Owlstone Medical, a global leader in Breath Biopsy® technology for early disease detection and precision medicine, has been awarded up to $49.1 million by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) for its POSEIDON program. This initiative focuses on developing innovative synthetic-sensor-based Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) tests capable of identifying over 30 solid tumors at Stage I using only breath and urine samples. These tests are designed for at-home use and will be available over the counter.
With nearly 40% of Americans expected to develop cancer in their lifetime, and cancer being the second leading cause of death in the U.S., early detection is critical. In 2025, over 2 million new cancer cases and more than 618,000 deaths are projected, posing a significant economic burden—with treatment costs exceeding $21 billion in 2019 alone. Early-stage diagnosis dramatically improves treatment outcomes and could save the U.S. economy up to $2.3 trillion by reducing costly late-stage care.
Current screening methods fall short in detecting early-stage cancers, especially for people in remote areas with limited access to clinical screening. While liquid biopsy technologies show promise for later-stage detection and treatment guidance, they have not proven effective for early-stage screening.
In collaboration with institutions including MIT, Boston University, Georgia Tech, Qurin B.V., and Planned Systems International Inc., Owlstone aims to deliver accurate, affordable, and accessible cancer screening tests for adults 18 and older, revolutionizing early cancer detection across the U.S.
The project uses a single-use inhaler to deliver a combination of pan-cancer and tumor-specific synthetic sensors, which circulate through the body and attach to cancer cells. These sensors produce reporters that are either DNA-based barcodes or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), enabling the detection of 36 different cancers. Samples are collected at home or in clinics via urine and breath using portable collection and analysis devices. Results can be uploaded in real time to electronic health records (EHR) for quick review by healthcare professionals, allowing seamless integration into clinical workflows and digitally enabled care.
This innovative method offers key advantages over existing technologies, including enhanced signal detection for reliable early-stage cancer identification, simple and non-invasive at-home sample collection, fast result turnaround with EHR integration, and a cost-effective manufacturing process. These benefits aim to make early cancer detection accessible and affordable, establishing it as the new standard of care.
“Cancer screening is in urgent need of transformation, and POSEIDON is poised to deliver just that,” said POSEIDON Program Manager Ross Uhrich, DMD, MBA. “This program paves the way for a better future by developing widely accessible, at-home tests that can accurately detect more than 30 cancers as early as Stage I, when tumors are small and survival rates are highest. This groundbreaking funding effort unites experts in synthetic biology, oncology, medical devices, big cancer data, and commercialization to create test kits that will revolutionize the timing and accessibility of cancer screening. POSEIDON will empower every American to screen themselves well before symptoms appear, on their own terms. Our commitment to rigorous performance standards and practical application ensures these technologies will be safely and effectively available to all Americans.”
