A Three-Decade Journey Driven by Purpose

Bill Behnke’s career spans over 30 years in healthcare leadership, encompassing roles in startups, clinical strategy, policy, and business development. Before founding Cizzle Bio in 2024, he held executive positions at companies such as ProTom International and Cogent Healthcare, and led business development at The Behnke Group, his own consulting firm. Throughout, his focus has been on translating scientific breakthroughs into viable patient care solutions with real-world impact.

What sets Bill apart is not just his professional experience but his deeply personal motivation. His daughter, Ella, battled lymphoma at a young age — a profound challenge that sharpened his resolve to detect cancer at its earliest stages. This personal connection fuels Bill’s commitment to advancing accessible, minimally invasive diagnostic tools that detect cancer sooner, when treatments are more effective and survival rates significantly higher.

Cizzle Bio: At the Forefront of Innovation in Cancer Detection

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Cizzle Bio specializes in pioneering biomarker blood tests designed to identify cancers early. Its flagship product, the CIZ1B lung cancer test, detects a unique protein variant associated with early-stage lung cancer through a simple blood draw. Developed from over 20 years of research at the University of York and protected by international patents, CIZ1B is poised to change the face of lung cancer diagnosis, which is currently hampered by late detection and high mortality rates.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and globally, largely because it is often diagnosed too late for effective intervention. Cizzle Bio’s CIZ1B test ushers in a new era of detection, enabling identification of the disease at a treatable stage. The company’s advancements are backed by rigorous clinical validation studies  and strategic laboratory partnerships with CLIA-certified facilities.   These milestones pave the way for commercial launches and insurance reimbursement pathways that are critical for widespread adoption.

Beyond lung cancer, Cizzle Bio is advancing DEX-G2, a cutting-edge biomarker blood test for early gastric cancer detection, developed in collaboration with City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center’s renowned oncology researcher  Ajay Goel, Ph.D, AGAF. Gastric cancer is particularly deadly because it is frequently found at an advanced stage, making early diagnosis a vital but unmet clinical need. DEX-G2 demonstrates exceptional sensitivity in detecting early-stage gastric cancer, offering a minimally invasive alternative to  endoscopy and other invasive procedures, and represents a major breakthrough in oncology diagnostics.

Championing Accessibility and Equity

Bill Behnke’s vision transcends the technology itself; he is equally committed to democratizing access to life-saving tests. The burden of lung and gastric cancer is disproportionately high in populations such as South Texas’s predominantly Latino communities, where cancer is the leading cause of death. By collaborating with major NCI-designated cancer centers, partnering with CLIA-certified labs such Omni Health Diagnostics, and eventually integrating innovative sample collection technologies including at-home blood collection by Tasso, Cizzle Bio is working to make early cancer detection affordable and accessible to underserved communities.

This approach aligns with the company’s broader strategy to make early detection a standard part of primary care. By embedding these tests in routine screenings, the hope is to catch cancers earlier, reducing the physical, emotional, and economic costs of late-stage cancer treatments.

Economic Impact and Policy Advocacy

Bill’s leadership extends beyond scientific innovation into the realms of healthcare economics and advocacy. A study abstract by a noted healthcare economist presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting shows that early lung cancer detection using Cizzle Bio’s CIZ1B biomarker blood test could save Medicare $518 million annually  by reducing costly late-stage treatments.

Bill has also held board roles with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and currently serves on the board of the ASCO Foundation’s Conquer Cancer®. . His advocacy focuses on reimbursement models and policies that facilitate adoption of early detection tests, as he firmly believes that integrating these novel diagnostics into health insurance coverage is essential for sustainable impact.

A Leadership Style Rooted in Collaboration and Empathy

Bill Behnke’s leadership philosophy is grounded in active listening — to scientists, clinicians, patients, and families. This inclusive approach ensures that Cizzle Bio’s solutions are clinically meaningful and operationally feasible. The company culture nurtures talent drawn from industry leaders at Genentech, Eli Lilly, and leading cancer centers, uniting expertise to advance the mission.

Bill also emphasizes the role of public education and transparent communication to build trust and awareness around emerging diagnostic technologies. His active engagement on social media and participation in community events demonstrate his commitment to patient empowerment and knowledge sharing.

Looking Forward: Expanding Horizons in Biotech Innovation

Under Bill’s stewardship, Cizzle Bio aims to expand its diagnostic portfolio to other cancers, harness new biomarker discoveries, and forge global partnerships. The company’s device roadmap includes Point of Care (POC) tests for pharmacies and doctors’ offices, enabling even faster screening and intervention.

Bill’s vision is clear: to make early detection an achievable reality for all patients worldwide, fundamentally shifting cancer care paradigms from reactive to proactive.

Bill Behnke’s story is a powerful reminder that transformative biotech leadership combines science, business savvy, and heartfelt purpose. His pioneering work with Cizzle Bio in advancing minimally invasive, highly accurate early cancer detection tests offers renewed hope to patients, families, and clinicians. As 2025 unfolds, Bill stands as a beacon of innovation and compassion, driving biotech breakthroughs that will save lives for generations to come.

For more information about Cizzle Bio’s groundbreaking biomarker blood tests for early cancer detection, please visit: https://www.cizzlebio.com/