Business Cloud: Owlstone Medical awarded £39m to detect cancer early in US

Cambridge-based MedTech will lead POSEIDON programme, which is aiming to detect solid tumours at Stage I using only breath & urine samples

Owlstone Medical has secured an award of up to £39.3m million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to support the development of next-generation breath and urine-based cancer diagnostics.

The Cambridge-based company, behind the ‘Breath Biopsy’ platform which aims to diagnose disease, will lead the POSEIDON (Platform Optimizing SynBio for Early Intervention and Detection in Oncology) programme. 

The initiative aims to create synthetic-sensor-based Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) tests capable of identifying more than 30 solid tumours at Stage I using only breath and urine samples. 

The goal is for these non-invasive tests to be available for at-home use and sold over the counter.

The MedTech’s project is looking to deliver low-cost, accurate cancer screening to adults across the US and will be run in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Qurin B.V. and Planned Systems International.

The test involves inhaling a mixture of pan-cancer and tumour-specific synthetic sensors from a single-use inhaler. 

These sensors circulate in the body and accumulate on cancer cells, producing reporters that are either DNA-based barcodes or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Signals can then be collected through urine or breath samples at home or in a clinic using portable collection and analysis devices. 

Results are automatically uploaded to electronic health records for rapid clinical review.

This approach, Owlstone says, offers key advantages over existing methods, including reliable detection at the earliest stage of disease, non-invasive and convenient sample collection, integration into digital healthcare systems, and a low-cost model that supports wide adoption.

“The field of cancer screening needs a revolution, and POSEIDON stands ready to deliver,” said POSEIDON programme manager Ross Uhrich. 

“The program allows for a better future by creating broadly accessible, at-home tests that will accurately detect 30+ cancers as early as Stage I, when tumors are still small and the chances of survival are high.

“This revolutionary funding effort brings together experts in synthetic biology, oncology, medical devices, big cancer data, and commercialization to create test kits that will transform how and when people are screened for cancer. POSEIDON will allow every American the opportunity to test themselves long before they have symptoms and at their discretion.

“POSEIDON’s rigorous performance metrics and translational focus reflect our clear commitment to bring these technologies safely and directly to all Americans.”

Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, added: “Access to an accurate and low-cost MCED test that does not require a doctor’s visit or laboratory testing is key to preventing late-stage diagnoses. 

“This award validates both breath as a diagnostic approach and Owlstone’s EVOC probes as a reporter technology to overcome the shortcomings and challenges that have held back early cancer detection previously. 

“We are grateful to ARPA-H for the opportunity to bring transformative MCED testing to every American within the next decade.”

https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/owlstone-medical-awarded-39m-to-detect-cancer-early-in-us/