A revolutionary blood test capable of detecting some of the most common and lethal cancers before symptoms develop is set to receive government funding in the United Kingdom, according to reporting by The Mirror. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, himself a cancer survivor, believes this "universal" blood screening could transform cancer treatment within the National Health Service (NHS) in the next five years.

The test, developed by scientists at Southampton University, utilizes clinical information from 20,000 cancer patients and is reported to be 99% accurate in detecting cancer at any stage, even before symptoms manifest. Early trials indicate it can identify 50 different types of cancer before producing a false positive result.

Professor Paul Skipp of Southampton University told The Mirror: "A test like this could save many lives, catching cancers much earlier. We hope to have an NHS test in five to seven years." Streeting, who lost a kidney during his cancer treatment, emphasized the importance of early detection: "Having survived, it is my mission as Health Secretary that it is caught earlier and more are saved."

The miONCO test, which costs £120 ($157), screens for lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, colorectal, ovarian, liver, brain, esophageal, bladder, bone and soft tissue sarcoma, and gastric cancers. It requires only a few drops of blood and could potentially eliminate months-long waits for tests and scans.

The UK government plans to invest £2.5 million ($3.3 million) through the National Institute for Health and Care Research to refine the test, making it faster and more cost-effective. Researchers have established a startup company, Xgenera, to facilitate the test's rollout, citing its "potential to save millions of lives" globally.

The next development phase will involve perfecting the artificial intelligence used to analyze test samples and biomarkers by inputting 8,000 blood samples from individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Currently, the NHS only offers screening tests for breast, bowel, cervical, and lung cancers, which often involve invasive procedures or scans and have high false-positive rates. Prof Skipp noted: "The UK spends £800 million ($1 billion) a year screening for these four cancers, and an additional £91 million ($119 million) is spent on false positive follow-ups."

The government's investment in this technology aligns with its broader strategy to leverage Britain's scientific expertise to improve cancer care within the NHS. Streeting and Science Secretary Peter Kyle are backing efforts to combine cutting-edge research with the NHS's potential to benefit patients nationwide.

Streeting added: "The investment we are launching on Sunday will help partner our universities, health service, and pharmaceutical giants to produce new cutting-edge treatments – catching cancer earlier at the same time as boosting the UK's economic growth."

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Scientists have developed highly accurate blood tests that can diagnose Alzheimer's disease with over 90% accuracy by measuring biomarkers like phosphorylated tau (p-tau217) and amyloid beta protein levels. The biomarkers correlate with cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and amyloid plaques, outperforming traditional methods.

The Precivity AD2 blood test measures tau and beta-amyloid proteins using mass spectrometry technology. With an accuracy of 91% compared to doctors' accuracy of 61-73% it outperforms neurologists and primary care doctors.

The blood tests represent a milestone in affordable and accessible ways to diagnose Alzheimer's, potentially helping primary care physicians determine which patients should be referred to specialists. Early diagnosis is crucial for the effectiveness of new drugs that can slow Alzheimer's progression.

While not yet approved by the FDA or recommended for asymptomatic individuals, the blood tests can help doctors identify who needs further evaluation, and reduce strain on specialist care.

The blood tests offer a cheaper and less invasive alternative to expensive PET scans and invasive spinal taps for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease, and could decrease the time it takes from symptoms to diagnosis.

Scientists believe Alzheimer's disease is likely caused by abnormal build-up of proteins like amyloid and tau in the brain, and blood tests measure a form of tau that correlates with plaque buildup in the brain.

The Alzheimer's Association plans to update guidance on the use of high-quality blood tests for early Alzheimer's diagnosis

Sources: NBC News, Washington Post , Axios, ABC News, New York Times, Fox News, New York Post, The Hill, Japan Times, Straits Times, Manila Times, Times Now, Neuroscience News, Boston Globe, USA Today, CNN, Newsmax, MedPage Today, InternewsCast

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem wants to improve its blood testing speed and capabilities in order to faster diagnose blood cancer and other infections, and has signed a research collaboration agreement with Sight Diagnostics, a company specializing in the development of artificial intelligence (AI)-based devices for blood count.

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Research will focus on developing the capability to detect and classify white blood cells, and specifically, to differentiate between different types of lymphocytes. Detecting malignant lymphocytes in the blood can aid in the early detection of the types of cancer that affect blood. This is a highly complex and often lengthy task using existing technology.

The research will be conducted using Sight Diagnostics' flagship device, Sight OLO, which performs a blood test in a matter of minutes using just two drops of blood.

Sight's Research and Development Team will analyze the images of the blood cells collected during the study and employ AI-based algorithms to cross-reference the visual information with clinical data from Shaare Zedek.

The company believes that the results of the research will lay the foundation for innovative diagnostic capabilities for different types of lymphocytes, and that these diagnostics could eventually help detect and monitor infections, as well as uncover malignant cells at an earlier stage than is possible at present.

Shaare Zedek and Sight Diagnostics began cooperating two years ago after the medical center inaugurated an innovation center that focuses on working with digital healthcare companies. The innovation center provides access to a database of samples and data collected at the hospital. A previous collaboration between Shaare Zedek and Sight Diagnostics focused on early detection of the coronavirus.

"The long-standing and fruitful collaboration between Shaare Zedek and Sight Diagnostics is an excellent example of our capacity to contribute to product development processes ... to develop technological solutions that will enable better and faster treatments for patients in Israel and around the world," said Dr. Renana Ofan, the head of the medical center's research and innovation efforts.

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