ReCIVA, or Respiration Collector for In Vitro Analysis for short, meets the needs of a growing field of breath research but reliably and reproducibly capturing breath samples for analysis. In doing so, ReCIVA allows researchers to focus their efforts on analysing the captured samples and detect targeted biomarkers of disease in breath (and other bodily fluids). It can diagnose cancer and other diseases earlier than existing tests, allowing for more effective treatment and ultimately, improved survival rates and reduced treatment costs.

Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, said: “We are delighted that ReCIVA has been named Invention in the 2017 Top 50 Digital Health Awards. Our vision is to save 100,000 lives and $1.5B in health care costs by 2020 with a breath sampling and analysis technology that can diagnose cancer and other diseases earlier than existing tests. This allows for more effective treatment and ultimately, better patient survival rates and reduced treatment costs.”

About the Awards

Each year fifty of the leading entrepreneurs, investors, technologists, reporters, and providers dedicated to bringing technological advancements to healthcare are recognized at the Top 50 in Digital Health Dinner hosted by Rock Health, Fenwick & West, Goldman Sachs, and Square 1 Bank.  

Within the Top 50, a number of individuals and organizations are awarded through nominations from the digital health community for making exceptional progress in driving resources, attention, and innovation toward a massively better healthcare system. From writing healthcare policy to steering corporate acquisitions to moving technology from the bench to the bedside, the Awards honor the people and organizations making digital health thrive.

About Owlstone Medical

Owlstone Medical has developed a breathalyzer for disease. With a focus on non-invasive diagnostics for cancer, inflammatory disease and infectious disease, the company aims to save 100,000 lives and $1.5B in health care costs by 2020.

The company’s microchip FAIMS (Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometer) sensor is a platform technology that can be programmed in software to detect targeted biomarkers of disease in breath (and other bodily fluids).  FAIMS can be used in clinical diagnostics and precision medicine with application in cancer and a wide range of other medical conditions. Highly sensitive and selective, these tests allow for early diagnosis when treatments are more effective and where more lives can be saved.

Owlstone Medical is currently developing tests for lung and colorectal cancer, two of the most common cancer killers worldwide, and for asthma stratification by therapeutic response. The company also sells R&D tools and services to academic, clinical and pharma partners who want to develop breath based diagnostics for their own applications. 

Founded in 2004 as a spin-out from the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge University, Owlstone Inc is a profitable business selling it’s proven FAIMS technology to military and industrial customers globally. Owlstone Medical was spun out from Owlstone Inc in 2016 to develop and commercialise FAIMS in diagnostic applications.

Owlstone Medical is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with offices in London, UK.