Scientific Advisors
Our TeamThe Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is comprised of a group of individuals that have significant scientific technical backgrounds in medical devices, diagnostics and other areas related to ANGLE’s products. SAB members provide strategic input, insight and expertise in the blood and cancer fields and also advise the Company on technical aspects in relation to platform development, product development and clinical studies as well as providing broader industry input.
Dr. Daniel Danila
Dr. Daniel Danila is an associate attending physician at Memorial Hospital Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Danila also serves as an assistant with the Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Danila’s primary research focuses on prostate cancer. Specifically, Dr. Danila is exploring a hypothesis that molecular profiling of CTCs can be used to assess biological determinants of the growth of prostate cancer tumors.
Dr. Danila served as the principal investigator (PI) for “Circulating Tumor Cells as Biomarkers for Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Developing Assays for Androgen Receptor Signaling Pathway,” which focused on analysing CTCs from patients with metastatic prostate cancer for molecular biomarkers predictive of tumour sensitivity to targeted treatments. Funding for the research was provided by the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Prostate Cancer Research Program, Physician Research Training Award. Dr. Danila received his MD from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania and was a research fellow, intern and resident at Massachusetts General Hospital prior to joining Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2005.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – development and adoption of CTCs as predictive biomarkers to help clinicians select appropriate treatments, prostate cancer and wide network of contacts in the field.
Dr. George Hvichia
Dr. George Hvichia is the original inventor of the core Parsortix technology and played a lead role in ANGLE’s Parsortix patents. Dr. Hvichia is an expert in microfluidic technology related to cell and particle separation and platform integration. Dr. Hvichia was the first person to recognise the combined principle of separation by size and deformability of rare cells in fluids, such as blood, and that microfluidic devices could be used to achieve this, even though manufacturing at the necessary tolerances was not possible at the time. This core technology yields low cost, efficient, single use and scalable micro-devices for use in the fields of Liquid Biopsy and Precision Medicine.
Dr. Hvichia played a lead role in advancing the Parsortix technology by working in the laboratory and introducing multiple solutions and innovations. Dr. Hvichia also focused on collecting and analysing data from the microfluidic cassette, instrument and assay development process, resulting in ANGLE’s first peer-reviewed publication in the International Journal of Cancer (IJC) in January 2016. This publication made the prestigious list of 10 most popular cancer publications in recent years, presented at World Cancer Congress 2018 by renowned publisher Wiley and International Journal of Cancer.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – microfluidics and biochips with ongoing thoughts and advice on development of the Parsortix system.
Dr. Joseph Khoury
Dr. Joseph Khoury is a recognised expert in diagnostic pathology and has significant experience in the cytological and morphological analysis of cancer cells as well as molecular diagnostics and immunophenotyping. Dr. Khoury is a tenured Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and is the Executive Director of the MD Anderson Cancer Network for the Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Khoury is also the Director of the MD Anderson Clinical Immunohistochemistry Laboratory. Additionally, Dr. Khoury is the incoming chair and Stokes-Shackleford professor at the Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.
Dr. Khoury is a leader in translational research focused on hematolymphoid neoplasia (a class of tumours that affect the blood, bone marrow, and organs of the immune system). Dr. Khoury has authored over 275 publications, many in prestigious peer-review scientific and medical journals, two textbooks, and several book chapters. He has trained numerous clinical and research fellows. Dr. Khoury is an active member of the College of American Pathologists and has lectured extensively at various institutions and conferences globally.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – diagnostic pathology and cytological and morphological analysis of cancer cells.
Prof Adrian Newland
Prof. Adrian Newland (who is not related to ANGLE’s Chief Executive) is Professor of Haematology at Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London. Prof. Newland was also Director of Pathology for the Trust and Clinical Director of the North East London Cancer Network until 2018. Prof. Newland was President of the Royal College of Pathologists from 2005 to 2008 and the International Society of Hematology from 2014 to 2016. Prof. Newland chaired the National Blood Transfusion Committee and was pathology lead for NHS London. Prof. Newland was National Clinical Advisor in Pathology to NHS Improvement and Clinical Advisor to the Transforming Cancer Service Team in London. He chairs the National Pathology Implementation Optimisation Delivery Group.
