Blood test could eradicate invasive tumour biopsies

With support from the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) and funding from Innovate UK, Chromition’s Luminspheres are highly sensitive fluorescent nanoparticles designed to detect multiple cancer biomarkers on a single cell in a blood sample.

This approach is claimed to allow for earlier, more precise detection, offering clinicians a detailed profile of each patient’s cancer and enabling more personalised treatment plans.

Unlike traditional methods, which often rely on invasive tumour biopsies, Luminspheres provide a non-invasive, faster alternative, with the potential to be incorporated into routine blood tests for early cancer screening.

With approximately 350,000 new cancer cases diagnosed each year in the UK, early detection is critical to improving survival rates. An automated scanner can digitally image one sample every 30 minutes, operating 24/7, thereby increasing capacity and speeding up diagnosis to help meet growing demand. 

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“The future of cancer diagnostics lies in precision and personalisation,” Mark McCairn, CEO and co-founder of Chromition said in a statement. “With Luminspheres, we can not only detect a single cancer cell in a syringe of blood but also analyse multiple biomarkers at once - giving clinicians a clearer picture of each patient’s cancer profile and ultimately improving treatment outcomes.”

The Digital Rapid Autonomous Cancer Screening (DRACS) programme, which is backed with over £700,000 Innovate UK funding, has now reached a nine-month milestone, marking significant progress in its two-and-a-half-year journey to bring Luminspheres technology closer to clinical use.

With CEAMS’ support, Chromition has leveraged R&D facilities at Manchester University, including its flow cytometry facility, to test and refine the technology and pave the way for future clinical trials and real-world applications. 

“We are working towards making this technology accessible within the next five to ten years,” said McCairn. “While our initial focus is on breast cancer — the most common cancer in the UK, with around 55,000 people diagnosed each year — Luminspheres has the potential to detect up to 90 per cent of all cancers. By accelerating the diagnostic process, it could enable earlier treatment and significantly improve outcomes for thousands of patients.”