About ScopeSys

We've created a unique single-molecule platform to answer your most challenging questions

ScopeSys is a Canadian company with a mission to help translate the value of our unique single-molecule imaging platform to real-world applications, such as the advancement of new medicines, and offers career opportunities to young Canadian biophysicists and bioengineers. Spun out of the LeslieLab at UBC, this company is translating the value of its unique multi-scale microscopy technology platform via select industry partnerships. Through synergistic and strategic partnerships, we aim to maximize the potential for social benefit of our unique technology and capabilities. Potential impacts may eventually include widespread use of our technology to help enable and accelerate the design, development and discovery of drugs and vaccines. Other partners in this effort include Fasken, UBC, McGill, and Harvard, as well as our Vancouver-based commercial advisory board. ScopeSys has also placed early-access technology packages in the labs of select researchers to pursue a range of applications.

Our Team

Sabrina Leslie, Ph.D.

Founder, Chief Scientific Officer and President

Sabrina is founder of ScopeSys and lead inventor of the CLiC technology. She leads a single-molecule microscopy group in the Michael Smith Labs as well as the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of British Columbia. She has pioneered the research and development of the CLiC technology, while investigating DNA, protein, RNA, nanoparticle and single-cell applications. She earned her B.Sc. in Honours Math and Physics at UBC in 2002 and Ph.D. in Physics at U.C. Berkeley in 2008. From 2009 to 2011, she was a Mary Fieser post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard, where she co-invented and began to develop the CLiC technology with Adam Cohen. Sabrina was a professor in the Physics Department at McGill University from 2012 to 2020 and relocated with her team to UBC in 2021.

Andree Wild, P.Eng.

Instrumentation and Product Lead

Andree is leading instrumentation and product development at ScopeSys. She was a technical co-founder of Precision NanoSystems, a Vancouver biotech company which was acquired by Danaher in 2021. During her tenure at PNI she led teams in both R&D and product cdevelopment. She has significant experience in microfluidics, micro and nanoscale manufacturing, scientific instrumentation and user centered design. Andree holds a B.A.Sc in engineering physics from University of British Columbia. She is a co-inventor on nine patent families and holds numerous design patents.

Albert Kamanzi, Ph.D.

Analytics Lead

Albert is leading the single-molecule and single-particle analytics development team at ScopeSys using the CLiC imaging platform. He earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Physics and Applied physics from the University of Massachusetts Boston, as well as a few years' industry experience, and subsequently earned his PhD in Biophysics at McGill University with Dr. Leslie in 2021. Albert has held a Mitacs Post Doc Fellowship in Dr. Leslie's lab, sponsored by ScopeSys, from 2021 til 2024, and is transitioning to Analytics Lead at ScopeSys in 2024.

Kara Allanach

Operations Lead

Kara is a strategic operations manager with more than 20 years of experience in research and project management in both academic and startup settings. She has managed large programs in an academic setting, and worked with academic and industry researchers to develop funding proposals, market assessments, roadmaps, and pitches. She holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and an M.Sc. in Immunology.

Sol Kavanagh

Lead Technologist

Sol Kavanagh is a seasoned technologist and leader with over 20 years in IT infrastructure, cloud technology, and cybersecurity. He advises C-level executives on cloud strategies and cybersecurity, he authors influential programs and articles, shaping industry approaches and ensuring organizations are equipped for modern technological challenges. Most recently as a Principal Solutions Architect with Amazon Web Services and in previous roles with other top-tier firms, Sol has led the design and implementation of numerous large and hyper-scale technological projects. His expertise is validated by certifications like CISSP and multiple AWS credentials, reflecting his commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements.

Ariadne Tuckmantel Bido, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Ariadne is a pivotal scientist at ScopeSys, working on the lipid nanoparticle imaging team to advance drug delivery systems using the CLiC platform. She holds B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in 2013 and the University of Victoria in 2023. Joining ScopeSys in June 2023 as an NMIN post-doc and as a MITACS Postdoctoral fellow in November 2023, Ariadne specializes in understanding the biophysics of mRNA-LNPs at high resolution, as well as CLiC microscopy. She has been forging new branches of experiments in this area since early 2024 with Dr. Leslie, ScopeSys, and collaborators.

Benjamin Wang

Software Engineer

Benjamin is a key member of the software development team. His work focuses on developing the CLiC analysis software which includes image processing techniques and machine learning. He earned his B.Sc. in Math & Physics and M.Sc. degrees in mathematics from the University of British Columbia and worked in the software industry for a number of years before joining the ScopeSys team.

Michael Venier-Karzis

Software Engineer

Michael is a software engineer on the ScopeSys team. His work focuses on developing software for performing and analyzing new experiments as well as building databases and Python tools. He recently graduated from the Honours Math & Physics program at McGill University.

Commercial Advisory Board

This commercial advisory board was formed in June 2018 and meets quarterly to guide the ScopeSys strategy and development. This includes James, Andre, Andy, Tim and Sabrina.

James Taylor, Ph.D.

Pharmaceutical Applications Advisor

James is a co-founder was the CEO of Precision Nanosystems Inc. (PNI), a company which commercializes scientific instruments and services for developing lipid nanoparticles for drug delivery applications. PNI was acquired by Danaher in 2021 and rebranded as Cytiva in 2023. James has a B.A.Sc. in engineering physics from UBC and a Ph.D. in genetics from the Institute for Systems Biology. Dr. Taylor has worked at the venture capital firm, Accelerator Corporation, and has over a decade of experience in microfluidics, nanotechnology and systems biology. Dr. Taylor is also a member of the Board of Directors of Life Science British Columbia.

Andy Talbot

Business Advisor

Andy is a serial entrepreneur having founded 8 advanced technology startups. Andy was a founder of the entrepreneurship program at the University of British Columbia (e@UBC), where he helped launch over 36 technology and life sciences companies in just 3 years. Andy is a frequent speaker at leading tech and life-science accelerators on topics including entrepreneurship and strategic planning for early-stage companies. He has served on numerous tech industry boards and has been involved in over 20 exits.

Andre Marziali, Ph.D.

Business Advisor

Andre is co-founder was the President of Boreal Genomics since 2007, a company which specializes in liquid biopsy for early cancer detection, and was acquired in 2021. Dr. Marziali received his B.A.Sc. in Engineering Physics from UBC in 1989, and his PhD in Physics from Stanford University in 1994. He then worked with Dr. Ron Davis in the Stanford DNA Sequencing Technology Center developing DNA sequencing technologies, and joined UBC as faculty in 1998 where he is now a Professor of Physics and Director of the Engineering Physics Program.

Tim Botham

Business Advisor

Tim is a co-founder of Aqua M&A, a boutique advisory firm specializing in tech and life-science companies with disruptive intellectual property. Tim has built over a dozen new businesses within startups, mid-size, and large technology firms, and has held a variety of executive positions, most recently as VP Strategic Development at MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), one of Canada’s largest technology firms. Tim speaks fluent Japanese and spent over 20 years doing business throughout the Asia Pacific region.