CanSense, a Swansea University spin-out developed a new blood test using artificial intelligence for early detection of bowel cancer signs – a disease currently affecting more than 260,00 in the UK. The firm has been developing the test for seven years.
The UK is one of the countries performing badly for early cancer diagnosis. Bowel cancer is one of the major causes of cancer death in the UK. Every year 42,000 people are diagnosed with the disease and this amounts to one diagnosis every fifteen minutes, which means a person can die every thirty minutes. If diagnosed early Bowel cancer can be cured with quick action and without major surgery.
To detect bowel cancer, patients are referred to the hospital and a colonoscopy test is conducted. CanSense’s blood test puts an end to the unnecessary colonoscopies especially for those without bowel cancer saving more funds used in testing yearly, helping to eradicate the delays, and speed up the testing process for those with a high risk of the disease.
Scientists at CanSense developed a bowel cancer blood test that is not expensive after almost a decade of research that can be performed at the UK’s local GPs. The results of the tests are available within 48 hours which enables health physicians to make accurate and quick decisions for patients allowing treatment to be done faster and saving a cost of £19,000 per person on the late-stage oncology test.
The CanSense blood test will help enhance the detection of bowel cancer in young patients who basically are not regarded as high risk and get faster results. With COVID-19, the need for affordable and accurate testing is a necessity to reduce the pressure on conventional diagnostic services ensuring that bowel cancer patients get treated faster. It is hoped that additional funding will accelerate mainstream primary care adoption of the proven technology to help decrease the backlog of patients waiting for referrals.
The CEO and founder of the company, Adam Bryant said “I think every person in their life is affected by cancer which is a motivation for the team to create this technology to assist in saving lives through early detection to prevent other people from diagnosing it
“For over seven years, the team has been working on this technology that uses a combination of laser spectroscopy and artificial intelligence. Our blood test produces a spectral ‘fingerprint’ from which the patient’s cancer activity can be recognized by comparing it to our database of thousands of blood samples, telling us the level of cancer present in the blood and the urgency for treatment.”
CanSense has gotten the support of the Welsh Government’s Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP) after successful clinical trials. It also got grant support from Cancer Research Wales and Health and Care Research Wales. The primary care practices in fourth health boards in Wales have collaborated with CanSense to work on academic-led clinical trials in collaboration with Bowel Screening Wales and Rapid Diagnostic Centres. The company also works with Wessex and Oxford AHSNs and Leeds In Vitro Diagnostic co-operative which are English health boards.
CanSense is planning to launch the technology for patients’ use in about 24 months’ time. It is also expanding its early blood detection technology to other types of cancer like lung, pancreatic, and breast cancer. With further trials and funding, the company can achieve its aim to expand to other types of cancer.
Bryant added: “The CanSense team sees this as a real opportunity to alleviate patient concerns about invasive testing by developing more routine blood tests aimed at getting more people with any bowel concerns tested for early-stage cancer. Ultimately, we need to reduce the barriers that put patient lives at risk.”
Speaking about the company’s next steps, Bryant said: “Translating ground-breaking academic research into a real-world test that can benefit everyone is always going to be dependent on funding and we’re looking for new investors to propel the test and help us continue to build the commercially viable platform. With continued collaboration with our academic partners within Swansea University, we are preparing the test for approval of use within the NHS and eventual roll out to your GP surgery.”
