Vivek Wadhwa's new venture aims to use breath to detect cancer

Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur and academic who’s well known in Silicon Valley, has been working on a long-shot project to detect cancer in people using only their breath—similar to using a breathalyzer.

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Wadhwa’s new company, which has not been previously reported, is called Vionix Biosciences Inc. Its goal of collecting health information in a less invasive way has long been a dream of technologists. For example, Elizabeth Holmes’ failed blood-testing startup Theranos. But unlike Holmes, who overpromised in the company’s early days, Wadhwa is starting small. He’s brought on advisers from Harvard Medical School, the Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital to try to prove out the concept. So far, he’s spent about $500,000 of his own cash on the initiative and plans to spend $500,000 more, dipping into his retirement savings with the aim of having a working prototype later this year or in 2024.

If the device works, such a tool could substantially improve certain types of cancer screening and allow for earlier detection in underserved communities, though plenty of obstacles remain.

Wadhwa, 66, was born in India and immigrated to the US where he joined the technology industry. He founded two companies and wrote five books, along with a spate of prestigious teaching jobs including a stint as head of faculty at the now-embattled Singularity University, dedicated to solving the world’s problems through entrepreneurship.