Biofidelity appoints Robert Osborne as Chief Operating Officer

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Biofidelity Ltd, the cancer diagnostics company, today announces the further expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Dr. Robert Osborne as Chief Operating Officer. In addition to responsibility for the overall operation of the business at a time of rapid growth, Dr. Osborne will lead product development and validation, overseeing manufacturing and quality systems as Biofidelity prepares for the launch of its first product.

Dr. Osborne joins Biofidelity from the liquid biopsy company, Inivata, where he was Senior Vice President of Technology and Assay Development, with operational responsibility for a team of 21 scientists involved in assay development, clinical laboratory work, bioinformatics and intellectual property. He led the development of Inivata’s RaDaR product for the detection of recurrent and residual disease from concept to commercial launch in less than 12 months.

Dr. Osborne was previously Principal Staff Scientist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Director of Technology Development at its spin out company, 14M Genomics, and Director of Research at Population Genetics Technologies. He has a PhD in Genetics from the University of Nottingham and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Rochester, NY, and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Oxford. He is the inventor or co-inventor of 16 patents and author of an extensive range of scientific publications.

Dr. Barnaby Balmforth, Chief Executive Officer of Biofidelity, commented: “Robert joins Biofidelity at a crucial time as we prepare for the launch of our first unique genetic panel, which we believe will revolutionize patient access to fast and accurate cancer diagnosis. Robert is an innovative scientist and strategic thinker with proven technical and operational management experience in genomics, biotechnology, diagnostics and oncology. With the recent completion of our $12 million Series A round and the appointments of Dr. Heiner Dreismann as Chairman and Stephen Miller as Chief Commercial Officer, Robert’s appointment is a further significant strengthening of the first-class management team that will lead us to commercialization in the US and internationally.”

Dr. Robert Osborne, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Biofidelity represents a major step forward in cancer diagnostics, with a breakthrough technology that overcomes many of the limitations of existing sequencing-based approaches. It combines precise, actionable information with simple workflows and affordability, enabling many more cancer patients to receive the right treatment at the right time. I’m delighted to be joining Biofidelity’s highly experienced international leadership team as we work to deliver a pipeline of products based on this revolutionary approach.”

Recent key development at Biofidelity include:

• Completion of a Series A financing raising $12 million, enabling acceleration of plans to launch Biofidelity’s unique platform, which has the potential to change the dynamics of cancer diagnosis and treatment
• Sustained progress towards launch of the first genetic panels targeting guideline-recommended markers in non-small cell lung cancer in the US
• Collaboration with Agilent Technologies, a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, confirming Biofidelity molecular assays’ ability to detect key lung cancer mutations, dramatically increasing effectiveness and speed of diagnosis
• Opening of a new headquarters and laboratories on Cambridge Science Park, UK

About Biofidelity

Biofidelity, a private company founded in 2019 in Cambridge, UK, is revolutionising access to best-in-class cancer diagnostics, breaking down the barriers to better screening, monitoring and treatment for all cancer patients. 

Its disruptive diagnostic technology platform will provide oncologists with clinically actionable data based on ultra-sensitive detection of markers recommended in cancer treatment guidelines, enabling them to prescribe the right cancer drug at the right time.  It is designed to combine fast and easy-to-interpret results with affordability and straightforward adoption on existing laboratory infrastructure, enabling many more laboratories to offer best-in-class cancer diagnostics.

Biofidelity is developing a pipeline of products, with an initial focus on non-small cell lung and colorectal cancer.  Future products will span a broad range of cancers, as well as providing an enabling solution to the detection of resistance to therapy and disease recurrence.

For more information, please go to www.biofidelity.com