Patients could soon benefit from world-leading technology to diagnose bowel cancer earlier, faster and cheaper, reducing the need for invasive colonoscopies and biopsies, and potentially saving valuable time and resource for the NHS, the government has announced.
The technology, made on British soil by Xgenera, in collaboration with the University of Southampton, has the potential to detect bowel cancer earlier, improving diagnosis rates, and offering patients valuable time back to treat the disease faster and more effectively.
Bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth most common cancer, with over 42,000 people diagnosed each year. Early diagnosis is crucial, with 9 in 10 people surviving bowel cancer when it’s detected at stage 1, compared to just 1 in 10 when diagnosed at stage 4.
The government is driving forward improvements to cancer care through the Plan for Change - including by improving waiting times for lower gastrointestinal diagnosis. From July 2024 to February 2025, 76.6% of patients have received their cancer diagnosis or all clear within 28 days, an increase of 4 percentage points compared to the previous year.
The announcement coincided with the Health and Social Care Secretary's visit a research lab funded by Cancer Research UK, which has been renamed in memory of campaigner Dame Deborah James. The Bowelbabe Laboratory will bring together leading scientists to advance understanding of bowel cancer. It will conduct cutting-edge research and will aid in the development of new treatments for bowel cancer.
In collaboration with NIHR, the government has also awarded £2.4 million to progress the development of an AI-driven blood test, known as miONCO-Dx. The test was developed on data from over 20,000 patients and has since been translated into a cheaper, faster and more scalable solution, marking a significant step forward. This new solution will be assessed in a clinical trial of 8,000 patients, giving a formal and significant step towards bringing the test closer to patients by ensuring it is fit for purpose in the NHS.
The test works by measuring the microRNA in a blood sample and using AI to identify if cancer is present and if so, where it is located in the body. Initial tests have produced promising results, having shown that it is able to detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers, including bowel cancer, at an early stage, with over 99% accuracy. With no other trial currently working in the same way, this is a world-leader and will support in placing Britain at the forefront of revolutionising healthcare.
The simple blood test will be able to identify cancer earlier, where treatment is not only more effective, but also cheaper and easier, potentially freeing up valuable NHS resources and staffing time in the long run.
Bowel cancer can be difficult to detect in the early stages, and survivability drops significantly as the disease progresses, as treatment options become more limited. Investing in technologies that can support experts to detect cancer early, such as the miONCO-Dx, is an essential first step in reducing the lives lost by cancer.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said: "From my own experience, I know the devastating toll cancer can take on patients and families, and how many of them have been faced with long waiting lists to get the diagnosis and treatment they deserve. We know that the key to surviving cancer is catching it as early as possible, so this government is taking the urgent action needed to make sure that happens through our Plan for Change, from developing world-leading technology to detect bowel cancer earlier, through to setting up hubs for the UK’s top scientists to research and treat the disease.
"Dame Deborah James dedicated her life to raising awareness for cancer and finding ways that we can beat it, so it is only right that we honour her legacy by investing in research to help stop one of the country’s biggest killers. And research is only one part of the work we’re doing. Our national cancer plan will transform cancer so patients can get the latest treatments and technology, ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to some of the best in the world."
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), said: "Innovations such as the mIONCO-Dx blood test offer an exciting new era in cancer detection with the potential for quicker, easier and more effective ways to detect cancers before they become more difficult to treat.
"NIHR is supporting initiatives such as these, utilising the latest technologies such as AI, to provide patients and the public with timely, accurate and easily accessible options. Supporting the UK’s thriving life sciences sector is key to seeing these strides in diagnosis and early prevention."
Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "Bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK. I’m delighted to welcome the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to the Bowelbabe Laboratory and show him the cutting-edge research being carried out in the name of the inspirational Dame Deborah James. She touched the lives of so many, and her legacy is supporting people affected by bowel cancer across the country.
"The NIHR trial shows the importance of research and the impact new technology and developments could have. The upcoming national cancer plan for England is an opportunity for the UK government to improve the lives of not just bowel cancer patients, but all cancer patients. We will continue to work with them on this."
