Innovate UK and OLS will invest £4 million in six projects as part of the advancing precision medicines competition. The OLS funding is part of the Life Sciences Vision Cancer Mission.
This announcement follows on from one in 2023, which saw seven cancer projects awarded a share of £4.5 million.
Better diagnosis and improved patient outcomes
Precision medicine offers new ways of treating disease by tailoring treatments to the individual patient and can enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of diseases, including cancer.
The six projects funded by Innovate UK and OLS are intended to improve patient outcomes. The improvements will be made by developing innovative technologies to enable faster, safer and more accurate diagnosis, and direct patients towards the most appropriate treatments.
The projects also focus on developing partnerships between industry-led teams, the NHS and academia to accelerate cancer research innovation and drive growth within the life sciences sector.
Delivering on the OLS Cancer Programme
The OLS Cancer Programme aims to make the UK a leading testbed for oncology innovation by accelerating the development and commercialisation of a new generation of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. This will allow patients to be diagnosed earlier and offered therapies specifically designed to target their cancer.
Driving better diagnosis and treatment
Dr Stella Peace, Interim Executive Chair and Executive Director for the Healthy Living and Agriculture Domain at Innovate UK, said:
We drive business growth in the life sciences sector by inspiring and unlocking innovations that make life better, through very targeted funding.
These projects showcase the cutting-edge advancements in UK research and development for oncology diagnostics and treatment, demonstrating the importance of creating and supporting partnerships between industry, the NHS and academia.
Expanding our expertise
The OLS Cancer Programme Chair and NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, said:
The UK Government’s Cancer Programme is investing in partnerships to expand our expertise in cancer diagnosis and treatment, drawing on the latest innovations to be found in this field.
The projects we are funding with Innovate UK are aimed at making the UK the best place to bring new tests and technologies into healthcare.
Further information
OLS Cancer Programme
The cancer programme was launched on 28 November 2022, alongside three other healthcare programmes:
- obesity
- mental health
- addiction
The dementia healthcare programme was launched earlier that year.
The healthcare programmes work with stakeholders from across industry, academia, the third sector and the NHS to accelerate progress in these disease areas, by:
- advancing early disease prevention, diagnosis and monitoring
- developing breakthrough products and technologies to save lives
Funded projects
Artificial intelligence (AI)-VISION: an observational study validating a predictive algorithm integrating multi-modal data for patient prognostication and treatment stratification in triple negative breast cancer
Project lead: Concr Ltd
Project partners:
- Durham University
- Institute of Cancer Research
AIPIR: development of an advanced AI proteomic platform to identify, track and predict host response to solid tumour immunotherapies
Project lead: Eliptica Limited
Project partner: University of Edinburgh
ST T-cell receptor: unlocking the discovery of novel shared targets and T-cell receptors for precision cancer therapies
Project lead: Exogene Limited
Project partner: Outsee Limited
End-to end AI-assisted workflow for prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography or computed tomography reporting
Project lead: Mirada Medical Limited
Project partners:
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- University of Bristol
Revolutionising breast cancer prognosis with OncoSignatur: an innovative, cost-effective quantitative polymerase chain reaction profiling test for improved, personalised patient pathways
Project lead: Signatur Biosciences Ltd
Project partner: University of Oxford
AI digital diagnostics platform to streamline the diagnosis of blood cancers
Project lead: Spotlight Pathology Ltd
Project partner: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Top image: Credit: Amorn Suriyan, iStock, Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
