NHS launches pilot of rapid genomic test to cut brain tumour diagnosis from weeks to days

NHS England said Thursday it is launching a multicenter pilot of a rapid genomic test for suspected brain tumors that could cut the time to a definitive diagnosis from weeks to days, moving a technique developed in Nottingham from earlier research use into broader NHS testing. The health service described the initiative as a “world-first” pilot, a claim it made in announcing the program. The rollout begins in five specialist centers in England and is expected to expand.

The test is not used to screen healthy people for cancer. Instead, it analyzes tumor tissue taken during a biopsy or surgery, using rapid genomic sequencing to classify the tumor much faster than standard pathways. That matters because brain tumor care increasingly depends not just on what pathologists see under a microscope, but on molecular features that can determine the most appropriate treatment. NHS England said that in some cases the new approach may provide classification information while surgery is still underway.

The method being piloted was developed by scientists and clinicians at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. In work publicized in May 2025, the Nottingham team said it had used the approach in 50 brain tumor operations, delivering diagnostic results in under two hours from surgery and detailed tumor classifications within minutes of sequencing. The test uses Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing and an in-house bioinformatics workflow known as ROBIN to generate methylation-based classifications, a way of identifying tumor type through chemical tags on DNA.

If it works reliably at scale, the practical effects could be significant. Faster classification could help patients start the right radiotherapy or chemotherapy sooner, and it could help surgeons decide how much tumor to remove while trying to preserve healthy brain tissue. It may also speed access to clinical trials, which often require a confirmed molecular classification before patients can enroll. More than 12,000 people are diagnosed with a primary brain tumor each year in the U.K., meaning any wider NHS adoption could affect thousands of patients annually.

The pilot also matters because it is a real-world test, not simply a victory lap for promising early research. Nottingham’s initial results drew attention because they suggested molecular diagnosis could be compressed from a lengthy, multi-test process into something much closer to real time. But early findings outside Nottingham have been more mixed. A 2025 replication abstract from Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, involving 20 patients, reported roughly 70% concordance and included some failed or misclassified cases. That does not negate the promise of the approach, but it does underline why a broader NHS pilot is important before any assumption of routine nationwide use.

The announcement reflects a wider shift in cancer diagnostics as the NHS leans on genomic medicine infrastructure to bring advanced testing into clinical care. For brain tumors, where treatment decisions can hinge on molecular details and time is often critical, shaving days or weeks off the diagnostic process could change both the patient experience and the clinical options available.

“This remarkable rapid test has the potential to completely transform how we diagnose brain tumours, with results reaching patients in a matter of days rather than weeks,” said Professor Frankie Swords, NHS England’s national medical director. “This is a huge leap forward for patients — a faster diagnosis means they can start the right treatment or access clinical trials sooner. In contrast, for some patients it could mean surgeons can make potentially life-changing decisions about their surgery while on the operating table.”