Mirxes and NCCS Launch CIRRHOClear™: A Breakthrough Blood Test for Early Liver Cirrhosis Risk Stratification

Prof. Pierce Chow (right) and Dr. Zhou Lihan at the media launch event for CIRRHOClear™.

CIRRHOClear™ identifies individuals at risk of developing liver cirrhosis before symptoms appear, enabling proactive early intervention and disease management.

Mirxes Holdings Co. Ltd. (SEHK:2629.HK)

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, October 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Building on the success of their strategic Public-Private Partnership, Mirxes, a leading global RNA technology company, and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) today announced the official launch of CIRRHOClear™, a non-invasive, blood-based microRNA (miRNA) test designed to identify liver cirrhosis risk before symptoms appear. CIRRHOClear™ was developed with findings from ELEGANCE, a first-of-its-kind cohort study of 2,000 participants with liver disease, aimed at building more precise clinical tools to identify individuals at highest risk of serious disease progression. The ELEGANCE study is a whole-of-nation effort led by NCCS.

2. CIRRHOClear™ is now commercially available and ready for clinical integration. Offered initially as a Laboratory-Developed Test (LDT) at M Diagnostics, the CAP-accredited clinical laboratory of Mirxes, this innovative test addresses a critical gap in preventive liver healthcare. In clinical validation studies, CIRRHOClear™ demonstrated a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 95% in detecting liver cirrhosis. Current screening methods for liver cirrhosis lack the sensitivity to detect early-stage disease, and present hurdles in primary care.

3. CIRRHOClear™ is an advanced blood test that analyses specific miRNA biomarkers in a standard blood sample. Using a proprietary algorithm proven in extensive clinical studies, the test accurately distinguishes liver cirrhosis from non-cirrhotic liver conditions. It provides a straightforward risk classification — High Risk, Intermediate Risk, or Low Risk — reflecting the likelihood of liver cirrhosis being present at the time of testing.

4. Designed for adults aged 40 and older, CIRRHOClear™ serves as a simple tool to help physicians identify liver cirrhosis risk early in higher-risk individuals, including those with fatty liver disease, chronic hepatitis, alcohol-related liver conditions, or suspected liver scarring.

5. Liver cirrhosis is a severe condition characterised by progressive scarring and hardening of the liver that often develops silently. Early stages frequently go unnoticed because standard blood investigations such as liver function tests and platelet counts can remain normal, allowing damage to progress unchecked. Unmanaged cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and the most common form of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in men and the fifth in women in Singapore. Therefore, early detection is crucial, as only 20% of liver cancer cases are currently diagnosed at an early stage when cure is possible.

6. Furthermore, traditional diagnostic methods present clear hurdles in primary care:

• Limitations of Standard Screening: Routine blood tests for liver enzymes and ultrasound lack sensitivity for early-stage scarring. Accurate imaging techniques, such as transient elastography and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), are difficult to access because they are restricted to specialist centres, creating significant care bottlenecks.
• Invasive Alternatives: Liver biopsy remains the gold standard but is invasive and carries risks of pain and bleeding, making it unsuitable for routine population screening.

7. CIRRHOClear™ is designed as an upstream screening tool that could expand access for high-risk populations, track changes in disease severity as miRNA profiles evolve, and flag the need for timely medical intervention before irreversible damage occurs. It is not designed to replace standard-of-care screening tools, but rather to serve as a blood test in primary care settings. If included as part of routine health check-ups, it could provide an accessible and affordable way to flag asymptomatic individuals with advanced fibrosis or early cirrhosis.

8. "Early detection is our best tool to alter the disease trajectory of chronic liver conditions," said Professor Pierce Chow, Senior Consultant in the Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology at Singapore General Hospital and NCCS and Principal Investigator of the ELEGANCE study. "By identifying liver cirrhosis at an early, actionable stage, CIRRHOClear™ can provide physicians with a practical risk-stratification tool to guide timely clinical decisions that would benefit their patients."

9. "The commercial launch of CIRRHOClear™ demonstrates the immense impact of the public-private partnership between NCCS and Mirxes in bridging bench-to-bedside innovation," said Dr. Zhou Lihan, Co-Founder and CEO of Mirxes. "Building on our proven RNA platform, which has successfully demonstrated early detection in stomach and lung cancers, we are confident that CIRRHOClear™ will empower primary care providers to detect liver scarring early. This shift transforms liver care from reactive treatment to proactive prevention, curbing the progression of unmanaged cirrhosis to end-stage liver failure and liver cancer."

David Yeo
Mirxes
+65 9030 1422
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