Interview with Paul Lundquist on Sequencing Technology and Optical Innovation
Paul Lundquist joined MGI as Vice President of Engineering in 2018. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Northwestern University. Dr. Lundquist began his career doing basic research at IBM-Almaden Research Center and later moved to early-stage startups, including being the first engineer at Pacific Biosciences. He believes moving from a novel idea to commercial success requires deep expertise across multiple fields, integrating outside expertise, and continual adaptation. At MGI, he finds the most rewarding work is seeing new technology solve complex medical issues and raise healthcare standards for those who need it most.
Q1. What first inspired your interest in sequencing technology?
A: I first started appreciating the incredible mechanisms of biology reading Schrodinger’s “What is Life?”, a physicist’s perspective on inheritance. During graduate studies, the biology and physics departments were in the same building, allowing me to talk with specialists about DNA and collaborate on early sequencing attempts. My thesis involved integrated optics, biosensing, and single-molecule fluorescence detection. I initially thought fluorescence-based DNA sequencing was too complex and fragile to become practical. I was wrong—optical detection became central to high-quality sequencing. In 2004, when I got involved with what became Next Generation Sequencing, it was exciting to integrate these pieces.
Q2. You spent over 10 years at Pacific Biosciences, from its inception through IPO. What do companies need to drive technology innovation?
A: Bringing a technology to market requires balancing powerful new methods with practical application details. Between an influential academic publication and a usable product, substantial changes in approach and mentality are needed. Early on, a bit of “craziness” helps, but later harsh realities prevail. Implementing ideas, like detecting nucleotides by fluorescence during real-time replication, required expertise across fields—sensor tech, nanofabrication, solid-state lasers, computing—and contributions from software experts new to sequencing. Success depends on integrating people with complementary skills and continuously adapting from initial experiments to helping real customers solve problems.
Q3. What do you think of sequencing technology’s future development and optical technology in particular?
A: Rapid cost reduction and data quality improvements drive progress, but this is not unique to sequencing. At IBM Research, where the magnetic disk drive was invented, innovation continued despite predictions of physical limits. Similarly, DNA sequencing will continue improving through optical innovation, enabling more accurate genomes at lower cost, even as some legacy concepts reach diminishing returns.
Q4. What advances do you think our instruments can bring to research and daily life?
A: Higher-quality data accelerates research and expands clinical applications. PCR-free and scarless NGS reduces amplification errors. Lower-cost sequencing enables frequent genomic monitoring, affordable single-cell sequencing, widespread prenatal WGS, and large-scale population studies. Advances at MGI—including new biochemistry, higher-throughput instruments, faster turnaround, and near-perfect genomes—will help scientists and improve global health.
Q5. What is your most memorable experience in this space and at MGI so far?
A: I’ve been fortunate to work with smart, focused teams, and see new technologies impact healthcare. At Pacific Biosciences, I recall colleagues solving DNA challenges during cholera and E. coli outbreaks, saving lives. At MGI, the pace of decision-making and the focus on improving healthcare is remarkable. Every action aligns with the mission: providing tools to save lives. The commercial progress over the past two years would make many Silicon Valley startups envious. It’s an exciting place to be, where innovation is applied consistently from top to bottom, and the purpose of saving lives guides everything we do.
