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Pioneering Breast Cancer Diagnostics for a Healthier Tomorrow
In the global fight against breast cancer, Digistain stands at the forefront, offering a beacon of hope to millions. Our journey began at Imperial College London, where ground-breaking research gave birth to a technology poised to revolutionize breast cancer diagnostics. The Challenge: Every year, breast cancer affects 2.3 million individuals globally. Post-surgery, 60% of patients are advised to undergo genomic testing, an expensive and time-consuming process monopolized by a single lab in the U.S., costing around $4,000 and taking nearly two months. Consequently, only 5% undergo this vital testing. The rest, unable to access this crucial diagnostic step, often resort to chemotherapy—a treatment that, in one in four cases, is more harmful than the cancer itself. Our Solution: Digistain addresses this critical gap. Our technology transforms the current diagnostic process by enabling hospitals to analyze patient samples in-house using existing equipment, supplemented with our innovative technology. This approach offers near-instantaneous decision-making data, a stark contrast to the existing month-long waits. Central to our technology is a proprietary algorithm that identifies a unique spectral fingerprint of the tumour in the infrared spectrum, providing a personalized risk score. This score guides oncologists in selecting the most effective, individualized treatment plans, potentially reducing unnecessary chemotherapy and its harmful side effects. Impact and Potential: Our solution not only challenges the status quo in technology but also in accessibility. In a landmark government-commissioned study, Digistain demonstrated clinical evidence on par with the market leader, but at a fraction of the cost and time. Already making waves in clinical practice globally, with insurance reimbursement at leading cancer centers, our technology represents a paradigm shift in cancer care. Recognized by the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society, and Imperial College for our innovative contributions, and supported by entities like the NHS, Y Combinator, and the European Investment Bank, Digistain is more than a company—it’s a movement towards equitable, effective cancer treatment. With the potential to democratize access to life-saving diagnostics, Digistain is not just envisioning a better future for cancer patients; we are actively creating it.
Digistain offers an MHRA-cleared AI-enabled quantitative histopathology platform that analyzes breast cancer tissue to assess recurrence risk and support treatment planning. It aims to provide faster, cheaper, and more accessible prognostic insights without replacing clinical judgment. The system integrates into existing histopathology workflows to deliver an output that informs MDT discussions.
Digistain analyzes FFPE breast cancer tissue sections using an optical scan that captures a spectral signature from each biopsy. An AI-driven process interprets the imaging data to generate a Digistain Prognostic Score, which indicates the risk of cancer recurrence. The platform provides a clear, clinically interpretable risk stratification output within under 1 hour, operates on routine tissue sections without molecular extraction, and is designed to integrate with existing histopathology workflows to support personalized treatment planning and MDT discussions.
Who it’s for: Clinicians involved in breast cancer care, particularly those participating in MDT discussions for invasive breast cancer patients (Stage I–II, HER2-/ER+ up to 3 positive lymph nodes).
Regulatory clearance (MHRA) and productized clinical workflow integration
Hemmel Amrania Ph.D, CEO has previously scaled several 7 figure businesses both in therapeutics and diagnostics. As a doctoral researcher he was awarded the Outstanding Research Prize at Imperial College London. He has also won several UK business awards including the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Challenge Imperial College and the Climate KIC Competition held by the Mayor of London. For Digistain he spear-headed the research out of the lab all the way through to clinical trials.
Chris is an Imperial College Physics Professor, researching into photovoltaics, and biomedical imaging. He's spent the last few years, with Hemmel Amrania, developing the Digistain cancer diagnosis technology with Imperial medics. He has won a number of prizes and has explained his research on invisibility caused by quantum optical effects to comedy legend Cleese on TV. He once rowed 500 miles non-stop from London to Paris. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Phillips_(professor)
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