University of Bradford professor praised for innovative cancer test

Innovative NHS staff and their collaborators from the region’s universities, charities and SMEs were celebrated at the eleventh annual Medipex Innovation Awards and Showcase.

Diana Anderson, Professor of Biomedical Science and colleagues from the University were one of only three finalists in the Medical Devices and Diagnostics category, for their simple blood test developed to detect individuals with cancer.

Cancer Research UK reports the lifetime risk of cancer was around 45% in 2009 and predicts that it will rise to around 50% by 2027. Diana’s novel test, modified from an existing Comet assay, allows for a more rapid and cheaper diagnosis of potentially any cancer. The test can identify patients with any cancer, but not a specific cancer. As such, this new assay could have a potential application in the early stages of diagnostic workup and in some circumstances could decrease the need for further cancer-specific tests by identifying those at the time of assaying who do not require such tests.

The research group which included consultant co-workers from Bradford Royal Infirmary, narrowly missed out of first place, which was taken by Stephen Smith from the University of York for his LID-Monitor, which can detect involuntary movements that are associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Professor Diana Anderson, said: “We were very pleased to be amongst the three finalists. I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in the project so far, we couldn’t have done it without the close partnership between the University and Bradford Royal Infirmary.”

The awards, which took place on October 8, are run by Medipex Ltd, the innovation hub for NHS organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands.

Attending the awards evening with Professor Anderson was Dr Mojgan Najafzadeh , Dr Morgan Denyer and Dr Rajendran Gopalan from the University of Bradford.