recurrence.  Liquid biopsy can potentially revolutionize cancer screening as well, through non-invasive yet highly sensitive detection of newly emerging cancers at early clinical stages, when they are most treatable.  Mesa Alta has pioneered a transformative new approach to recovery of cfDNA from blood – technology that can dramatically improve both the yield and analytical quality of cfDNA obtained. The vastly larger yields of cfDNA/RNA made available will be exploited through construction of ultra-deep DNA sequencing libraries to enable the most sensitive blood-based cancer detection possible. 

About the Founder

Mark Brenneman, Mesa Alta’s founder, holds a PhD in Human and Molecular Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX).  He served in fellowship and faculty appointments at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Rutgers University and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.  Dr. Brenneman has previously worked in two start-up companies; Silagene, Inc. (small RNA therapeutics) and later ResourcePath, LLC (cancer diagnostics), where he was PI on the first NCI-funded SBIR project for development of liquid biopsy tests specifically for a pediatric cancer syndrome (R43 CA228850).

Mesa Alta’s PLASMA-SIEVE liquid biopsy specimen collection technology is now supported by compelling proof-of-concept results and alpha-level prototyping is progressing.  It’s time to start working on the business side.  Bioscience and Business students will collaborate in this internship project to:

1. Conduct preliminary market research by contacting stakeholders across multiple sectors – cancer patients and cancer screening consumers, cancer advocacy groups, medical doctors and public health researchers, providers of molecular diagnostics and screening services
2. Analyze and critique prospective business models and propose modifications or alternatives
3. Design marketing strategies, including direct-to-consumer marketing via company website content and social media
4. Participate in laboratory testing and modification of prototype devices