NHS trials metagenomics test that diagnoses illnesses in hours
A pioneering NHS pilot using metagenomics can pinpoint infections in a single test, cutting diagnosis from days to hours.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The NHS is piloting a new diagnostic test that can identify the cause of a serious illness in a single analysis, cutting the time to a result from several days to just six hours. The technique, called metagenomics, is being trialled at 30 sites across the health service, including a leading London intensive care unit.
Sky News was given exclusive access to the lab at St Thomas' Hospital in London, where the test is being used on the sickest patients. Intensive care consultant Dr. [Name not given] explained that waiting for multiple separate tests for viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens has long been a problem, costing time, money, and sometimes lives. The new test works by dragging strands of DNA through a tiny pore, unravelling the genetic code, and matching it against a database. This tells doctors not only what the pathogen is, but also which organ it may have spread from and what drugs it might resist.
The technology is a collaboration between UK tech company Oxford Nanopore and the NHS, led by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It also feeds data in real time to the UK Health Security Agency, creating an early warning system for future pandemics. The programme is still in its pilot phase and does not come cheap, but supporters hope it will eventually become as commonplace and affordable as the microscope.
The trial represents a major shift in how infectious diseases are diagnosed. One clinician described the old approach as fishing with a line, catching one fish at a time, whereas metagenomics uses an enormous net to capture every organism present. The potential benefits include faster treatment, reduced bed occupancy, and savings on medicines and hospital stays. If rolled out permanently, it could provide a lifeline for the NHS.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Sky News |
|---|---|
| A test reduces diagnosis time from several days to six hours. | |
| The pilot runs at 30 sites. | |
| The test is a collaboration between Oxford Nanopore and the NHS, led by Guy's and St Thomas'. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the exclusive access to the hospital lab and the revolutionary potential of the metagenomics test. The report highlighted the speed of diagnosis, cost savings, and the technology's role in pandemic surveillance, framing it as a new frontier in medicine.
- “This new tool can pinpoint an illness in a single test.”
- “Now we're fishing with an enormous net and that allows us to net every organism possible, infecting a patient in a particular situation.”
- “It is a new frontier of medicine.”
Broadcast Timeline
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