Sir Bruce Ponder, FRCP, FMedSci, FRS.

Sir Bruce Ponder, FRCP, FMedSci, FRS.

Owlstone Medical, Cambridge, UK, recently appointed Sir Bruce Ponder, FRCP, FMedSci, FRS, to its newly established scientific advisory board. The board will form a key strategic resource, providing unique research perspectives and clinical expertise as the company introduces a new noninvasive diagnostic modality focused on cancer, inflammatory disease, and infectious disease.

Ponder is emeritus professor of oncology at the University of Cambridge and was the inaugural director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute (CRUKCI). He was knighted for services to medicine in 2008, and was awarded the Cancer Research UK lifetime achievement prize in 2013.

Ponder has made significant contributions to the field of oncology, including setting up one of the first specialist clinics for families with cancer, being involved in the discovery of several genes predisposing to cancer, and helping to advance the understanding of how cancer develops. His group at 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, Owlstone Medical.

Billy Boyle, Owlstone Medical.

“With over 4 decades’ work in cancer research, we are honored that Professor Sir Bruce Ponder is joining our scientific advisory board,” says Billy Boyle, cofounder and CEO at Owlstone Medical. “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 $1.5 billion in healthcare costs.”

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

For more information, visit Owlstone Medical.