Streeting: New AI blood test to speed up bowel cancer diagnosis 'honours' Bowelbabe's legacy
New AI technology will see faster bowel cancer diagnosis and remove invasive testing, the government has said.
It has committed £2.4 million of funding to develop the AI test in collaboration with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, using data from over 20,000 patients.
Initial tests have shown that the test can detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers, including bowel cancer, at an early stage, with over 99% accuracy.
Before the test can be used by the NHS, it will be assessed in a clinical trial of 8000 patients.
How does the technology work?
The technology, which was developed by scientists in Hampshire, involves an AI-driven blood test called miONCO-Dx which detects microRNA in blood.
Those are molecules involved in cellular processes, including development, cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and disease.
It means multiple cancers can be detected quickly and at a low cost, and also reduces the need for unnecessary colonoscopies.
Bowel cancer is the UK's fourth most common cancer, with over 42,000 people diagnosed each year.
Early diagnosis is crucial, with nine out of 10 people surviving bowel cancer when it's detected at stage 1, compared to just one in 10 when diagnosed at stage 4.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said investing in the research "honours the legacy" of campaigner Dame Deborah James, also known as 'Bowelbabe', who died from bowel cancer in 2022.
He said: '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."
In May 2021, Mr Streeting revealed he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer and had an operation to remove a kidney.
On Wednesday, he visited a research lab funded by Cancer Research UK, which has been renamed in memory of Dame Deborah.
The Bowelbabe Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute in London will bring together leading scientists to conduct research and develop new treatments for bowel cancer.
Dame Deborah's family also visited the lab, which was funded by the £17 million raised by the Bowelbabe fund.
Her mother, Heather James, said: "Deborah was quite a science geek really. I think she would be so chuffed to see what her fundraising for the BowelBabe fund has gone towards.
"I am proud of that and pleased to see things coming to life that we can only wish happened. It will save more lives I'm sure.
"I will always miss her, but I think the legacy she's left behind is for us to keep going."
Mr Streeting added: "It was really lovely to meet Dame Deborah's family.
"As a cancer survivor myself, I found her podcast really quite inspirational when I was going through cancer.
"The way she used her experience of bowel cancer to raise awareness, raise money and to push the boundaries of science in this area is truly inspiring."
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