On-the-spot diagnosis for cancer patients

A case study was produced by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Researchers from the EPSRC-funded Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory (NPRL) at the University of Birmingham, have developed a nanoscale device which can diagnose prostate cancer with more accuracy than current tests. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in the UK: over 10,000 men die from it every year. The ‘i-Screen’ biochip, a new screening device based on nanotechnology, will help doctors to diagnose the cancer earlier and with one hundred times more accuracy. Over 30,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK every year, equivalent to roughly one diagnosis every 15 minutes. Unfortunately many of these diagnoses come too late. The university spin-out company Inanovate’s ‘i-Screen’ biochip could help doctors diagnose the disease accurately and spot the cancer in its earliest stages.

EPSRC is a part of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) (now UKRI) partnership of research councils.