Thousands of patients are set to benefit from pioneering new technology being backed by the NHS that aims to revolutionise cancer testing techniques across the country.
Almost £10 million will be awarded to eight projects this week after the NHS ran an open call for innovation in cancer care last year.
Among the eight cutting-edge projects to receive funding is an artificial intelligence system that can interpret and prioritise abnormal chest x-rays to help spot lung cancer sooner; an endoscope-smartphone adapter that can turn a normal iPhone into essential diagnostic equipment for head and neck cancers; and a pioneering new blood test for diagnosing cancers.
The PinPoint test is a new smart blood test that uses artificial-intelligence and will allow one in five patients to be ruled out of having one of the nine most common cancers, including breast, gynaecological, skin and head and neck cancers. NHS health chiefs have hailed the test as a potentially revolutionary new tool that will help the NHS patients with a high risk of cancer get diagnosed and treated quicker, provide reassurance to patients that they are unlikely to have cancer and enable patients to be investigated for other conditions faster.
Each project is being fast-tracked into the NHS to see how they can benefit patients by detecting cancer early and improve the efficiency of diagnostic services, in a real-world setting.
Professor Peter Johnson, clinical director of the NHS Cancer Programme, said: “Working out how to make use of ground-breaking ideas like the PinPoint test is key to improving outcomes for people with cancer. The companies and hospitals pioneering these innovative ideas are leading the way, and will help us to diagnose cancer earlier when it is easier to treat – potentially saving thousands of lives.”
Following the success of this open call for innovation in cancer care, the NHS is launching its second round in spring 2022. The competition will be seeking promising new ideas across medical devices, digital health and equipment, behaviour interventions and new models of care, which can benefit patients and frontline NHS staff working in cancer services.
More information is available at: https://sbrihealthcare.co.uk
