Lung health checks trial wins Cancer Research Horizons award
Southampton researchers have been honoured in the 2022 Cancer Research Horizons Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards.
The winners of the 2022 Awards were announced in a ceremony at The Royal Society in December.
iDx Lung, led by Professor Peter Johnson, won the ‘Further, Faster, Together’ Award.
The judges commended the study for its innovation achieved through industry-academia collaboration.
Celebrating cancer innovators
The iDx Lung trial is a collaboration between the CRUK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) at the University of Southampton, the University of Leeds and healthcare and diagnostic companies.
They are piloting new diagnostic tests to detect lung cancer at an early stage when it is more treatable.
Dr Victoria Goss is programme manager for the iDx Lung trial at the Southampton CTU. She attended the awards ceremony in London alongside Dr Claire Eckert. Dr Eckert is the Operations Director for the Leeds Diagnosis and Screening Unit (LDSU) at the University of Leeds.
Dr Goss said: “We are delighted that iDx Lung won the Cancer Research Horizons award. This trial is a massive team effort, and I was so proud to receive the award on behalf of everyone involved.
“We were also delighted to receive really positive comments about what an achievement this study is from other winners and attendees at the event.”
Detecting early signs of lung cancer
The trial began at the Royal South Hampshire Hospital in June 2021 and expanded into a mobile research sample collection unit.
People attending a mobile CT scan as part of the NHS Targeted Lung Health Checks in Hampshire, Yorkshire and Manchester can take part. They are asked to give a nasal swab and a blood sample. The samples are then analysed for changes that could show the early signs of cancer developing.
Over 5,500 participants have taken part since the trial’s launch.
Prof Johnson, Chief Investigator of the trial, said: “We know that lung cancer can be treated successfully if we catch it early. But too often it can go unnoticed. It is then picked up at a late stage when treatment options are limited.
“By bringing some of the latest molecular technology to this problem, we hope that we can find better ways to detect lung cancer in its early stages and make sure people have the best chance of a cure.”
Dr Goss added: “These samples will be analysed for changes that could indicate the early signs of cancer developing. The aim is to determine whether using simple biological tests alongside the Targeted Lung Health Check programme can help increase diagnosis rates in people with the very early signs of lung cancer. They can begin treatment quickly when it is far more likely to be successful.”