MiRXES, a Singapore-headquartered biotechnology company focused on saving lives and improving health economics and outcomes through RNA-powered disease early detection and precision genomic tests, today launched the first edition of MiRXES Translator Program, Southeast Asia’s first business and clinical advisory program backed by science that bridges post-incubation ideation and post-accelerator growth, at Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH)ᴬᴺᴺᴱˣ ¹.
MiRXES Translator Program, a collaboration with global innovation platform Plug and Play, is the first of its kind which will support selected high-growth potential companies to fast-track the commercialization and adoption of preventive healthcare solutions and translate that to revenue growth, with the end goal of improving population health outcomes collectively.
Dr. Lihan ZHOU, Co-Founder and CEO of MiRXES, said, “With our rich startup experience and extensive networks, MiRXES is excited to expand our role in the biotechnology and preventive healthcare sector by enabling multi-stakeholder partnerships and connecting companies with resources to increase the adoption of preventive healthcare solutions globally. Besides investing capital through the MiRXES Translator Program, MiRXES is delighted to share our knowledge from operating some of the world’s most sophisticated laboratories where we pioneered clinical applications of cutting-edge research in RNA biomarkers, and help these startups gain a footing in the industry.”
Through this investor-partner partnership, MiRXES will play an active role to co-generate measurable business milestones and results while sharing risks and rewards with companies enrolled in the program, resulting in assisting them to grow and scale their business efficiently and effectively. MiRXES will also enable the acceleration of its growth by contributing its research, manufacturing, and clinical diagnostic capabilities to validate products and provide cost advantage through economies of scale, facilitating partnerships between venture funds, medical partners, government, hospitals, and adopters, as well as providing a platform at MiRXES’s Early Medical Centreᴬᴺᴺᴱˣ ² for the commercialization of solutions. These companies will also receive support from MiRXES in the regionalization of their businesses through MiRXES’s infrastructures in Southeast Asia.
Plug and Play, a highly successful investor and preferred innovation partner for major corporations, will assess applicants and curate suitable emerging preventive health-focused technology startups for the MiRXES Translator Program. MiRXES will collaborate with the shortlisted startups to run an extensive program to develop and enhance their reach within the preventive healthcare sector. Depending on the startup’s maturity, the collaboration could span across solution optimization, pilot production, clinical advisory, and market validation.
Mr. Jupe TAN, Managing Partner of Plug and Play APAC, added, “We are delighted to be working with MiRXES for their Translator Program. With more than 15 years of experience in early-stage investing and scaling corporate innovation, Plug and Play has a keen ability to identify, attract, and accelerate founders who want to solve industry challenges and scale new technologies. Our goal is to provide a line-of-sight into the most innovative start-ups that are shaping the healthcare and biotechnology industry globally.”
MiRXES Translator Program
Applications for the inaugural 2022-2023 MiRXES Translator Program will be rolled-out at the end of October 2022 with six focus areas – diagnostic solutions, complementary health products, health management programs, digital health solutions, healthcare financing solutions, and healthcare supply chain. Post-revenue startups across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America, with innovations aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of preventive healthcare, are eligible to apply for this program.
The MiRXES Translator Program supports startups in accelerating the commercialization of their products through:
Revenue contracts and/or benefits-in-kind of up to US$1,000,000 in value
Scientific and clinical advisory
Workflow optimization and market positioning strategy
Price and revenue channel discovery
Expansion opportunities to target markets
Access to the multi-stakeholder ecosystem of investors, policymakers, payors, solution providers, and healthcare delivery providers, including MiRXES’s delivery arm
For more information about and to apply to the MiRXES Translator Program, visit here.
Media contacts: MiRXES
Clare Chua @ clarechua@mirxes.com
Felicia Ang @ feliciaang@mirxes.com
Annex 1: Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) 2022
SWITCH 2022 brings together leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, accelerators, and investors from the Global-Asia innovation ecosystem, to catalyse meaningful collaboration between different fields and markets. At the event’s SLINGSHOT 2022 segment, a deep tech startup competition, MiRXES will be issuing a problem statement for the Healthcare and Biomedical challenge domain. The strategic launch of the MiRXES Translator Program at this platform will widen its outreach to and open doors for the startup community.
Annex 2: Early Medical Centre
Located within the thriving ecosystem of healthcare and life sciences companies in Singapore Science Park 1, Early Medical Centre is the region's first healthcare innovation center that takes a unique, individualized approach to health, designed to deliver a new standard in the preventive healthcare experience and serve as an aggregation hub for diagnostic solutions.
Equipped with world-class facilities to conduct molecular blood tests and imaging scans, Early Medical Centre brings together a precise, targeted, integrated suite of diagnostic and preventive care tools to the masses. Startups under the program will be able to validate pricing and business viability with exposure at Early Medical Centre.
About MiRXES
Founded in 2014, MiRXES is a leading biotechnology company focused on saving lives and improving health economics and outcomes, through RNA-powered disease early detection and precision genomic tests. MiRXES affects clinical and social-economic impact via our unique 4-D approach: MiRXES discovers and develops accurate and affordable preventive healthcare solutions, making them accessible to all, as well as delivering early, actionable, and personalized diagnoses across the care continuum. MiRXES is headquartered in Singapore, with physical operations in United States, China, and Japan, and commercial activities in broader Asia-Pacific markets. In 2019, MiRXES launched GASTROClear, the world’s first microRNA blood test for the early detection of gastric cancer. In 2022, Project CADENCE (CAncer Detected Early caN be CurEd), an ambitious undertaking to develop a single blood test for early detection of nine high-mortality cancers, powered by our first-in-class miRNA & methylation biomarker combination and technologies, was launched. MiRXES currently has a staff strength of more than 360 globally, with over 100 staff focused on research & development. MiRXES has raised USD 130 million in venture funding since 2016, which is among the largest for Asia-based, privately held molecular diagnostic companies.
For more information, visit https://mirxes.com/.
About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before.
Since its inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 40 locations globally, giving start-ups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 64,000 start-ups and 500 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate start-up ecosystem in many industries.
We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 1,000 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information: visit www.plugandplayapac.com.
