Christopher P. Adams is an American scientist, entrepreneur, and inventor who founded and led (as chief executive officer) multiple biotechnology companies, including Mosaic Technologies and Andarix Pharmaceuticals. [1] [2] Adams has made a notable contribution to the field of genetics as a co-inventor (with Steve Kron) of "bridge amplification," a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique that paved the way for development of DNA sequencing and genome sequencing. [3] Geneticist George Church and computational biologist Rob Mitra adapted Adams' and Kron's technique to be used for clonal amplification. [4] [5]
Adams has spoken about the difficulties he faced in launching Mosaic and getting investors to buy in. He cites being "an African American without a graduate degree" and not seen as someone who could excel in this space as a major reason he faced skepticism and rejection while attempting to start Mosaic, and that his persistence was a key factor that helped him "overcome investors' reluctance." [6] [1] Adams has said:
"Keep in mind, I had no Ph.D. and no MBA and no real serious executive business experience. Couple that with being an African-American and I really didn't fit the mold. I also want to make it plain, though, that I think we're over that now. I do have a track record now. I think that it's almost a non-factor going forward." [6]