Publish date: 10 September 2026
An innovative study to explore whether urine-based biomarker testing can help identify patients at risk of bladder cancer is up and running in West Yorkshire – thanks to funding from West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance.
The ARMADA (GALEAS) study, which is now live at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, is investigating whether patients can provide a urine sample at home, post the sample to a laboratory for analysis and potentially reduce the need for invasive bladder examinations (flexible cystoscopy) in some patients in the future.
Grigorios Kyriazis, Consultant Urological Surgeon at Mid Yorkshire NHS Teaching Trust said: “If successful, this type of testing could help detect bladder cancer more effectively and, in the future, may allow some patients to avoid or require fewer flexible cystoscopies – a procedure involving a thin flexible tube with a camera inside being put into the patient’s urethra and moved through into the bladder.
“The opening of the study at Mid Yorkshire represents an important milestone in exploring how new diagnostic technologies could support more efficient, patient-centred cancer pathways across the region.
“This is a really positive development for our service and means that eligible patients can access this research locally.
“The study provides an opportunity to evaluate the GALEAS test in a real-world NHS setting and contribute to the evidence base for innovative bladder cancer detection.”
The study is being funded through a successful Innovation award from the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, supporting the evaluation of innovative approaches to cancer diagnosis.
Helen Ryan, Programme Manager for Innovation and New Models of Care at the Cancer Alliance said: “The project supports the Cancer Alliance's wider ambition to improve early diagnosis, develop innovative diagnostic pathways and improve patient experience and outcomes.
“It also aligns with the priorities of the NHS Cancer Plan, particularly the focus on earlier diagnosis, improving diagnostic pathways and using innovation to deliver better outcomes for patients.”
The Cancer Alliance Innovation team works in collaboration with industry, our place-based and acute trust colleagues, patients, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber, and with the National Cancer Innovation Programme to bring together local and nationally sponsored innovation projects, with the aim of enabling:
- Testing and evaluation of prioritised innovations in a ‘real world’ setting
- Accelerated roll-out of prioritised innovations
