Cyted's oesophageal cancer test receives £500k SBRI funding

Cyted has received £500,000 funding from the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare to pilot the Cytosponge test in community care setting across the North-West of England.

Project Cytoprime will transform local care pathways in partnership with Cheshire & Merseyside and Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Systems.

Healthcare professionals will receive training to deliver the Cytosponge test and establish their own clinics in GP centres and community diagnostic centres. Through Project CYTOPRIME, at least 300 patients on endoscopy waiting lists living with reflux (heartburn) symptoms and Barrett’s Oesophagus will receive a Cytosponge test.

The Cytosponge positively identifies approximately 15% of these patients to have signs of early oesophageal cancer, who can then be prioritised for endoscopy. Implementing innovative ways to triage endoscopy waiting lists is more important than ever, with the pressures felt across the country. These pressures are particularly felt in the North-West, where we have one of the longest waitlists for endoscopy at 13,738 patients and over 50% waiting more than six weeks.

By delivering the Cytosponge test in a community setting, Project Cytoprime will relieve pressure on secondary care teams and support recovery of endoscopy services. Offering the Cytosponge test in the community also seeks to create health equity by overcoming barriers and reducing geographic and socio-economic inequality in access to diagnostic services.

By transforming local care pathways, Project Cytoprime will build a blueprint to help the NHS identify those “missing patients” who have not yet presented to their GPs or been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. Expanding access to the Cytosponge test will save lives by shortening waiting times between referral and diagnosis, catching oesophageal cancer at an earlier stage where treatments are more likely to be effective.

Throughout Project Cytoprime, Cyted will evaluate the impact of offering the Cytosponge test in the community for the healthcare system.  If successful, this service model for the Cytosponge test could be considered and adopted by other regions across the UK.

Marcel Gehrung, CEO and co-founder at Cyted, said: “We are delighted to be expanding the use of the Cytosponge test to community settings in the North-West of England with support from the SBRI.

“This will support the recovery of endoscopy waiting times in one of the regions under most demand across the country, helping patients access potentially life-saving cancer treatment sooner and relieving some stress and concern during a difficult time. We look forward to working with our NHS partners to broaden the reach and impact of the initiative in the coming months.”

Dr Jodie Moffat, head of strategic evidence and Early Diagnosis Programme lead, at Cancer Research UK, added: "After decades of research by Cancer Research UK-funded scientists, we are excited to see the different ways Cytosponge is being explored in practice, including this latest project in the ​North-West. A quick, efficient, and minimally invasive diagnostic test like the Cytosponge could mean that some patients don’t need an endoscopy, which could save people from a long and anxious wait and also free up capacity for others."