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 & 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 save thousands of lives.
“Today’s development funding, which is part of our open call
initiative, is just one of many opportunities to attract and
fast-track high quality innovations into the NHS, supporting the
ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan and vitally, improving care
for our patients.”
The most recent published NHS data shows that a record 246,000
people were checked for cancer in November 2021– three times more
than at the beginning of the pandemic.
Monthly NHS data also shows that more than nine in ten people
received their first treatment for cancer within a month of a
diagnosis – a level that has not dipped below 90% throughout
the pandemic.
Other projects that were successful in bidding for funding will
be using digital technologies, such as mobile communication
platforms and apps to detect cancers quicker, better organise
services and reduce the NHS’s cancer care costs.
Professor Richard Gilbertson, Chair of the NHS Innovation
External Advisory Board, said: ‘There has never
been a more exciting and inspiring time to work in cancer
research and treatment. The NHS is an incredible organisation,
providing joined-up healthcare to an entire nation through a
single system. This affords us with a unique opportunity to
partner with experts in academia and industry, and bring the
latest innovations in early cancer diagnosis and intervention to
patients quicker.
“The projects supported by these awards are the first of many new
devices and diagnostics that we hope will bring us closer to the
day when no patient dies of cancer.”
Health chiefs believe the open innovation call is an important
mechanism for supporting innovators, and supports the NHS to
deliver its Long Term Plan ambitions to see 55,000 more people
each year surviving their cancer for five years or longer by 2028
and three quarters of people with cancer being diagnosed at an
early stage by 2028.
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 on the open call for innovation in cancer round
one winners and details about the second open call are
available here or SBRI Healthcare.
Background
- The Open Call for Innovation in Cancer Care round one
was run via NHS England and NHS
Improvement’s Small Business Research
Initiative.
- The Call was supported by the NHS England and NHS
Improvement’s Accelerated Access Collaborative, England’s 15
Academic Health Science Networks and hosted by LGC
Group.
- The Call received 51 applications, which were reviewed
through a series of stages including long-listing, due diligence
checks, clinical and peer reviews, and interviews.
