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News – C the Signs announces £1,000,000 award from SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England Initiative

23rd October 2018

C the Signs, the ground-breaking cancer detection tool founded by two NHS doctors turned entrepreneurs, has been awarded £1M in funding from SBRI Healthcare to revolutionise cancer survival in the UK. SBRI Healthcare funding is awarded to companies that use innovation and new technology in order to solve the most pressing healthcare problems of today.

C the Signs helps doctors to diagnose cancers at the earliest and most curable stages of the disease using artificial intelligence mapped with the latest evidence, in order to improve survival. Founded by Dr Bhavagaya Bakshi and Dr Miles Payling in 2017, it is now used by over 550 doctors in the NHS, across 300 GP practices, with over 5,000 patients having been risk assessed.

Karen Livingstone, National Director of SBRI Healthcare, commented that C the Signs “was selected on the basis of their potential to deliver improved outcomes for patients and on their potential value to the NHS.” And that SBRI Healthcare “look forward to working with the inventors of these incredible, ground-breaking technologies to help make their technologies a reality in primary care and within our hospitals.”

Dr Bhavagaya Bakshi, GP & Co-founder of C the Signs, commented: “We are delighted and honoured to be awarded £1m in funding from SBRI Healthcare. This funding will be transformative in how we diagnose patients with cancer, using our technology. Early diagnosis of cancer has the potential to save more lives than any cancer treatment in history. Using C the Signs technology, patients can be identified at the earliest and most curable stage of the disease. The future of cancer is survival.”

The award follows PM Theresa May’s announcement to prevent 20,000 cancer-related deaths through early diagnosis by deploying artificial intelligence in the NHS. UK survival rates for cancer are among the worst in Europe. By 2020, 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Survival is inextricably linked to time of diagnosis; currently, almost half of all patients are diagnosed with cancer in the late stages of the disease, with 80% of these patients going on to die from the disease. Yet, through early identification, over 80% of patients would survive. C the Signs’ groundbreaking technology can identify patients at risk of cancer in less than 30 seconds.

“C the Signs is an excellent tool, and one that has the potential to improve early identification of cancer; and investigation pathways to primary care clinicians.”

Dr Owen Carter, Cancer Clinical Commissioning Lead, NHS Wandsworth CCG

“C the Signs is a game changer in supporting clinicians with the complicated and difficult job they have in diagnosing cancer at a much earlier stage. This tool is wonderful.”

Dr Vinesh Patel, Cancer Clinical Commissioning Lead, NHS Sutton CCG

“We do not know when, or indeed if, a cure for cancer will be found. The best hope for patients is diagnosis at the earliest possible stage and appropriate, timely intervention. Any systematic process or approach, which enables earlier diagnosis, will have a significant and sustained impact on people’s lives and society as a whole will benefit from it…”

Dr Folarin Majekodunmi Ph.D, Chair of the National Association for Patient Participation