A team from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin City University, and University College Dublin (UCD) has secured €670,000 in funding from Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund to develop an innovative blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer (CRC).
Collaborating with clinicians at St Vincent’s University Hospital, the researchers aim to improve cancer outcomes by replacing invasive or uncomfortable screening methods with a simple, accurate blood test called CASPDx CRC.
The CASPDx team has begun formal validation of the test. Patients are currently being recruited across all bowel screening centres in the HSE Dublin and South East region for clinical validation studies, supported by the UCD Clinical Research Centre.
Although the CASPDx CRC test is still in the clinical validation and immunoassay development stages, the team plans to launch the test and establish a spin-out company by the end of 2027.
Dr Emma Creagh, Associate Professor in Biochemistry at TCD and Scientific Lead, CASPDx, said: “Inflammation is a process essential for immunity, tissue maintenance, and repair – however, it can also contribute to cancer growth, progression, and metastasis.
“Our research has identified specific inflammation markers that become increased during CRC development and progression. The blood test we are developing will identify possible CRC patients by detecting these inflammatory markers directly from their blood sample.”
Current screening methods present additional challenges and over one-third of eligible individuals do not take part. Procedures such as colonoscopies are invasive, while stool-based tests are often unpopular, leading to low participation rates.
Existing options can also lack the sensitivity needed to reliably detect early-stage disease or are often too expensive for widespread use in national screening programmes.
Prof Glen Doherty, Consultant Gastroenterologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital, added: “The current waiting lists for colonoscopy require us to find more efficient ways to prioritise patients.
“The potential for a reliable blood-based screening test is a significant step forward. Beyond simply detecting bowel cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage, these tests could help us identify which patients truly require a colonoscopy following a positive stool test.
“By improving our diagnostic accuracy through a simple blood draw, we could reduce the number of unnecessary colonoscopies, ensuring that hospital resources are focused on the patients who need them most.”
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