Prof. Newland was previously chair of the Diagnostic Assessment Programme for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and of the NICE Sifting Group for cancer drugs. Prof. Newland has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Institute of Cancer Research from 1995 until 2003 and Chair of the London Cancer New Drugs Group since 2002. Prof. Newland was a member of the National Chemotherapy Implementation Group until 2018 and a member of the Expert Reference Group on Cancer Care in London, the National Cancer Outcomes Advisory Group and the Human Genome Strategy Group. Prof. Newland is co-chair of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts for In-Vitro Diagnostic Devices (SAGE-IVD) and recently completed the five year review of the WHO Cancer programme. He is currently a non-executive director of the UK Accreditation Service and chairs their Healthcare Forum.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – haematology, pathology, cancer diagnostics, accreditation and NICE.
Dr. James Reuben
Dr. Reuben is Professor in the Department of Hematopathology, Division of Pathology/Lab Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Dr. Reuben is a leading authority and has conducted significant research on circulating tumour cell subsets, including those with epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes and their clinical relevance to minimal residual disease in breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
Some related publications include ‘Circulating tumor cells, disease progression, and survival in metastatic breast cancer in the New England Journal of Medicine’; “Circulating tumor cells are associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism in metastatic breast cancer patients” in the British Journal of Cancer; and “Circulating tumor cells in metastatic inflammatory breast cancer” published in the Annals of Oncology. Dr. Reuben received his PhD in immunology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and his MBA from University of Houston, Houston, Texas. Dr. Reuben completed his research fellowship in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with Evan M. Hersh, MD and Emil J Freireich, MD, as mentors.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – knowledge and understanding of CTCs, breast cancer and wide network of contacts in the field.
Mr Greg Shaw
Mr Shaw is a Consultant Urological Surgeon at University College Hospital in London and is a clinical academic with a strong interest in prostate cancer diagnostics and treatment. Having completed an M.D. in prostate cancer at the University of London investigating circulating tumour cells in prostate cancer, and subsequently completed four years as a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, Mr Shaw has published widely on prostate cancer and is currently an honorary Associate Professor at University College and Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary College of the University of London.
Mr Shaw leads several research programmes focused on current weaknesses in the way prostate cancer is treated and is interested in exploring the role novel biomarkers may play in advancing practice in these areas. Mr Shaw is currently chief investigator for two NIHR portfolio studies investigating 1) the effects of refinements to robotic surgery and 2) the use of drugs to prevent progression in men on active surveillance for prostate cancer. Mr Shaw is lead surgeon for the largest robotic surgery team in the UK at UCLH. Mr Shaw is known for his innovative approach and commitment to quality assurance.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – prostate cancer diagnostics and treatment.
Dr. Clive Stanway
Dr. Clive Stanway is currently an independent drug discovery and development advisor to several companies including acting as a non-executive director for CytoSeek Ltd and Atelerix Ltd. Amongst others, he advises Cumulus Oncology Ltd and Arais Biotech AG. Also, he serves as a non-executive director of Babraham Research Campus Ltd. Dr. Stanway was until 2018 Chief Scientific Officer of Cancer Research UK’s Commercial Partnerships which is responsible for the development and commercialisation of research innovations. Dr. Stanway is an expert in cancer drug discovery and a key part of his former role was working closely with major pharmaceutical partners. Dr. Stanway has extensive knowledge and experience of cancer research, detailed understanding of the drug discovery and development process, and worldwide contacts with major pharma development groups.
