A team based at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust helped lead ground-breaking research that could revolutionise testing for colorectal cancer.

The research highlighted a new, minimally invasive bowel test designed in Devon that uses a simple swab to check for polyps and benign tumours. By ruling out cancer, this 90-second test could spare over 600,000 people from unnecessary colonoscopies, with results ready in as little as five days.

Developed by Origin Sciences, the OriCol device takes samples of rectal mucus, which are then analysed using a cutting-edge method known as hologenomics. This approach helps doctors to look at both a person’s genes and their gut microbes to spot changes that indicate early signs of colorectal cancer.

Mr Frank McDermott, Colorectal Surgeon at the Royal Devon and Acting Medical Director of the South West Genomic Medicine Service, co-authored the publication which recently featured in Nature Communications, a leading scientific journal.

Mr Frank McDermott said:

“Colorectal cancer places a significant burden on both patients and the NHS, making earlier and less invasive detection a real priority. This work shows how a hologenomics approach can identify cancer by location and stage with greater accuracy, using rectal mucus sampling. If developed further, this could help detect cancer earlier, reduce unnecessary colonoscopies and ensure patients with urgent need are seen more quickly.

This research represents a real team effort, and we are grateful to all the clinicians and scientists involved - and especially to the patients whose contribution and trust made this study possible.”

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with rising rates in younger people. Approximately 750,000 people are referred for colonoscopies each year, and about 4% are diagnosed with cancer.

While the test does not replace colonoscopy, detecting early changes could potentially help NHS doctors shift bowel cancer screening from late detection to prevention.

The study involved over 800 NHS patients across the UK, with recruitment efforts supported by the Royal Devon Research team. The next phase is currently ongoing at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust with a plan to recruit 6600 patients. You can learn more about this here. 

Congratulations to everyone involved in this exciting research, with special mention to Dr Hannah Humphrey, Miss Eleanor Walker, Mrs Emma Jenkins and Mr Ian Daniels along with supporting colleagues across research and development for their efforts recruiting to the study.

This an excellent example of collaboration between the NHS, Universities, and Industry partners, with local leads including representation from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and University of Exeter.

Read more here.