Syantra, Inc. Announces Chair of Scientific Advisory Board and New Members

Leading breast oncology experts to provide insight and guidance for clinical studies, market readiness, and pipeline development for cancer detection and treatment platform

CALGARY, AB, Feb. 11, 2025 /CNW/ - Syantra, Inc., a precision biotechnology company revolutionizing cancer detection and treatment, proudly announces Dr. Edith A. Perez as chair and Dr. Maria Theodoulou and Dr. Adetunji Toriola as members of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

The board will work with Syantra leadership and advise on clinical testing and early commercialization of Onco-ID^™ Breast, a blood test for early detection of breast cancer, as well as R&D and corporate strategy.

"We are very excited to have this incredible group of cancer luminaries join the SAB. Their expertise and experience link in well to our strategic initiatives and complement our team. We look forward to working together to advance our technologies and introduce the world to the test and the platform it was built on, Onco-ID^™," said CEO Rob Lozuk.

Onco-ID^™ is Syantra's patent-pending platform that helps the company take a new approach to early cancer detection. "Unlike most liquid biopsies on the market, which look for cancer in the bloodstream, Onco-ID^™ leans into the body's own immune system, identifying biomarkers that indicate the presence of early stage cancer. We believe this is an entirely new approach with extraordinary potential," said Lozuk.

Syantra's Scientific Advisory Board includes:

Edith A. Perez, M.D., Chair, SAB. An internationally recognized clinical translational oncologist, Dr. Perez holds the distinction of Professor Emeritus at Mayo Clinic with a career that has spanned academic and industry leadership in medical affairs, drug development, clinical operations, regulatory and medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, and biometrics. Dr. Perez served as Chief Medical Officer at Bolt Biotherapeutics (2020-2024), where she directed the development of a novel immuno-oncology pipeline. As a core member of the company's C-suite, Dr. Perez played a pivotal role in securing the company's successful IPO in 2021.  Prior to joining Bolt Biotherapeutics, Dr. Perez was Vice President of the BioOncology Medical Unit at Genentech from 2015 to 2018. At Genentech, she led a team of 150 healthcare professionals, spearheaded numerous clinical trials and scientific collaborations, and directly contributed to the successful launches of life-changing oncology therapeutics. During Dr. Perez's 20-year academic and clinical tenure at the Mayo Clinic, she made deep contributions to the treatment of breast cancer and the advancement of translational biomarkers in collaboration and with funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the NIH, as well as leading Foundations such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She has authored or co-authored over 700 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts, was granted an endowed professorship, and served as Deputy Director at Large for the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.

Maria Theodoulou, M.D. Recognized internationally for her impact on breast cancer care and the community, Dr. Theodoulou is a clinical oncologist and Program Director Breast Medicine with New York Oncology Hematology (NYOH). Prior to joining NYOH, Dr. Theodoulou was an attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and a Professor of Medicine at the Joan and Sanford Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Her awards and honors include the Hally Yaccino Steiner Award- Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Greater New York City, Outstanding Physician Award- Sass Foundation for Medical Research, Clinical Excellence & Community Advocacy in Breast Cancer- Brook Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, and the AXIOS Award from American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association's Cancer Foundation.

Adetunji Toriola, M.D., PhD. Dr. Toriola is internationally recognized for his research on the molecular basis of breast cancer. He is Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and has a multidisciplinary background in medicine (MD), public health (MPH), anesthesia (DA), and epidemiology (PhD). He is a William H. Danforth Washington University Physician-Scientist Scholar and co-leads the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Siteman Cancer Centre. Dr.Toriola was recognized with the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research. He also serves on several national scientific committees and leading cancer journal editorial boards.

"We are thrilled by the caliber of talent and experience currently on our Scientific Advisory Board and we look forward to adding more members who understand this unique sector of healthcare, and who are as passionate as the rest of us at Syantra about changing the present and future of cancer detection and treatment," said Lozuk.

About Syantra

Founded by a Calgary-based team of innovators in biomedical engineering and medicine and supported by world-leading clinicians, Syantra Inc. is a privately held, precision biotechnology company pioneering a platform to change the way cancer is detected and treated. For more information, visit https://www.syantra.com, or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Syantra Inc.