A NOVEL NON-INVASIVE DNA METHYLATION TEST FOR MELANOMA

Objective

Early cancer detection is a key to improve survival rates. For melanoma the survival falls from >98% at Stage 1 to 22% at Stage 4. Currently, skin biopsy is the only method of melanoma detection. It is an expensive and invasive procedure. Our patented technology, is a combination of a unique non-invasive tape strip skin sample collection technique and proprietary DNA methylation panel specific for melanoma. This will allow quick and inexpensive testing for melanoma at GP level and as an at-home test kit. Our proof of concept study with Guy’s Hospital (UK) showed over 95% specificity and 85% sensitivity in detecting melanoma compared to standard biopsy procedures. Mitra Bio is a female-led team of 6 scientists and business developers with experience in building diagnostics platforms. We aim to improve melanoma detection and reduce melanoma health and economic burden, which currently results in 15K deaths/year in the EU.