The NIHR and the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) have funded six projects through the NIHR’s Invention for Innovation (i4i) and the OLS Cancer Programme. This includes BIVDA member, Proteotype Diagnostics, who have developed a multi-cancer detection test which measures patient plasma amino acid cross sections.
The six projects are receiving almost £11 million to support further testing of innovations to help increase the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.
The funding is part of a wider package of new schemes intended to bolster the UK’s life sciences sector and help the NHS to tackle cancer and other life threatening diseases with better treatments and faster diagnoses.
The Cancer Programme is being led by the OLS and aims to make the UK a leading testbed for innovation in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, allowing patients to be diagnosed earlier and offered therapies specifically designed to target their cancer.
The call particularly welcomed proposals that aimed to directly address inequalities in stage of cancer diagnosis.
The full list of funded projects and accompanying information can be found here:
Professor Andrew Davies, University of Southampton, and Dr Emma Yates, Proteotype Diagnostics Ltd
Cost-effective multi-cancer early detection by measuring patient plasma amino acid cross sections with the Enlighten test
Testing how a new type of multi cancer early detection test performs in an NHS context. Researchers will also plan for how the test could be used within deprived communities.
Professor George Hanna, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
PANACEA: PAN Alimentary Cancer Exhaled breath Analysis
Researching the accuracy of a new breath test for multiple gastrointestinal cancers (oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, liver and colorectal) as well as studying how to introduce it into primary care.
Dr Carlos Arteta Montilva, Optellum Ltd
CLEAREST: Clinical evaluation of lung cancer detection and diagnosis software
Studying how artificial intelligence (AI) software could help medical imaging experts to find suspicious ‘spots’ in the lungs and assist them in deciding if they could be early lung cancer.
Professor Ros Eeles, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Integration of the PRODICT ™ test into the prostate cancer risk pathway
Evaluating a ‘saliva’ genetic test to identify people at risk of developing prostate cancer, to find out how it can be integrated into the NHS.
Dr Andrew Shapanis, Professor Paul Skipp, XGENERA Ltd
miONCO-Dx : A novel multi cancer early diagnostic test
Improving the efficiency and evaluating the performance of a new cancer blood test for use as a screening tool. The test aims to detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers at an early stage.
Professor Brendan Delaney, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
Artificial Intelligence to support cancer early diagnosis in general practice. (AI-DIP)
Developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assistant to improve the early diagnosis of cancer in general practice, using pancreatic and lung cancer as case studies.