Dr. Stanway was engaged in raising the scientific profile of Commercial Partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry; his efforts have led to several significant partnerships and alliances. Dr. Stanway has also driven internal Commercial Partnerships projects addressing cancer immunomodulation bringing together different technologies and expertise leading to a compound progressing towards a Phase 1 trial. The annual research spend of Cancer Research UK is in the region of £375 million and Commercial Partnerships has annual revenues of approximately £50 million. Prior to becoming Chief Scientific Officer of Commercial Partnerships, Dr. Stanway established and led the drug discovery and biotherapeutic discovery activity within Cancer Research UK, which has been or is now partnered with AstraZeneca, FORMA Therapeutics, BMS, Artios, Ono Pharmaceutical and Merck KGaA.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – cancer drug discovery and development and major pharma networks.
Dr. Harold Swerdlow
Dr. Harold Swerdlow is currently a freelance consultant. He was previously Senior Director of NGS R&D at DNA Electronics (DNAe) in London. His role there involved managing Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology and product development for an initial sepsis diagnostic offering and a future oncology test. Dr. Swerdlow is a leading expert in NGS and recently served as a consultant for both ONI (Oxford Nanoimaging a super-resolution microscopy company), and Nuclera Nucleics, a DNA synthesis start-up after being Head of NGS Technology Development at LGC Genomics.
As VP of Sequencing at the New York Genome Center (NYGC) from 2014-2017, Dr. Swerdlow directed the Technology Innovation group and managed the production and clinical laboratory facilities (with about 30 Illumina DNA sequencers). Prior to NYGC, Dr. Swerdlow was Head of Research and Development for the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK (2008-2014). In that role, Dr. Swerdlow directed the R&D department and helped build the Sanger Institute’s next-generation DNA-sequencing production facility into one of the world’s largest. Previously, Dr. Swerdlow was the Chief Technology Officer of Dolomite Ltd., a leader in microfluidics and microfabrication. Prior to Dolomite, Dr. Swerdlow was an inventor of the core technology relating to NGS at Solexa Ltd., a company which he joined in 2000 when it had only three employees. From then until 2006, as Senior Director of Research, Dr. Swerdlow helped launch Solexa’s first product, the Genome Analyzer DNA sequencing platform. At Solexa, Dr. Swerdlow was responsible for instrument engineering, integration of the next-generation DNA sequencing system and early applications work, along with assisting in the development of many of the system’s biochemical components. Dr. Swerdlow was a key member of the Senior Management team that delivered Solexa’s first genome sequence, an end-to-end proof-of-principle. Following its NASDAQ listing, Solexa was acquired by Illumina Inc. for US$600 million and Solexa’s technology became the core of Illumina’s world leading NGS products.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – next generation sequencing, genomics, operational management and system integration.
Prof Ashok Venkitaraman
Prof. Ashok Venkitaraman is the Director, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, and Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. He also holds appointments as Senior Principal Investigator and Senior Adviser at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Prof. Venkitaraman’s research has contributed fundamentally to our understanding of how cancer is suppressed by genes that maintain the integrity of DNA in the human genome. His laboratory first discovered that mutations in the breast and ovarian cancer gene, BRCA2, provoke genome instability leading to carcinogenesis. In his current roles, Prof. Venkitaraman aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the steps that underlie carcinogenesis to find new strategies to intercept cancer development before the disease reaches an advanced and hard-to-treat stage. To help translate such fundamental insights to clinical practice, Prof. Venkitaraman has worked with colleagues from many different disciplines to develop new approaches for the discovery and early development of next-generation medicines. He has developed new technology platforms for therapeutics discovery that have led to serial Cambridge University spin-out companies like PhoreMost.
In his previous roles, Prof. Venkitaraman held the Ursula Zoellner Professorship of Cancer Research at the University of Cambridge from 1998-2020, where he was Director of the Medical Research Council’s Cancer Unit and Joint Director of the Medical Research Council/Hutchison Research Centre from 2006-2019. Prof. Venkitaraman was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, London, in 2001, and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) European Academy, Heidelberg, in 2004.
Brings to the SAB expertise in – cancer cell biology and personalised cancer care.