Cancer Alliance Innovations Work Lands Share Of £16million Research Project - Oesophageal Cancer Risk Patients To Benefit

Patients at risk of oesophageal cancer across West Yorkshire and Harrogate will benefit from a share of £16million funding from the UK Industrial Strategy Fund and Cancer Research UK, announced by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). 

During COVID-19, West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance has been working with partners on innovations to deliver early and improved accuracy of diagnosis, and to save more lives. 

These include Project Delta, which aims to improve the diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. It is one of six projects that will share in the challenge fund as winners of a competition run by Innovate UK on behalf of UKRI and form part of the government’s commitment to increase research and development investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

The projects will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to bring together and better interpret data from multiple sources, leading to improved diagnoses, more precise treatments and fewer deaths and other health problems among affected people. They will combine genomic, tissue analysis and other data, so that disease can be detected and diagnosed more accurately and earlier and develop more precise treatments for a number of serious conditions that blight the lives of millions of people across the UK.

Oesophageal cancer has increased six-fold since the 1990s and just 15 per cent of people will survive for five years or more, often because it is diagnosed too late. Barrett's oesophagus, a condition that can turn into cancer of the oesophagus, is more common in patients who suffer with heartburn. By using a new test the project aims to diagnose up to 50% of cases of oesophageal cancer earlier, leading to improvements in survival, quality of life and economic benefits for the NHS.

Project Delta is a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Kings College London, the PHG Foundation and Cyted. Advisory Board support is provided by Action Against Heartburn, Heartburn Cancer UK, the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance and Newcastle University.

Read the full story here: http://orlo.uk/CnZOe