It is hoped that the LuCID (Lung Cancer Indicator Detection) programme will lead to a non-invasive method of diagnosing lung cancer in the early stages via a breath test.

The company behind the device, Cambridge-based Owlstone Nanotech Ltd, determined that detection of early-stage lung cancer could be increased from the current 14.5% to 25% by 2020. The device works by measuring volatile organic compounds at low concentrations in a patient’s breath and offers a cheaper and smaller alternative to existing detection technologies.

This is the second phase of the LuCID project, in which Owlstone’s GC-FAIMS (Gas Chromatography – Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry) sensor will be further evaluated in a rapid access lung cancer clinic at Glenfield Hospital starting later this year. If successful, the project will pave the way to evaluate the technology in GPs’ surgeries and other hospitals. The clinical study is being led by Dr Salman Siddiqui, a clinical senior lecturer and adult chest physician at the University of Leicester and Glenfield Hospital, with results of the trial expected in early 2016.