Gordon Downie Named Chief Medical Officer at bioAffinity Technologies

Citing his more than three decades of experience in pulmonary medicine, clinical research, medical innovation, and interventional pulmonology, bioAffinity Technologies Inc. has appointed Gordon Downie, M.D., Ph.D., as its new chief medical officer (CMO).

Dr. Downie has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, many centered on innovation in bronchoscopy, early lung cancer diagnosis, and medical device development. He has worked extensively in both academic medicine and private practice, led U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved research programs, and served in national leadership roles with the American College of Chest Physicians in the areas of interventional pulmonology, lung cancer, and medical ethics.

“Dr. Downie brings a rare blend of clinical excellence, research insight, and innovation in delivery of care,” bioAffinity Technologies President/CEO Maria Zannes said. “His depth of experience in interventional pulmonology and his passion for early cancer detection make him the ideal leader to guide our clinical strategy as we scale CyPath Lung and expand our diagnostic platform to additional diseases.”

In 2007, Dr. Downie left academia and opened a pulmonology practice in rural East Texas, an underserved area with limited access to healthcare. The lack of pulmonary care is exacerbated by an aging population and rising rates of lung disease, including COPD. Most recently, he was director of the Lung Nodule Clinic and Interventional Pulmonology at Titus Regional Medical Center.

Dr. Downie earned his doctorate degree in experimental pathology from the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo) and his medical degree from Northwestern University. He completed residency and fellowship training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and subsequently served on the faculty at SUNY Buffalo and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

“It’s that same spirit of commitment and discipline that has made Dr. Downie a world-class physician respected by his peers throughout the country,” Zannes stated. “We are delighted to welcome him to bioAffinity.”

Before pursuing a career in medicine, Dr. Downie was an Olympic bronze medalist at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, having been a member of Great Britain’s men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay swim team. He also won silver and bronze medals at the 1975 World Aquatics Championships and was a four-time NCAA All-American swimmer for the University of Michigan.

“It’s a privilege to join bioAffinity at such a pivotal time,” Dr. Downie commented. “I’ve seen firsthand in my practice the need for a noninvasive, accurate and real-time diagnostic for lung cancer. I believe CyPath Lung is particularly useful in managing indeterminate lung nodules by filling a critical gap in clinical decision-making. I’m excited by the opportunity to expand access to this technology that can save lives.”

CyPath Lung uses proprietary advanced flow cytometry and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify cell populations in patient sputum that indicate malignancy. Automated data analysis helps determine if cancer is present or if the patient is cancer-free. CyPath Lung incorporates a fluorescent porphyrin that is preferentially taken up by cancer and cancer-related cells. Clinical study results demonstrated that CyPath Lung had 92% sensitivity, 87% specificity, and 88% accuracy in detecting lung cancer in patients at high risk for the disease who had small lung nodules less than 20 millimeters. Diagnosing and treating early-stage lung cancer can improve outcomes and increase patient survival.

bioAffinity Technologies addresses the need for noninvasive diagnosis of early-stage cancer and other diseases of the lung and broad-spectrum cancer treatments. The company’s first product, CyPath Lung, is marketed as a laboratory developed test (LDT) by Precision Pathology Laboratory Services, a bioAffinity Technologies subsidiary.