Science Exchange is an online marketplace that connects scientists seeking specialized research services with providers that can perform those services. This allows scientists to outsource experiments and analyses to expert facilities around the world, improving transparency of pricing, access to expertise, efficiency of research, and reproducibility of results. By distributing work among multiple specialized providers, Science Exchange aims to enhance the overall quality and reproducibility of academic research.

1. Elizabeth Iorns, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & CEO

2. What is Science Exchange?
Science Exchange is a marketplace for
scientists to list, discover, and access
scientific services from any institution in
the world.
COMPANY VITALS COMPANY METRICS
Inception: May 2011 +800 experiment types
Headquar ters: Palo Alto, CA +1,000 providers
Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, angel investors +250,000 visits

3. What is Science Exchange?
Science Exchange provides open access
to specialized research infrastructure and
exper tise at top research institutions
Currently >1,000 providers from >200 US research institutions
Sample
facilities

4. How Science Exchange works
!
1 Search for an experiment type.
!
Search for a scientific service, by experiment type.
Over 800 different services currently listed.

5. How Science Exchange works
!
2 Choose a service provider.
!
Compare service offerings from more than 1000 core facilities.
Pricing information and ability to filter by location is provided

6. How Science Exchange works
!
3 Submit a service request.
!
Request an estimate from your chosen facility.

7. How Science Exchange works
!
4 Accept a service quote.
!
Get notified of service offerings via email, and our online system.
Accept an estimate from your chosen provider.

8. How Science Exchange works
!
5 Communicate with your provider.
!
Receive updates, ask questions, exchange data.
Easy payment via Science Exchange, an approved vendor within
university purchasing systems.

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10. So what does this have to
do with Open Science?

11. Some key goals of Open Science
➡ Transparency
➡ Access
➡ Efficiency
➡ Reproducibility

12. Some key goals of Open Science
➡ Transparency ✔
➡ Access ✔
➡ Efficiency ✔
➡ Reproducibility ✔

13. Some key goals of Open Science
➡ Transparency ✔
➡ Access ✔
➡ Efficiency ✔
➡ Reproducibility ✔

14. Transparency
Prices vary dramatically for the same service
Average difference of 74% from highest-priced to lowest-priced
provider on Science Exchange:
➡ DNA Sequencing: prices range from $3 per sample to
>$12 per sample
➡ Mass spectrometr y: $50 per sample to $350 per sample
➡ Microarray analysis: $180 per sample to $700 per sample
➡ Bioinformatics analysis: prices range from $60 per hr to
$150 per hour

15. Transparency
$500 $1,00 $1,50 $2,00 $2,50 $3,00 $3,50 $4,00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SNP Array for GWAS
NGS library generation
NGS paired end HiSeq 2000
Sanger DNA sequencing
Illumina microarray
Affymetrix microarray
Bioinformatics
IHC of tissue sections
Transgenic mouse production

16. Transparency
“BY USING SCIENCE EXCHANGE WE
WERE ABLE TO SAVE HALF THE COST ON THIS
PARTICULAR TYPE OF EXPERIMENT”

17. Some key goals of Open Science
➡ Transparency ✔
➡ Access ✔
➡ Efficiency ✔
➡ Reproducibility ✔

18. Access

19. Access
You can outsource pretty much any type of
experiment:
production of viruses for
transduction experiments acquisition of tissue
for studies on clinical
generation of stable cell lines samples
generation of transgenic mice
protein

20. production

21. conduction of animal studies
including xenograft studies
behavioral studies and neurological studies
etc etc etc...

22. Some key goals of Open Science
➡ Transparency ✔
➡ Access ✔
➡ Efficiency ✔
➡ Reproducibility ✔

23. Efficiency
For most experiments there are true specialists
who are better and cheaper than other options
(e.g. DIY)

24. Efficiency
Bill fo
PCR pr DIY TA c
roduc loning
ts of
TOPO
rxn)... TA clonin
.......... g
.......... kit (20
$31
PCR ( .......$4
100 rx 60
n)......
Ligase ........$
(30 rx 78
vs.
n)......
Comp ........$
99
rxn)... etent cells
.......... (10
..........
Minip .......$2
rep ki 17
rxn)...
.......... t (50
per rxn
..........
Restri .........$
ction 84
(100u
l)....... enzyme
..........
Agaro ..........
Ethid
etc, et
se gel
ium b
(50g).
.......$2
$53
65
outsourced
c.... romide etc,
etc,
Total
cost...
..........
Total ..$1,00
cost (p 0’s
er rxn
.......... )
..........
..........
......$ 5
5

25. Efficiency
Science Exchange was established to improve the
efficiency of scientific research
We believe scientific specialization is essential for efficiency:
➡ no single scientist can master all techniques or purchase all
equipment
➡ no single university can provide all core facilities
= a marketplace for core facilities

26. Efficiency
Science Exchange promotes open access to expert
providers
Improves collaboration with experts at core facilities CROs:
➡ No requirement to purchase duplicate equipment
➡ No need to learn highly specialized one-off techniques
Provides one central, efficient solution:
➡ Ensures researchers know where to go
➡ Tracks usage efficiency of research spending as an important
metric

27. Some key goals of Open Science
➡ Transparency ✔
➡ Access ✔
➡ Efficiency ✔
➡ Reproducibility ✔

28. Reproducibility
Quality of academic research is under scrutiny:
➡ ~80% of academic studies1,2,3 reported not reproducible
➡ 10x increase in retracted publications over past decade
Implications for quality:
➡ Lack of academic reproducibility results in lack of new therapies
➡ Bayer halted 65% of target validation projects in 2011
➡ Drug development estimated at ~$4B per NME
1. Drug development: Raise standards for preclinical cancer research. Begley CG, Ellis LM. Nature. 2012; 483(7391):531-3.
2. Reliability of 'new drug target' claims called into question. Mullard A. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2011; 10(9):643-4.
3. Claims of sex differences: an empirical assessment in genetic associations. Patsopoulos NA, Tatsioni A, Ioannidis JP. JAMA. 2007; 298(8):880-93.

29. Reproducibility solution
Use specialists to enhance the quality of research
Distribute research among multiple sites
➡ prevents single investigator bias
Replicate key data at independent sites
➡ reward high quality reproducible research

30. What does Science Exchange mean
for your research?
➡ Increased speed
➡ Decreased cost
➡ Better quality

31. elizabeth@scienceexchange.com
Twitter @elizabethiorns