Oxford: Improving cancer diagnosis with ultrasound imaging

Business Lead, Development Opportunity

Oxford University’s Biomedical Image Analysis has developed an ultrasound imaging technique that quantifies the stiffness and slip of suspect cancerous masses, to help in diagnosis. Isis Innovation, Oxford’s tech transfer company, is seeking companies interested in developing the commercial side of the technology, which is currently subject to a patent application.

The ability to assess the stiffness and slip of suspected cancerous masses augments assessments made using in palpation. This aids diagnosis and should ultimately help to reduce the number of interventions made. The technology has already been validated in a study of 70 patients in collaboration with Oxford Breast Care Unit, and is the subject of ongoing trials.

The growth in the availability of imaging techniques in medicine has resulted in higher image quality, and there are now diminishing returns from further improvements in quality. In addition, the volume of image data available means that information overload is an increasing issue for practitioners. As a result, there is a need for the quantification of image data to aid interpretation and, ultimately, diagnosis.