MiRXES, a Singapore-headquartered biotechnology company that focuses on miRNA-powered cancer early detection tests, announced the opening of South East Asia’s first industry 4.0 (i4.0) in vitro diagnostic (IVD) manufacturing facility. The USD 5.7 million facility is expected to help accelerate MiRXES’ development and commercialization of its multi-cancer early detection tests, pulmonary and cardiovascular disease tests and greatly advance the company’s IVD productization and manufacturing capabilities, building on some of its earlier products such as GASTROClear, the world’s first blood-based stomach cancer early detection test in 2019, and Fortitude Kit, Singapore’s first approved COVID-19 RT-PCR test in Feb 2020.
The IVD manufacturing facility will also serve to contribute to MiRXES’ plan to pioneer industry 4.0 for IVD in Singapore, which in turn increases the capabilities in advanced manufacturing, creating highly skilled job opportunities for the industry. It is expected to combine automation and digitalization, as well as use real-time data and algorithms to anticipate disruptions to the supply chain and to increase the efficient translations of biotechnology research into products. Additionally, the company has also been part of Enterprise Singapore’s (EnterpriseSG) Scale-up SG program since 2020, which helps high-growth local companies scale rapidly and groom them into future global players.
During the launch of the facility, MiRXES also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC). Through the MOU, MiRXES and ARTC will scope R&D activities in automation, digitalization, disruption analysis and prevention, and sustainability, to co-develop Industry 4.0 solutions for in-vitro diagnostics and research use only innovations.
(Sources: MiRXES)