PinPoint Data Science

PinPoint Data Science, established in Leeds, UK, in 2016, is a health technology firm focused on cancer diagnostics. The company's genesis traces back to 2004, when its chief scientist, an astrophysics PhD, conceived of applying machine learning techniques used in astronomy to detect cancer signals in blood. This idea matured, and in 2016, PinPoint Data Science was formed. The company is led by CEO Giles Tully, who joined in 2017 and has a diverse entrepreneurial background, including business ventures in China. His personal experience with the loss of his mother to cancer fuels his dedication to the company's mission. The team also includes experts in molecular pathology, data science, and medicine, such as a former National Clinical Director for Cancer with NHS England.

The core of PinPoint's business is the PinPoint Test, an AI-driven blood test designed to help clinicians triage patients based on their individual cancer risk. The test analyzes 31 to 33 biomarkers in a blood sample, combines this data with the patient's age and sex, and uses a machine learning algorithm to generate a single probability score for cancer. This provides a decision support tool for doctors, enabling them to prioritize high-risk patients for urgent investigation while safely ruling out those at low risk from the urgent referral pathway. The business model operates as a software solution that integrates with existing NHS infrastructure and pathology labs, requiring no new hardware. Clients are primarily healthcare providers, with a significant focus on the NHS in the UK. The company is currently engaged in real-world evaluations and pilot schemes within the NHS.

The PinPoint Test is a CE-marked medical device for use in the nine most common urgent cancer referral pathways, which account for over 98% of all such referrals. Its main benefit is the ability to streamline the diagnostic process, reduce waiting times, and improve the early detection of cancer by intelligently stratifying symptomatic patients. For patients, this means faster access to specialists if they are high-risk and peace of mind for those at low risk, reducing anxiety and unnecessary invasive testing. For healthcare systems like the NHS, it offers a way to manage backlogs and allocate resources more efficiently. The company secured seed funding of $1.32 million in 2019, led by the Angel Investment Network, and has also received funding from NHS England and SBRI Healthcare to accelerate the evaluation of its test.

Keywords: cancer diagnostics, machine learning, blood test, artificial intelligence, health technology, clinical decision support, early cancer detection, medical diagnostics, triage tool, liquid biopsy, NHS innovation, digital health, oncology diagnostics, biomarker analysis, patient stratification, risk assessment, diagnostic algorithm, healthcare software, medtech, regulated medical device