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Mirxes Japan Scores Grant to Develop Novel Cancer Screening Test in Japan
Singapore – 11 June 2024 – Mirxes is pleased to announce that our fully-owned subsidiary, Mirxes Japan, has secured a grant of up to 20 million yen (S$172,000) from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). This grant is a testament of Mirxes Japan’s effort and growth in Japan, and will support the development and validation of a new non-invasive cancer biomarker screening test service specifically for the Japanese market.
The grant comes from JETRO’s “Subsidy for Projects to Stimulate Direct Investment in Japan” programme. This programme aims to assist foreign and foreign-affiliated companies in introducing and developing innovative technologies and business models within Japan. The programme fosters collaboration between these companies and Japanese firms and research institutions. These companies will also develop, operate and evaluate their products and services, and conduct business feasibility studies related to investment, expansion and collaboration opportunities in Japan.
Mirxes Japan’s project, titled “Project to Develop and Validate a Novel Non-invasive Cancer Biomarker Screening Test Service in Japan”, will involve collaboration with Nagawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd and has a budget of 45 million yen. The project aims to introduce Mirxes’ RNA technology to Japanese laboratories and increase the number of Japanese patients who can access our tests, which include our flagship test stomach cancer early detection test GastroClear, and LungClear. GastroClear is CE marked in the EU (2017) and has been approved for in-vitro diagnostic use in Singapore by the Health Science Authority (HSA) since 2019, while LungClear had conducted domestic verification in Japan (2021-2022) and the results was presented at the 63rd Japan Lung Cancer Society Scientific Meeting in 2022.
The JETRO grant will cover the costs associated with setting up testing facilities, transferring testing technology to Japan, and evaluating and verifying the technology’s effectiveness. This project has the potential to significantly improve early cancer detection rates in Japan, leading to reduced cancer mortality rates and treatment costs.
Dr. Zhou Lihan, Co-Founder and CEO of Mirxes, expressed his confidence in this project. “We are convinced that our Asian-focused cancer early detection tests will be highly beneficial to Japanese cancer patients. JETRO’s grant signifies their trust in our work, and we are committed to continuing collaboration with our Japanese partners to further validate and commercialise our suite of solutions in Japan.”
About Mirxes
Mirxes is a leading RNA technology company that is making cancer early detection solutions accessible on a global scale. Leading the global fight against cancer, our flagship initiative, Project CADENCE (Cancer Detected Early caN be CurEd), leverages our industry-leading RNA technology platform, deep expertise in PCR diagnostics, and population-scale next-generation sequencing (NGS) capabilities to create a blood-based multi-cancer early detection test to alleviate cancer burden, save lives and reduce healthcare costs. Founded in 2014, Mirxes is a high growth company, headquartered in Singapore, producing diagnostic test kits for early disease detection globally and delivering research and clinical testing services for preventive healthcare and precision medicine to key markets in Asia and beyond.