NHS launches a single end-to-end lung cancer diagnostic pathway initiative with Optellum

OXFORD, United Kingdom and HOUSTON, Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Optellum, a leader in AI-enabled lung cancer risk assessment, is pleased to announce its selection in a landmark NHS initiative that combines Optellum's AI-driven lung cancer risk stratification with robotic-assisted bronchoscopy in a single, end-to-end diagnostic pathway for lung cancer. Spearheaded by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, this programme is designed to help clinicians diagnose lung cancer earlier, more accurately, and to minimise invasive procedures.

The initiative builds upon the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme (Targeted Lung Health Checks), which is identifying increasing numbers of small pulmonary nodules that require safe, accurate diagnostic follow-up. The Screening Programme is for people aged 55–74 and uses low-dose CT scans to find suspicious lung nodules in higher-risk people. Separately, lung nodules are also found outside screening through general practitioner referral for symptoms, in accident & emergency departments work-ups, or as incidental findings on scans done for other reasons. The NHSE-funded AI-guided robotic bronchoscopy pilot is a separate diagnostic evaluation and not screening.

This is the first NHS programme to combine VNC's AI-based lung nodule risk stratification with robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, streamlining the pathway from CT imaging to biopsy for patients with suspected lung cancer. With VNC's AI, high-risk lung nodules on imaging are rapidly identified, and if tissue sampling is required, robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is then used to navigate to and biopsy hard-to-reach nodules as small as 6 mm. For many patients, this can potentially reduce months of uncertainty with a single targeted procedure.

It will "help to catch [cancer] earlier, replacing weeks of invasive testing with a single targeted procedure," said Wes Streeting, UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. [1]

"Earlier and more accurate diagnosis is one of the most powerful ways to improve outcomes for patients with lung cancer. By combining Optellum's AI with robotic-assisted bronchoscopy in one seamless pathway, we are giving clinicians the tools to identify and precisely target high‑risk nodules when treatment can make the greatest difference. We are proud to work alongside the NHS in its efforts to improve early lung cancer diagnosis," said Johnathan Watkins, PhD, Optellum's CEO.

"By bringing AI and robotics together in this trailblazing NHS pilot, we're bringing in the very latest technology to give clinicians a clearer look inside the lungs and support faster, more accurate biopsies," said Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England's National Clinical Director for Cancer. [1] "This is a glimpse of the future of cancer detection." [2] [3]

The initiative launches this month at Guy's and St Thomas', with planned expansion to King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as well as Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Optellum's UKCA/CE-marked Virtual Nodule Clinic (VNC), already deployed across multiple NHS organisations, helps clinical teams prioritise patients who need faster investigation and may help support guideline-aligned lung nodule assessment. The latter is currently being evaluated as part of the DOLCE study led by Professor David Baldwin, Chair of the UK Clinical Expert Group for Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma. [4]

About Optellum

Optellum is a commercial-stage AI healthcare company dedicated to revolutionising early diagnosis and treatment of lung disease, starting with one of the deadliest, lung cancer.

Optellum's flagship product, Virtual Nodule Clinic (VNC) with Lung Cancer Prediction AI (LCP), is the world's first and only FDA-cleared and reimbursed software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD) solution for AI-powered lung cancer prioritisation and diagnostic support. Clinicians trust the Optellum solution to aid them in making the most appropriate life-saving treatment decisions for their patients. Backed by real-world clinical evidence, Optellum's solution accelerates the diagnostic care pathway by enabling early patient identification, enhancing prioritisation, and improving clinicians' efficiency, reducing time to guideline-recommended treatment. Optellum VNC is FDA cleared, CE-MDR marked, and UKCA marked.

Optellum is headquartered in Oxford, UK, and has an office at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, US.

[1] As quoted in The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/27/robots-spare-lung-cancer-patients-distress-of-repeated-test/

[2] First reported by Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/lung-cancer-trailblazing-nhs-scheme-hailed-as-a-glimpse-of-the-future-13499296

[3] Also reported in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jan/27/nhs-england-to-trial-ai-and-robotic-tools-to-detect-and-diagnose-lung-cancer

[4] https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/dolce-study/ 

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