Researchers to explore new ways to diagnose early-stage lung cancer Ground-breaking medical research in a consortium led by two UK universities will explore new ways to diagnose lung cancer earlier and save lives. The Universities of Southampton and Leeds have come together with healthcare, diagnostics and informatics companies to test the best way of detecting cancers at a stage when they can still be cured, linking to the NHS England Targeted Lung Health Checks programme. The research collaborators include the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Oncimmune, Inivata, BC Platforms and others. The research, part of the Government's Early Diagnosis Mission to diagnose three-quarters of cancers at an early stage by 2028, is able to proceed thanks to approximately £3.5m-worth of funding from UK Research and Innovation's Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), part of a total investment of £10 million in the programme overall.