Translatable Single-Cell Data, Not Volume, Drive Therapeutic Antibody Platform Decisions, Says Dr Wyatt McDonnell of Infinimmune

In this second BioPharm International® interview segment with Infinimmune CEO and co-founder Wyatt McDonnell, PhD, at the 2026 BIO International Convention (BIO 2026), Dr McDonnell discusses the role of quantitative data discipline in platform-building, trends in regional pharmaceutical partnerships, and the broader state of the biotechnology sector.

Speaking from his experience at 10x Genomics, a California-based life science technology company, Dr McDonnell identifies rigorous quantitative measurement as a defining discipline he brought from 10x Genomics to Infinimmune. He notes that high-impact single-cell academic literature has revealed previously unseen biology, but often without a clear translational path. At Infinimmune, he notes, experiments are individually coupled to specific drug design decisions, linking single-cell sequencing data, including RNA expression, chromatin profiling, and immune repertoire profiling, directly to therapeutic development choices.

How does data discipline differ from high-throughput single-cell approaches?

Dr McDonnell emphasizes that the goal is not maximizing data volume or resolution but building datasets consistently, cost-effectively, and at scale in ways that inform actionable decisions. He describes the pitfall of high-throughput, high-resolution datasets that yield no clear path forward, which is a challenge that the biopharma R&D field continues to navigate.

"What we focused on doing at Infinimmune was building a platform where every experiment we run is coupled to a drug design decision that we're able to make," he explains.

On the broader industry outlook, Dr McDonnell describes the atmosphere at BIO 2026 as optimistic, citing active regional pharma partnerships, mergers and acquisitions activity, and fundraising announcements as indicators of a healthy market. He also points to converging regulatory frameworks and improved capital efficiency tools as structural advantages not available to companies founded a decade ago.

Watch the first segment of Dr McDonnell’s interview at BIO 2026. Click here for more conference coverage.

About the speaker

Wyatt McDonnell, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder, Infinimnune

Dr McDonnell also serves as chairman of Infinimmune, a biotechnology company pioneering antibody discovery and design by leveraging natural human immunity to develop safer and more effective therapeutics for complex diseases. Under his leadership, Infinimmune has established strategic collaborations with Merck, Immunome, and GRID Therapeutics to advance the discovery and development of novel antibody therapeutics. Previously, Dr McDonnell helped develop 10x Genomics’ first therapeutic antibodies and core immunology intellectual property behind three commercial products. He has co-authored 31 peer-reviewed publications, including in Nature, Cell, and Nature Medicine, and is an inventor on 19 published patents. Dr McDonnell earned a PhD and Master of Science from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.