A Manchester scientist is collaborating with some of the world’s top clinicians to create a ground-breaking lung cancer early detection test.
After completing studying at the University of Manchester, Dr Na Yu (Cherry) Chia founded her medtech start-up ErleaDx. Her work on of blood-based test for early detection of lung cancer is already receiving the attention of the world’s scientific community.
“This test is a real game changer for the millions of people worldwide who are told each year that they may have lung cancer,” she said. The existing lung cancer test is costly, inexact, and requires intrusive procedures.
“Our goal at ErleaDx is to make early detection of lung cancer as simple as a finger prick test.”
Mirlung Dx lung cancer detector product development and clinical recruitment are now underway says the CEO of by Erleax, Dr Chia, who intends to have a prototype available to UK lung cancer patients by the year 2023. Over 75% of lung cancer patients in the United Kingdom continue to be diagnosed at a late stage of the disease. The epidemic has exacerbated the problem, with a considerable increase in patients diagnosed with lung cancer at an advanced stage.
According to UK health experts, COVID-19 will result in an estimated additional 1,300 lung cancer deaths five years following diagnosis. ErleaDx’s mission is to build a portable gadget for lung cancer diagnosis that operates similarly to glucose meters used by diabetics. The business has developed a patented technique for detecting early-stage lung cancer microRNA biomarkers.
Dr Chia was one of the winners of the Venture Further Business Start-up Competition in the healthcare category in 2021. Venture Further is the flagship annual start-up competition for all current students, researchers, and recent graduates across the University of Manchester
In addition, the UK Wellcome Trust awarded this study a grant to help fund clinical trials in Manchester, and the Singapore government awarded it the renowned A*STAR GAP $100,000 grant to help develop its research into a marketable product.
