Project could aid cancer detection

A SIMPLE blood test could soon help in the early detection of bowel cancer, thanks to a project by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and Hywel Dda University Health Board.

- IAN LEWIS Reporter

The university's Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre (ATiC) at its Swansea Waterfront campus, and the West Wales health board's TriTech Institute, have been working for 18 months with Welsh life science company CanSense Ltd.

The project has supported CanSense in the development of its pioneering CanSense-CRC blood test - a rapid, cost-effective, and scalable test for the early detection of bowel cancer.

Through their combined expertise, the project partners have contributed to crucial stages of research and development, device usability, and clinical readiness of the test, which aims to help transform the UK's bowel cancer diagnosis for patients.

The CanSense-CRC test, which uses artificial intelligence-based modelling (AI) to interpret spectral signals from blood-based biomarkers, has shown potential in clinical trials to reduce the need for invasive colonoscopies by up to 65%.

This could represent an annual cost saving of £250m for the NHS and contribute to more efficient, patient-centred cancer care.