A pioneering new technology developed by the University has been shortlisted for a prestigious Prix Galien UK Award, which recognises outstanding achievements in life sciences and healthcare innovation.
The Liverpool Diagnostic Infrared Wand (LDIR Wand), developed by physicists at the University of Liverpool in collaboration with the Liverpool Head and Neck Centre (LHNC), has been named as a finalist in the Best Medical Technology category.
The Prix Galien Awards are recognised worldwide as the pinnacle of achievement in life science research. They celebrate "made in the UK" innovations that demonstrate exceptional progress in biomedical research and development.
The LDIR Wand uses a patented machine learning algorithm to analyse infrared spectral images of tissue samples. It aims to provide a precise measurement of the percentage area of cancer present in a specimen and also the potential of a benign lesion to progress to cancer. In early testing on histopathology samples, the device has already outperformed existing diagnostic methods in terms of accuracy.
While the current LDIR prototype focuses on oral cancer, researchers believe the underlying technology has broad potential and could be adapted for diagnosing other cancers that rely on biopsy analysis. It holds the promise to revolutionise cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, and potentially save lives through earlier, more accurate detection.
Winners of the Prix Galien UK Awards will be selected by a panel of healthcare industry leaders and announced at a ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London on Thursday, 5 June 2025.
To find out more about the commercialisation opportunity for the LDIR Wand, please visit this webpage: http://liverpool.portals.in-part.com/f9ee38e9-6ddf-43c0-a0c7-53d8cf56162a
