Oncology Specialist Joins Owlstone Medical SAB

Diagnostics company Owlstone Medical, specialising in developing a breathalyser for disease, has appointed Professor Sir Bruce Ponder FRCP FMedSci FRS to its newly established Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Currently Emeritus Professor of Oncology at the University of Cambridge, he was the inaugural director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute (CRUKCI). Knighted for Services to Medicine in the 2008, Professor Ponder was also awarded the 2013 Cancer Research UK Lifetime Achievement Prize.

His enormous contributions to the field of oncology have included the setting up one of the first specialist clinics for families with cancer, involvement in the discovery of several genes predisposing to cancer and advances in our understanding of how cancer develops. Professor Ponder’s group at the CRUKCI is investigating how variations in multiple genes combine to contribute to susceptibility to breast and lung cancer, with the aim to identify high risk groups for targeted cancer screening and prevention.

Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, commented: “With over four decades’ work in cancer research we are honoured that Professor Sir Bruce Ponder is joining our SAB. His tremendous depth of experience and knowledge will be hugely valuable to Owlstone Medical as we develop our Breath Biopsy platform for early detection of cancer and realize our ambition to save 100,000 lives and $1.5B in healthcare costs.”

Professor Sir Bruce Ponder added: “There is a great need to detect cancer earlier and I strongly believe that Owlstone Medical’s technology enabling non-invasive diagnosis through breath can make a big difference in our approach to cancer screening. I am excited to be contributing to the growth and future direction of Owlstone Medical.”

The company recently celebrated the opening of its new high volume clinical laboratory, where guest Tony Blair learned about the company’s technology and project targets. His visit included a tour of the company’s headquarters in Cambridge, including the new clinical lab and other research facilities.