Nov 17, 2024

By LDN Guest Post 6 minute read A revolutionary breast cancer diagnostic technology has been adopted by international healthcare giants Bupa, WPA and Healix as part of a huge global expansion. Bupa – the British United Provident Association – swooped on UK tech start-up Digistain’s AI-powered tool as it presents significant savings in healthcare with much lower acquisition costs, transportation fees and a reduced prescription of chemotherapy, by as much as 30%. Bupa is a UK-based, globally-recognised healthcare insurer with operations in 190 countries and boasts 43 million customers worldwide. A recent independent health economic study, carried out by Health Tech Connect and commissioned and funded by the UK government, concluded that Digistain would offer massive cost reductions to organisations and could save the NHS £287m if widely adopted. Tim Woodman, Medical Director at Bupa’s Policy and Cancer Services, said: “I’m really excited to be working with Digistain. The agreement gives Bupa’s breast cancer customers access to a cutting-edge, effective and sustainable diagnostic technology that will have a real impact on providing the most effective care. It’s a good example of Bupa’s continuing commitment to be innovators in cancer care.” And Dr. Hemmel Amrania, Founder and CEO of Digistain, added: “This agreement is a milestone for progressing breast cancer care and, given Bupa is the UK’s largest private healthcare provider, a significant validation for the company. I’m looking forward to our partnership and have been impressed by Bupa’s approach to innovation and desire to be at the forefront of cancer treatment decision-making. Using Digistain speeds up a traditional worldwide cancer diagnostics approach that is currently too slow and where time and swift action are precious potentially life-saving commodities.” Bupa’s adoption comes as Digistain announces that fellow UK health insurer WPA and global healthcare giant Healix have committed to offer Digistain to their customers. Leading oncologist Charles Coombes, Professor of Medical Oncology at Imperial College, has also endorsed Digistain and said he is confident in its potential to transform cancer diagnostics following the release of a defining study in renowned publication Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Professor Coombes said: “There are several limitations in gene expression profiling tests. The main problem for me as an oncologist is the turnaround time – patients are very anxious in this two-to-three week period it takes to get results back. I think there is room for a better, more rapid risk stratification method to enhance patient care. Digistain delivers a result in 15 minutes which I think is quite outstanding and, in terms of diagnostic performance, Digistain is equivalent to market-leading tumour risk profiling tests.” Most breast cancer biopsy results are currently air-freighted to the US for analysis at huge cost to organisations like the NHS – and the environment. The Health Tech Connect study found that Digistain’s technology eliminates this need, therefore reducing the NHS carbon footprint by 460 tonnes. Recognising this, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals, Nature, recently selected Digistain as one of four finalists for its coveted Spin Off Innovation prize. The competition attracts thousands of entries around the world and honours scientists who have successfully transformed innovative discoveries into start-up companies or that address critical global challenges in areas like healthcare, sustainability, and technology. Digistain is currently being adopted around the world by hospitals in the Far East, South America, Africa, India, Pakistan, with deals in the US imminent. It is being trialled by a number of UK NHS trusts too. The technology has also gained support from breast cancer survivor and patient advocate, actress Samantha Womack who has called for its full adoption by the NHS, and it was selected as one of the Top 10 clinical studies of the year by the American Society Of Breast Surgery. Dr. Amrania has also been inducted as a Fellow on the highly selective NHS Innovation Accelerator programme – mandated to help transformative or impactful innovations spread throughout the NHS quickly. It is delivered in partnership with the 15 Health Innovation Networks (HINs), hosted by UCLPartners and chaired by Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director for NHS England. Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt MP recently championed Digistain as part of a new wave of AI-powered technologies which could be vital to the NHS and said: “By 2030 there will be a quantum-enabled technology breast cancer diagnostics solution in every hospital in the UK.” And Shadow Secretary of State for Business Andrew Griffith also backed Digistain, adding: “Digistain has been formally appointed a role to support the UK Government shape its policy for innovative technology adoption in health care for the NHS. Working directly with policy-makers from the Department for Science Innovation and Technology.” While Sharaz Khan, NHS Head of Pathology at the Northampton General Hospital, an early adopter of the tech, admitted : “The backlogs caused by the pandemic and industrial actions mean that fast-paced technology like this can really be the difference between life and death. I have worked for the National Health Service for 25 years and it is innovation like this that will open up a new digital pathway and frontier for the NHS – and help future-proof it. It can only be a matter of time before Digistain is adopted across the whole of the NHS.” Digistain’s mission is to reduce the inequality of healthcare around the world and improve its provision in poorer nations across Asia and Africa. Extremely cost-effective, it has passed clinical studies and peer review, gaining market clearance from the UK’s Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency. The radical AI concept was developed at London’s Imperial College and Cancer Research UK laboratories under the guidance of decorated pathologist Sir Nicholas Wright and designed with input from 1500 oncologists. It has been successfully trialled with patients from the Nottingham University Hospital and London’s Charing Cross Hospital. Around 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year, with around 11,500 resulting in death. Impacts of delays in diagnosis will result in an estimated 5000 excess deaths from breast cancer throughout this decade, according to experts.