PANProfiler Colorectal

Problem

Of 44,100 colorectal cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the UK, only 68% meet the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard. A critical bottleneck exists in mandatory MSI/MMR testing, which identifies the 15% of patients who see an 80% survival improvement with immunotherapy. Despite a seven-day target, laboratory results for MSI/MMR typically take two to four weeks, with real-world NHS data showing even longer delays. These delays are devastating as every four-week wait increases mortality by 6–13%.

Current molecular testing is also resource-heavy, costing up to £750 per patient and requiring specialized infrastructure that adds days of transport time in rural areas. This crisis is compounded by a 30% pathology workforce shortfall and extreme health inequalities, with geographic testing disparities.

Consequently, 32% of patients miss treatment targets specifically due to these molecular testing delays. PANProfiler Colorectal addresses these systemic failures by providing biomarker results in minutes, reducing costs by eliminating the laboratory bottleneck and ensuring equitable, rapid access to life-saving personalized care across the UK.

Solution

The UKCA-marked PANProfiler Colorectal (PPC) is an innovative AI-driven diagnostic that determines MSI/MMR status directly from routine H&E-stained digital slides in under 15 minutes. By utilizing AI-algorithms trained on over 10,000 images, PPC achieved a clinical-grade 94% sensitivity and 92% specificity, on >4700 retrospective cases from 4 sites across the UK.

This innovation directly reduces the turnaround time for MSI/MMR testing from a two to four week turnaround to less than one day. It delivers direct cost savings to providers/NHS trusts by reducing the volume of immunohistochemistry or NGS tests. Instead of waiting for resource-heavy molecular testing, pathologists can trigger PPC with a few clicks within existing PACS/LIMS workflows. This allows MDTs to make definitive treatment decisions at the first meeting, enabling immediate access to life-saving treatment.

Financially and operationally, PPC is transformative. It reduces testing costs from £220- £750 to approximately £100 per test and requires no additional consumables or specialized lab staff. By bypassing traditional wet-lab processes, the technology saves roughly >3,000 staff hours annually and reduces MDT time by 15-20%. PPC ensures equitable, rapid, and cost-effective biomarker profiling, significantly accelerating the pathway to personalized cancer care.

Impact

Implemented at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) since Dec 2025 under an Innovate UK–funded evaluation; case identification ongoing. Independent performance and health-economic analysis due April 2026.

Based on retrospective study, PPC can deliver the following:

• Cost savings:
  • Testing cost reduced from £220–£750 to ~ £100 per case
  • Estimated savings: £52,200/year at LTHT, £138K/year across West Yorkshire (WY)
  • Projected £3.4m/year national NHS savings
• Faster treatment decisions:
  • 62-day cancer pathway compliance improved to 78% at LTHT (vs 47%)
  • 90% across WY (vs 59%)
• Productivity gains:
  • ~85% reduction in MSI tests
  • >40% reduction pathologist and BMS time needed
• Sustainability & equity:
  • 3.5× lower carbon emissions than standard testing pathway
  • Improved access to biomarker testing for underserved patients across WY and nationally