As cancer continues to be a major cause of mortality globally, innovative diagnostics are crucial to reducing its toll. This webinar will focus on the promise of new cancer diagnostics. We will highlight the latest advancements in early detection methods based on blood tests, MRI scans, and molecular imaging. These technologies hold the potential to identify cancer earlier and with greater precision. However, some of them carry risks, including false positives and the possibility of unnecessary healthcare interventions and costs. These could lead to additional stress for patients and may strain healthcare resources. The webinar will explore these new cancer diagnostics, aiming to provide a balanced view of their impact on patient care and healthcare systems. Discussions will include policy frameworks, funding initiatives, and how businesses can work alongside researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers to accelerate the development and accessibility of effective life-saving diagnostics.
Paul Billings
Chief Executive Officer and Director, Biological Dynamics
Paul Richard Billings was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in 2022 and Chairman of the Board of Directors (BoD) in 2024 of Biological Dynamics, Inc. (BD). He completed his management duties and became a Director of the resulting company, Xzom Inc., in July 2024. He joined BD as an Advisor in 2012 and has previously served a Member of the BD BoD . A novel proprietary platform, BD tests produce new multi-omic clinical data to improve patient care in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and other significant conditions. Dr. Billings is a board-certified internist and clinical geneticist, who also holds an MD and PhD in Immunology from Harvard University. He worked there with Dr. Baruj Benacerraf, who subsequently received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In 2017, Dr. Billings became the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at Natera, Inc., a global leader in human genetic testing. Dr Billings recently has been a Partner in the diagnostic medicine consultancy, the Bethesda Group, and the Managing Director of the Bethesda Group Fund. He has held academic and research appointments at Harvard University, UC San Francisco, Stanford University and UC Berkeley. He has published approximately 250 scholarly biomedical papers and volumes.
He previously served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Food and Drug Administration, the Genomic Medicine Advisory Committee at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the HHS Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genomics, Health and Society, and his work formed the basis of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. He co-founded the stem cell company, CBR Systems, was a BoD Member at Ancestry.com and Signature Genomics Inc, and is co-founder and senior advisor of Fabric Genomics, Inc., a leading genome informatics firm. Until its acquisition by Laboratory Corporation of America, Inc. in 2021. Dr. Billings was Chairman of the Board of OmniSeq, Inc, a cancer diagnostic company affiliated with Roswell Park Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY.
Previously, Dr. Billings was the SVP and Senior Physician at Laboratory Corporation of America, Inc. and Chief Medical Officer at Life Technologies Inc,(Applied Biosystems) and later the clinical division of ThermoFisher Scientific Inc. He is an expert in precision medicine diagnostics particularly in Oncology, Transplantation and Women’s Health.
Jordan J. Green
Director, Biomaterials and Drug Delivery Laboratory and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Jordan J. Green is the Herschel L. Seder Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, Oncology, Materials Science & Engineering, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. He is also an inaugural JHU Provost Fellow for Public Engagement. Dr. Green serves as the Vice Chair for Research and Translation in Biomedical Engineering and is the former Director of the Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Program at JHU.
Dr. Green is also the Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Translational ImmunoEngineering Center (NCBIB) and the Associate Director of the Translational Tissue Engineering Center at JHU. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2003 and completed his Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from MIT in 2007. Subsequently, Dr. Green was a postdoctoral associate at MIT from 2007-2008. Dr. Green was the founding CEO of the biotech company AsclepiX Therapeutics, a company that is now in clinical trials for a new peptide-based treatment for age-related macular degeneration. He also co-founded and serves on the board of four other biotechnology companies. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the Controlled Release Society. He is also an Associate Editor at Science Advances and a standing member of the NIH Drug and Biologic Therapeutic Delivery (DBTD) study section. His work has resulted in the publication of over 195 scientific papers, 90 issued or pending patents, and 145 invited talks, and he has received numerous awards including the AIChE Colburn Award, the BMES Rita Schaffer Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Popular Science’s Brilliant Ten, and was a National Academy of Medicine Emerging Leader Scholar in Health & Medicine. Dr. Green’s research focuses on the design of biotechnologies for cellular engineering. He and his lab design and synthesize new biomaterials and nanotechnology systems that can deliver biomolecules such as nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, and small molecules specifically to various cell types, including cancer cells, immune cells, and stem cells. His lab works to create innovative technologies and therapeutics that can directly benefit human health.
Lilja Solnes
Associate Professor and Director of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Johns Hopkins University (TBC)
Dr. Lilja Solnes is Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she serves as Director of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and leads the Nuclear Medicine Residency and PET/CT Fellowship Programs. A specialist in diagnostic radiology, oncology, and nuclear medicine, Dr. Solnes also directs Radiotheranostics at Johns Hopkins. She earned her MD and MBA from Columbia University and completed advanced training at Columbia, Cornell, and Ohio State. She is fluent in English and Icelandic.
John Steuart
Managing Director Steuart Ventures
John Steuart is Managing Director of Steuart Ventures. A seasoned entrepreneur and investor, he has served on over 50 public and private boards, often as Audit and Compensation Committee Chair. He co-founded Claremont Creek Ventures, raising $300 million from leading institutional investors and guiding top-performing investments, including Natera (NASDAQ: NTRA), GeneWeave (acquired by Roche), and Assurex (acquired by Myriad). Earlier, he co-founded CyberGold, which grew from startup to IPO and ultimately merged into a $500 million acquisition. John brings 25 years of experience across life sciences, tech, real estate, and private equity.
Moderators:
Mario Macis, PhD
Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Berman Institute of Bioethics, and HBHI
Emilia Simeonova, PhD
Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and HBHI
This event is part of a larger series on the 'Conversations on the Business of Health,' which will be one-hour webinars that will engage leaders in business and academia. We will explore questions such as: Should companies invest in their employees’ health? Will artificial intelligence actually advance health? How can business offer healthcare in novel settings?