AN OXFORD project to improve the survival chances of someone with lung cancer will receive a share of £16m in new funding.

Science Minister Amanda Solloway announced the extra cash for six new health projects aimed at providing earlier and more accurate diagnosis for cancer and other diseases.

Among them is Oxford University's work using the latest technology, including artificial intelligence, to develop more precise medical testing which could enable earlier detection and diagnosis of lung cancer, the deadliest form of cancer in the UK.

It will bring together existing work being led by the NHS, universities, cancer charities and digital health companies to integrate the best of digital imaging and diagnostic science to help identify cancerous tumours in the lung earlier.

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The science minister said: “Our brilliant scientists and researchers in Oxford are harnessing world-leading technologies, like AI, to tackle some of the most complex and chronic diseases that we face.

"Tragically, we know that one in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime."

She said the Oxford University project would 'help ensure more lives are saved'.

Other projects winning a share of the cash include work to more effectively treat Crohn’s disease, a painful, lifelong inflammatory condition affecting 180,000 people in the UK.

Through the use of artificial intelligence, it will seek to accurately predict when to start and stop drug use to control the disease.

Of the £16m awarded, more than £13 million will be come from the government, with up to £3m from Cancer Research UK, to specifically support the oncology focused projects including the one at Oxford University.