It is important to identify at diagnosis the level of risk each patient faces and to tailor treatment accordingly, ideally in the form of earlier and more personalised surgical approaches.
Oxford is a national leader in digital pathology, through the UKRI/Philips PathLake Platform. We are combining our expertise in this area with big data analysis to enhance surgical decision-making in common diseases, such as cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Employing cutting-edge spatial profiling technology and state-of-the-art light-sheet microscopy we will evaluate these tools in transplantation and surgical oncology.
Complex surgery requires close integration with critical care support to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients, and we are carrying out first-in-human studies to test recently developed critical care technologies that promise to enhance recovery after major surgery and potentially save NHS costs through reduced inpatient stays. These include new ways of sensing oxygen levels within blood vessels and enhanced ventilator technology that delivers small doses of tracer gases when a patient breathes in and measures these gases when they breath out.