A pioneering pathology technology developed by the National Pathology Imaging Co‑operative (NPIC) is set for international deployment after securing a commercial agreement with precision cancer diagnostics firm Epredia.
The technology, known as TANGO, is a world-first, laboratory quality tool developed by NPIC researchers based at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. It supports the adoption of digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer diagnostics by enabling greater consistency and efficiency in laboratory slide staining. The technology has already been evaluated through international research demonstrating how it supports quality assurance across pathology workflows.
Under the agreement, Epredia plans to develop new pathology slide products incorporating TANGO. As the world's largest diagnostic glass slide manufacturer, Epredia seeks to leverage its expertise in pathology consumables and global distribution to bring the technology to market and make it broadly accessible to pathology laboratories that are adopting digital pathology workflows. This means that TANGO is now available for wider roll-out in the NHS and internationally, while unlocking new investment into UK health technology.
Professor David Brettle (pictured), Chief Scientific Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This is a proud moment for Leeds and for the NHS. TANGO was developed to offer a powerful solution in digital pathology to support clinical practice, and this shows how ideas developed on the frontline in the NHS can grow into innovations with global impact. By partnering with Epredia, we now have an opportunity to deploy this technology across the NHS and far wider, helping laboratories to adopt AI-enabled cancer diagnostics and ultimately provide patients with quicker results."
Steven Lynum, President and CEO at Epredia, said: “We share Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ passion and ambition for driving healthtech innovations and solutions to generate real-world change. Digital pathology and AI have the potential to help accelerate cancer diagnostics speed and quality and ultimately improve patient care. By adding this powerful innovation to our world-class portfolio of precision cancer diagnostics products, we are investing in technologies that can help make that future a reality.”
TANGO was developed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals clinicians and researchers Professor David Brettle, Professor Darren Treanor and Dr Catriona Dunn, who identified a widespread challenge in pathology laboratories worldwide. In diagnostic staining, slight variations can affect how results are interpreted and limit the effectiveness of AI tools. TANGO offers a simple but powerful solution. It uses a specially designed reference slide that acts as a quality control measure during staining, helping laboratories reduce variation, ensure consistent results and supporting faster more efficient cancer diagnostics.
The National Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) has played a key role in developing TANGO from an early stage, building on initial work at the University of Leeds, creating a viable product and proving its value in real-world pathology settings.
Epredia plans to begin integrating TANGO into new laboratory slides from late 2026. The agreement is expected to generate return on investment for NHS by investing into Leeds-based health innovation activity while creating specialist roles supporting product development, validation and commercialisation.