£13.5m funding to transform cancer diagnosis at UHCW
PATIENTS facing cancer will be able to get faster and more accurate diagnosis thanks to a huge funding boost at a Coventry hospital.
Pathology services at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) are getting a £13.5m cash injection from the government.
The PATHLAKE Centre - which stands for Pathology Image Data Lake for Analytics Knowledge and Education - is based at the University Hospital and is one of three centres in the UK to get a slice of the funding.
It comes after the centre’s work in digital pathology, where patient samples are digitally scanned to create detailed images.
The technology means patients get a diagnosis that’s earlier and more accurate, so that pathology, imaging and radiology services provide more personalised treatments, free up clinicians’ time and save lives.
Evelyn Waddell, patient and public involvement member of the PATHLAKE project, said: “What is significant about PathLAKE is that it uses AI to reflect the changing landscape in Pathology to revolutionise diagnostics which will work to improve patient outcomes in the future.
“This will give patients a faster and more accurate diagnosis at a time when it’s needed and this can only be a positive for patients.”
The funding boost forms part of a Government initiative to invest an extra £50million in technology centres across the country to bolster the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Pathology.
Professor Kiran Patel, chief medical officer and interim chief executive for UHCW NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding, which will further increase access to a vast amount of image information and drive diagnostic evaluation to new heights.
“As a Trust we’re excited to be playing a major part in helping the UK to take a leading role in the development and delivery of these new technologies to improve patient outcomes and enhance our understanding and utilisation of clinical information.
“The knowledge PATHLAKE will unlock, both in the short and long-term future, will completely transform cancer care in the NHS while embedding a world-leading life-sciences and technology sector across our health system.”
PATHLAKE is one of only five Centres of Excellence across the UK using AI to increase the efficiency of Pathology reporting by using Digital Pathology, with developments including the world’s first automated colon biopsy reporting tool.
UHCW NHS Trust will be sharing its learnings with healthcare, academic and industry partners from Belfast, Nottingham, Oxford and Warwick, alongside laboratories across the country.