Durham spin-out FScan raises £100K for prostate cancer test

Investment

Durham University spin-out FScan Ltd has raised £100,000 from Three Pillars, a public seed fund for the further development and commercialisation of a rapid test for prostate cancer.

The test, developed by a team led by David Parker, works by shining a light through a fluid sample from the prostate gland to determine concentration of  citrate, a biomarker for prostate cancer.

The company says this could provide a basis for a speedier means of detecting prostate cancer and has the potential to be much more reliable and precise than the current prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

Kishor Mistry, CEO of FScan, said, “Citrate is an important biomarker for the disease and the technique could form the basis of a simple screening programme for one of the biggest male killers. The limitations of the current PSA tests are well documented and we have recognised the need for a better diagnostic tool through our market research, experience and discussions with practising clinicians.”

The test is not only more selective and specific for prostate cancer compared to PSA, but it has the potential to differentiate between the cancer and other conditions such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia, Mistry said. The test will take three minutes to perform.

Initial trials of FScan’s test have been successful, and with Three Pillars funding the company hopes to be able to refine the technique, carry out tests on larger samples and attract additional finance from backers. In the longer term the company hopes to develop other tests using the same technology.