An AI-powered cancer biopsy kit developed by postgraduate students from the University of Aberdeen has been shortlisted for a prestigious engineering award.
The CAnswer Biopsy kit, which also includes an AI-assisted diagnostic platform, enables surgeons and clinicians to perform biopsies in community settings, and could save the NHS £530 million every year.
It’s been developed by CAnswer Biosolutions, led by Dr Soham Mitra, Dr Lilyana Kalinova Zizikova, Sameer Gouda, Aryan Betheja and Nikhil Venugopal – postgraduate students from the University of Aberdeen.
Affordably priced at £50 compared to conventional biopsies costing upwards of £500, the portable kit includes a novel, painless anaesthesia-delivery system, specialised biopsy tools and room temperature sample preservation technology.
The innovation recently scooped first place at the University of Aberdeen’s Lightbulb Ideas Competition, with prizes provided by business education charity ESBF. Now, the team will compete against nine other talented teams from across the UK in ESBF’s Champion of Champions Competition.
Dr Soham Mitra said: “CAnswer BioSolutions Limited was born from my lived frustration as an NHS cancer surgeon. I have watched patients suffer, not because of untreatable cancers, but because of a painfully slow and inefficient diagnostic-pipeline. Biopsies remain the gold-standard for cancer diagnosis, yet they need access to operating theatres, are burdened by high costs, and cause deep patient-anxiety.
“Nearly half of all patients delay biopsies due to fear of surgery. In Scotland, where operation theatres are limited and pathology departments face 20% staffing shortages, these delays cost months. Behind every statistic is a human tragedy – patients dying while waiting for basic screening-biopsies. Our mission is to find the answer to cancer, one solution at a time.”
The Champion of Champions grand final will take place at the Royal Academy of Engineering on Friday 7 November, where the team will compete for a share of the £17,000 prize pot, providing vital seed money to help winners develop their innovation.
Winners will also receive mentoring from business leaders who are members of the Sainsbury Management Fellows network, plus CV packages from PurpleCV and entrepreneurial books from sponsors.
The event, hosted by TV presenter and engineer Rob Bell, is the culmination of a year of ESBF-sponsored enterprise competitions held across UK universities, with thousands of undergraduate and graduates taking part.
Each year, ESBF champions business education for engineers and supports universities by giving them grants to award prizes to engineering and science students who develop ideas that can make a positive impact on society.
Dr Mitra added: said: “Being in the Champion of Champions Competition represents crucial validation for us doctors and the thousands of patients across the country who progress to untreatable stages due to delayed diagnosis. This recognition means everything to those facing the devastating reality of cancer care delays.
“The competition provides greater visibility that we desperately need to highlight our novel approach to cancer biopsies and innovative diagnostic methods. We wish to use this spotlight to demonstrate how making cancer diagnosis accessible and affordable can impact millions of lives while simultaneously relieving the undue stress faced by doctors and clinicians working in cancer care.”
“This competition isn’t just about business success – it’s about using innovation to transform how we deliver cancer care. The visibility and credibility it provides could accelerate adoption of our solutions, ultimately meaning faster diagnoses, reduced anxiety for patients, and relief for healthcare professionals who entered medicine to heal, not to manage waiting lists and resource constraints.”
