The ENDOMICS project aimed to revolutionize how doctors detect cancer during endoscopic procedures by making Raman spectroscopy, a technique that uses light to analyze tissues, much more detailed and specific at the molecular level. To do this, we combined Raman spectroscopy with another powerful method called DESI mass spectrometry, creating the world’s first integrated system known as the “Rosetta Stone”. (Jensen et al., Advanced Science 2024) This system uses advanced artificial intelligence to translate complex light signals into detailed chemical fingerprints of tissues in real time, without needing dyes or labels. This breakthrough means doctors can get much clearer and faster information about what’s happening inside the body, potentially spotting cancer more accurately and earlier. Alongside this, we developed new specialized tools to improve how the system “sees” inside tissues, including ways to focus on different depths and to better understand the structure of molecules (Jensen et al., Optics Letters 2020 & Horgan et al., Biomedical Optics Express 2022). These innovations led to patents and important scientific publications. We also tackled a big challenge in making the technology fast enough for clinical use by applying cutting-edge AI methods, which dramatically sped up data collection and analysis (Horgan et al., Analytical Chemistry 2021).
To bring this technology closer to patients, we worked closely with clinicians at Guy’s Hospital and engineers at the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE), designing a full clinical trial protocol and securing national funding to start testing in 2025. We also built a fully functional prototype that can be used in real hospital settings, mounted on a medical trolley ready for patient use. We expect a spin-out will be created from this research in 2025-2026.
Throughout the project, we shared our findings widely through high-profile scientific papers and presentations, won awards like the Best Innovation Prize at the 2024 LIHE Accelerator Programme, and partnered with companies such as Ibsen Photonics to explore commercializing our Raman probes. We are now preparing to launch a spin-out company focused on bringing this technology to hospitals for real-time cancer diagnosis. ENDOMICS also invested heavily in training the next generation of scientists and engineers from across Europe, with our team members winning prestigious awards and moving on to top positions in academia and industry worldwide.
In summary, ENDOMICS has taken a major step forward in transforming endoscopy by providing doctors with powerful new tools to detect and monitor cancer more precisely and in real time, opening the door to better patient care and personalized medicine in the near future.
