Editorial | Blood tests for cancer boost Hong Kong life sciences
- Joint venture by Chinese University of Hong Kong professor and Prenetics Group aims to make testing for the disease easier and more affordable
Much has been said about the potential of Hong Kong’s role as a global super-connector to the mainland, its integration with the Greater Bay Area, and the opportunities it offers for talent to make a difference.
It is a message that resonates in a competitive world. But perhaps we do not hear enough locally about research and development in the city’s world-class university system that shows Hong Kong’s potential to develop as a specialised tech hub in its own right.
A reminder emerged this week with news of the launch of a significant advance in blood testing for cancer, making it more affordable and accessible. Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a molecular biologist famed for pioneering non-invasive prenatal testing, and the Nasdaq-listed Prenetics Group will establish a US$200 million joint venture.
It will provide clinically administered blood tests for as little as US$200 to screen for early-stage cancer cells in the liver and the lungs by 2025. Existing tests for cancer usually involve biopsies of tumorous cells or the search of “tumour markers” through detecting alterations in blood proteins, lengthy processes that are invasive, costly and troublesome.
“Cost is a vital determinant in the viability of any breakthrough science,” Lo told the Post. “Our objective is to transform early cancer detection [into] a universally accessible necessity … Cancer cells release DNA into an individual’s bloodstream, so by taking a blood sample, we can test for those [cancerous] DNA.”