Stargazing Technology Beams in on Cancer Detection

Adaptix is at the centre of a major £1million joint initiative that is developing a portable 3D medical x-ray machine for earlier cancer detection from technology originally designed to search for stars in distant galaxies.

Funded by NHS England, the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency, the new machine will enable doctors to scan patients in three dimensions, giving a more comprehensive view of areas where they suspect tumours are growing, aiding more effective treatment and earlier diagnosis.

Miniaturised, portable and connected through satellites, the Adaptix 3D X-ray machine will also allow patients to be scanned in doctors’ surgeries, reducing the need for trips to hospital for in-demand x-ray and CT scanners.

The company began as a start-up at the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre United Kingdom (ESA BIC UK) in November 2011, where it began to develop its technology.

Mark Evans, CEO of Adaptix Limited, said: "Working with ESA BIC at the world-renowned Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire's Harwell Campus has given us access to fantastic facilities and leading minds.  ESA's focus on commercialising space-heritage technology to create tangible benefits for the EU population and the UK economy has helped us to create 33 high-value UK jobs in R&D and, increasingly, in manufacturing.  Our vision is to create a business that will transform radiology through the export of high-science-content high-value products to achieve revenues of more than $100m.  X-ray is the primary diagnostic in healthcare, and one day we hope that Adaptix technology will touch the life of everyone that you know."