Owlstone Medical, the global leader in Breath Biopsy® technology, has secured an award of up to $49.1 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop revolutionary at-home cancer screening tests. The Platform Optimizing SynBio for Early Intervention and Detection in Oncology (POSEIDON) program aims to create first-in-class synthetic-sensor based Multi-Cancer-Early Detection (MCED) tests capable of detecting 30+ solid tumors at Stage I using only breath and urine samples.
Addressing Critical Healthcare Needs
The urgency of this development is underscored by stark cancer statistics in the United States. Almost 40% of Americans will develop cancer in their lifetimes, with cancer serving as the second leading cause of death. The number of new cancer diagnoses in 2025 is estimated to exceed 2 million, resulting in over 618,000 cancer deaths—equivalent to almost 1,700 deaths every day.
The economic burden is equally staggering. The patient-related economic burden of cancer in 2019 exceeded $21 billion in the U.S., with treatment costs representing the largest component. Critically, costs associated with late-stage diagnoses are substantially higher than early-stage detection, yet cancer remains difficult to detect early when it is most curable.
Revolutionary Technology Approach
The POSEIDON program employs an innovative methodology that distinguishes it from existing screening technologies. The process involves patients inhaling a mixture of pan-cancer and tumor-specific synthetic sensors from a single-use inhaler. These sensors circulate throughout the body and accumulate on the surface of cancer cells.
The reporters produced by the sensors take two forms: DNA-based reporters that function as readable barcodes, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This dual approach supports the detection of 36 cancers in total. Sample collection occurs at home or in clinical settings, with urine samples and breath samples collected using portable collection and analysis devices.
Results can be uploaded in real-time to electronic health records (EHR) for rapid review by healthcare professionals, enabling seamless integration into clinical practice and digitally enabled care.
Competitive Advantages and Economic Impact
This unique approach offers several significant advantages over competing technologies. The system boosts signal strength to enhance test performance, ensuring cancer is reliably detectable from early stages. The technology enables simple and non-invasive sample collection at home, provides rapid result generation with EHR integration, and utilizes a low-cost manufacturing model that removes economic barriers to adoption.
The potential economic impact is substantial. Drastically reducing late-stage diagnoses by detecting cancer at Stage I would not only increase treatment effectiveness but also significantly reduce cancer care costs, potentially restoring up to $2.3 trillion to the U.S. economy.
Collaborative Partnership
Owlstone Medical will execute this ambitious project in partnership with prestigious institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Qurin B.V., and Planned Systems International Inc. This collaborative approach brings together expertise in synthetic biology, oncology, medical devices, big cancer data, and commercialization.
Leadership Perspectives
"The field of cancer screening needs a revolution, and POSEIDON stands ready to deliver," said POSEIDON Program Manager Ross Uhrich, DMD, MBA. "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."
Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, emphasized the transformative potential of the technology: "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."
Addressing Healthcare Access Challenges
Currently available screening technologies are unable to address the need for early cancer detection due to performance limitations. Many Americans are too remote to access clinic and hospital-based screening programs. While emerging technologies such as liquid biopsy show promise for later-stage cancer detection and therapy selection guidance, their performance in early-stage cancer detection has been insufficient.
The POSEIDON program specifically targets Americans aged 18 and older, aiming to provide accurate, low-cost cancer screening that overcomes geographical and accessibility barriers. The program's rigorous performance metrics and translational focus reflect a clear commitment to bring these technologies safely and directly to all Americans, allowing individuals to test themselves long before symptoms appear and at their discretion.
