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Southampton Clinical Trials UnitNews

iDx Lung study wins the Cancer Research Horizons Further, Faster, Together award.

Published: 7 December 2022
Cancer Research Horizon Awards
Dr Claire Eckert and Dr Victoria Goss

A team from the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit was a winner at the Cancer Research Horizons Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards this week for a study to improve the early diagnosis of lung cancer.

The iDx Lung trial, led by Professor Peter Johnson, won the ‘Further, Faster, Together’ Award for industry-academia collaboration.

The team is working alongside the University of Leeds, the NHS Lung Health Checks, and several commercial partners to trial innovative diagnostic tests for the early detection of lung cancer.

The judges commended the study for its innovation in oncology achieved through industry-academia collaboration.

Dr Victoria Goss, programme manager for the iDx Lung trial at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, attended the glitzy awards ceremony in London on Tuesday evening, alongside Dr Claire Eckert who is the Operations Director for the Leeds Diagnosis and Screening Unit (LDSU) at the University of Leeds. 

Victoria said: “We are delighted that iDx Lung won the Cancer Research Horizon award. This trial is a massive team effort, and I was so proud to receive the award on behalf of everyone involved. We were also delighted to receive really positive comments about what an achievement this study is from other winners and attendees at the event.”

 

iDx Lung trial

iDx Lung is a ground-breaking research trial piloting new diagnostic tests that aim to detect lung cancer at an early stage when it is more treatable.

People attending a mobile CT scan as part of the NHS Targeted Lung Health Checks in Hampshire, Yorkshire and Manchester are being invited to take part in the trial. The trial team have a mobile research sampling unit which they are able park next to the CT scanner and where they take blood samples and nasal swabs from participants. These are then sent to a laboratory to be analysed for changes that could indicate early cancer development.

Over 5,500 participants have so far taken part since the trial launched in June 2021.

Professor Peter Johnson, Chief Investigator of the trial, said: “We know that lung cancer can be treated successfully if we catch it early, but too often it can go unnoticed and is then picked up at a late stage when treatment options are limited. By bringing some of the latest molecular technology to this problem, we hope that we can find better ways to detect lung cancer in its early stages and make sure people have the best chance of a cure.”

Victoria continues: “These samples will be analysed for changes that could indicate the early signs of cancer developing. The aim is to determine whether using simple biological tests alongside the Targeted Lung Health Check programme can help increase diagnosis rates in people with the very early signs of lung cancer, so they can begin treatment quickly when it is far more likely to be successful.”

 

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