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JO
Cohort 2020
Dr. James Okonkwo
Imperial College London
Geochemistry→OncologyLeap 88
Impact summary
Developed the first isotope-based metabolic fingerprint for triple-negative breast cancer. Partnership with AstraZeneca for biomarker development.
Background
James spent years studying how trace minerals move through rock formations and soil. His fellowship year in Imperial's Cancer Biology division started with a single question: if cells are chemical reactors, can isotope tracing methods from geochemistry map their metabolic flows? Three years later, his lab is using isotope ratio mass spectrometry to fingerprint tumour metabolic states with unprecedented resolution.
The leap story
“I was the person in the oncology department who kept talking about rocks. It took a while for people to take me seriously. Then the data started coming in.”