New blood test can detect cancers before symptoms appear

• A new blood test, miONCO-Dx, is being evaluated for use in the NHS. It can detect a dozen cancers, including bowel cancer, before symptoms appear.
• The UK government is backing the next testing phase, aiming to improve early detection and survival rates.
• The research will be conducted at the newly named BowelBabe Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute, in honor of Dame Deborah James.
• The miONCO-Dx test analyses microRNA in blood samples, using AI to identify and locate cancers with 99 per cent accuracy in initial tests.
• A £2.4 million grant will support a trial involving 8,000 patients to gather evidence for NHS approval.

IN FULL

Pioneering new cancer trial to detect early symptoms to be conducted in Deborah James’ BowelBabe Laboratory