Scientists in Cambridge have developed a new ‘super test’ for prostate cancer to improve screening, diagnosis and personalised treatment. The test identifies cancerous cells, signs of early and late-stage cancer, whether it is slow or aggressive and genetic risks in the patient.

The test involves studying a combination of clinically validated prostate-related biomarkers in blood and urine samples. The AI-driven algorithm highlights early signs of cancer and guides treatment selection. There are 55,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the UK each year and more than 330,000 across European Union countries.

The new test, developed by EDX Medical Group, measures more than 100 biomarkers and is analysed by an AI algorithm. Currently available advanced tests rely on up to 20 biomarkers per test. The test is expected to deliver accuracy with sensitivity and specificity of between 96-99% across diverse age and ethnic groups.

The non-invasive test will detect various subtypes of prostate cancer. The test takes a ‘multi-omics’ approach, combining multiple proteomic, transcriptomic, genetic and epigenetic biomarker signatures. A comprehensive list of phenotypic and symptom data is analysed by the AI algorithm.

Individually, these biomarkers have been clinically validated and published in trials on more than 31,000 positive prostate cancer samples and over 100,000 non-cancer samples. A highly accurate test will benefit seemingly well men aged 45-70 and healthcare providers.

Capgemini has introduced a pioneering generative AI-driven methodology for protein engineering, utilising a specialised protein large language model (pLLM) to predict the most effective protein variants.

With a patent pending, this groundbreaking approach is set to accelerate the global bioeconomy and drive key scientific breakthroughs across various sectors, including healthcare, agriculture and environmental science.

By cutting the data points required for designing protein sequences by over 99%, the methodology leverages generative AI to significantly reduce the time and resources needed for research and development.

This innovation allows Capgemini clients to lower the development costs of biosolutions and explore previously unviable business cases. The methodology, created in the bespoke gen AI-driven biotechnology lab of Cambridge Consultants, part of the Capgemini Group, has been successfully applied to several critical use cases.

These include a 60% increase in plastic degradation efficiency and reduced experimentation for faster innovation in bioengineering applications.

The new approach enabled the enhancement of the cutinase enzyme, boosting its ability to break down PET plastic by 60%. This breakthrough supports sustainability efforts and reduces waste management costs.

Roshan Gya, CEO of Capgemini Invent, stated that the proprietary generative AI-driven approach positions Capgemini to help clients significantly accelerate their bio-journey and address humanity’s most pressing challenges.