Optical and Acoustic imaging for Surgical and Interventional Sciences (OASIS)

Every year around 375,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK and more than 50% will undergo surgical interventions. However, the imaging tools we currently use to identify the earliest signs of cancer and aid surgery are limited to replicating human vision which cannot always distinguish important details in images. This means that signs of cancer can be missed in surveillance and diagnosis, and in treatment an inability to remove all cancerous tissue and a likelihood of a need for further surgery. The OASIS hub aims to develop low-cost, portable devices to identify and visualise cancer using optical, acoustic and photoacoustic imaging. Bringing together partners from across academia, industry and the NHS to accelerate the development and clinical use of these technologies, it will pave the way for clinical trials and establish new datasets with the aim of making effective and less invasive interventions available to everyone in the UK.