Three organisations have received funding through the Cancer Innovation Challenge to support NHS Scotland to improve a patient’s cancer journey.

The three groups are London-based businesses Px HealthCare (Px) and My Clinical Outcomes (MCO), and Edinburgh-headquartered Canon Medical Research Europe.

By helping these organisations develop and evaluate their solutions, the challenge aims to strengthen Scotland’s position as a world leading carer for people with cancer.

Px has developed its OWise app, which allows breast cancer patients to record their treatment symptoms and side effects. The data is delivered to clinicians in real time, allowing them to easily track an individual’s progress and recommend adjustments to treatment plans.

MCO is an online platform which harnesses patient reported data to improve the quality of life of cancer patients through the analysis of side effects and symptoms. Used throughout the diagnosis, treatment and long-term care phases, it provides clinicians with a better understanding of their patients’ conditions and how they are responding to treatment.

And Canon Medical Research Europe’s project resulted in the development of a new artificial intelligence-driven cancer assessment tool using deep learning. The team created a prototype AI system able to automatically find and measure the rare cancer, Mesothelioma, on CT scans and to assess patients’ responses to treatments.

President of Canon Medical Research Europe Ken Sutherland said: “The Cancer Innovation Challenge provided us with a platform to showcase how we can use artificial intelligence to deliver an enhanced picture of how cancers present and the impact on patients.

“Mesothelioma is a particularly difficult cancer to work with and, given its prevalence in Scotland, we were pleased to have the opportunity to work with clinicians and patients in Glasgow. The delivery of such world leading, and impactful results represents an astounding success for us all.

“However much more than that, it provides us with a glimpse of what is possible with the use of technology and data. We are now developing our project further and look forward to sharing more updates when we can.”

With funding from the Scottish Funding Council, the £1 million project was created to encourage collaboration between innovation centres, medical professionals, and cutting-edge healthcare businesses.

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Launched in 2017, the Cancer Innovation Challenge brought together three Innovation Centres, led by The Data Lab in collaboration with the Digital Health and Care Institute (now Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre) and Stratified Medicine Scotland (now Precision Medicine Scotland).

The Data Lab’s Steph Wright, who led the project, commented: “Outcomes for cancer patients in Scotland fall behind those of our Northern European counterparts, however Scotland has some of the best health service data in the world. This is a clear area for innovation, research and development and we are delighted that, through this project, organisations came together and rose to the challenge.

“It has been a pleasure to be the lead Innovation Centre for this fantastic project, working with organisations with the skills and knowledge to create truly transformational technologies.

“By driving collaboration to help deliver tangible outcomes, the Cancer Innovation Challenge has provided an insight into how ground-breaking research and innovation with data can improve the experience of cancer patients.”

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