The government has given funding to a new medical trial which uses artificial intelligence technology to automate part of the screening process for breast cancer.

A grant has been given to London-headquartered technology start-up Kheiron Medical, which uses a form of AI named deep learning to process millions of mammograms.

The company will test its software in conjunction with the East Midlands Radiology Consortium, which works across seven NHS Trusts in the East Midlands.

Kheiron Medical’s technology helps radiologists to process large numbers of mammograms in order to identify the small proportion of people who have breast cancer.

The NHS conducts “double reading” of mammograms, meaning that two different radiologists check the same images for signs of breast cancer.

Kheiron Medical acts as a second reader alongside human radiologists, helping to reduce the number of experts who have to be involved in the screening process.

Dr Jonathan James, a consultant breast radiologist at the Nottingham Breast Institute, said “I believe Kheiron’s AI technology has the potential to revolutionise the reading of screening mammograms in the UK and beyond.”

The start-up has made it clear that it doesn’t want to cause any radiologists to lose their jobs because its software is more efficient. “Our perspective on the role it will play and should play is not replacing doctors but supporting doctors,” said Sarah Kerruish, Kheiron Medical’s chief strategy officer.

Since being founded in 2016, Kheiron Medical has largely avoided the media and instead worked on forming partnerships with the NHS and undergoing regulatory approval reviews. “We'd rather do it slowly and rigorously and carefully,” Mrs Kerruish said. “This is about the long term.”

The business has raised seed funding from investors as well as £2m in academic and business grants.

Google’s DeepMind AI company has also investigated the use of AI to help identify signs of breast cancer in mammograms. The company partnered with the Cancer Research UK Centre at Imperial College London in order to examine the potential impact of applying AI to mammograms.