New blood test could help flag risk of condition that leads to liver failure, cancer

Co-founder and CEO of Mirxes Zhou Lihan (left) with senior consultant in the division of surgery and surgical oncology at Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore Pierce Chow at NCCS on Oct 16.

ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Published Oct 25, 2026, 12:00 PM

Updated Oct 25, 2026, 12:00 PM

Singapore researchers have developed CIRRHOClear, a blood test that uses microRNA biomarkers to spot liver cirrhosis risk before symptoms appear.

Clinical studies found it identified cirrhosis in 89% of cases and ruled it out 95% of the time, helping doctors assess higher-risk people earlier.

Doctors say early detection could prevent liver failure and liver cancer, while avoiding limits of current tests and reducing care bottlenecks.

SINGAPORE - A new blood test developed in Singapore can help to flag early the risk of a condition that can lead to liver failure and a common form of liver cancer.

Dubbed CIRRHOClear, the non-invasive test is designed to identify liver cirrhosis risk before symptoms appear.

Developed by local biotechnology firm Mirxes and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), CIRRHOClear analyses specific microRNA biomarkers in a standard blood sample.

MicroRNA, or miRNA, refers to small ribonucleic acid molecules involved in many essential biological processes.

When the liver starts getting damaged or inflamed, abnormal levels of specific miRNA molecules are sent into the blood as a distress signal, with CIRRHOClear measuring a combination of these miRNAs.

A proprietary algorithm allows the test – designed for those aged 40 and above – to classify the risk of liver cirrhosis as high, intermediate or low.

In clinical validation studies, the test was able to accurately determine the risk of liver cirrhosis in 89% of cases, and identify those who did not have the condition 95% of the time.

The test can help doctors identify liver cirrhosis risk early in people at higher-risk, such as those with fatty liver disease, chronic hepatitis or alcohol-related liver conditions.

Liver cirrhosis is a serious condition where the organ becomes shrunken, scarred and hardened liver, with its functions failing.

It is a result of chronic damage to the liver from various causes, ranging from fatty liver disease to excessive alcohol intake and autoimmune liver disease.

While cirrhosis cannot be fully reversed, early detection and treatment – which can include medications such as antivirals for those with chronic hepatitis B and C – can slow its progression and manage symptoms.

However in its more advanced stages there is a high mortality risk. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis – where the liver is no longer able to function normally – have an average life expectancy of about two years without a transplant.

According to the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study, there are more than 1.7 billion cases of liver cirrhosis worldwide, with 1.43 million deaths linked to the condition in 2021.

Left unmanaged, cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma, otherwise known as primary liver cancer – the most common form of liver cancer, affecting about 30 in every 100,000 people annually.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men and the fifth most common cause of cancer death in women here.

Current screening methods for liver cirrhosis pose challenges in detecting the disease in its early stages, presenting obstacles in primary care, said Mirxes and NCCS in a statement.

For example, routine blood tests for liver enzymes and ultrasound lack sensitivity for early-stage scarring, they said.

Meanwhile accurate imaging techniques such as transient elastography and magnetic resonance elastography – non-invasive methods which measure the stiffness and elasticity of body tissues – are often restricted to specialist centres, creating “significant care bottlenecks”, they added.

Dr Zhou Lihan, co-founder and CEO of Mirxes at NCCS on Oct 16. Current screening methods for liver cirrhosis pose challenges in detecting the disease in its early stages, presenting obstacles in primary care, said Mirxes and NCCS in a statement. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Dr Zhou Lihan, co-founder and CEO of Mirxes at NCCS on Oct 16. Current screening methods for liver cirrhosis pose challenges in detecting the disease in its early stages, presenting obstacles in primary care, said Mirxes and NCCS in a statement.

While liver biopsy is the gold standard, the procedure is invasive and carries risks of pain and bleeding, making it unsuitable for routine population screening, they noted.

CIRRHOClear was launched in Singapore on Oct 16, with plans to eventually introduce the product in other countries as well.

The test – which involves drawing a small amount of blood from patients – will be available for use at clinics and screening centres. Its cost was not immediately available.

The test was developed with findings from ELEGANCE, a landmark study led by NCCS of 2,000 participants with liver disease .

The four-year study sought to develop clinical tools which could provide earlier, more precise identification of those at risk of primary liver cancer.

“Early detection is our best tool to alter the disease trajectory of chronic liver conditions,” said Pierce Chow, a senior consultant in the surgery and surgical oncology division at NCCS and the Singapore General Hospital.

“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,” said the principal investigator of the ELEGANCE study.

Mirxes co-founder and chief executive Zhou Lihan said: “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.”

Zhaki Abdullah is a correspondent at The Straits Times. He is on the health beat, in addition to occasionally covering science, environmental, tech and Muslim affairs issues.

Mirxes 联合创始人兼首席执行官周立涵（左）与新加坡中央医院和新加坡国家癌症中心外科及肿瘤外科高级顾问 Pierce Chow 于 10 月 16 日在新加坡国家癌症中心合影。

圣路易斯照片：阿里芬·贾马尔

发布于2026年10月25日下午12:00

更新于2026年10月25日中午12:00

新加坡研究人员开发出 CIRRHOClear，这是一种利用微RNA生物标志物在症状出现之前发现肝硬化风险的血液检测方法。

临床研究发现，该方法在 89% 的病例中识别出肝硬化，在 95% 的病例中排除肝硬化，帮助医生更早地评估高风险人群。

医生表示，早期发现可以预防肝衰竭和肝癌，同时避免现有检测方法的局限性，并减少医疗瓶颈。

新加坡——新加坡研发的一种新型血液检测可以帮助及早发现可能导致肝衰竭和常见肝癌的疾病风险。

这项名为 CIRRHOClear 的非侵入性检测旨在症状出现之前识别肝硬化风险。

CIRRHOClear 由本地生物技术公司 Mirxes 和新加坡国家癌症中心 (NCCS) 开发，可分析标准血液样本中的特定 microRNA 生物标志物。

微RNA（miRNA）是指参与许多重要生物过程的小型核糖核酸分子。

当肝脏开始受损或发炎时，特定 miRNA 分子的异常水平会作为求救信号发送到血液中，而 CIRRHOClear 测量的就是这些 miRNA 的组合。

该测试（专为 40 岁及以上人群设计）采用专有算法，可将肝硬化风险分为高、中或低风险。

在临床验证研究中，该测试能够准确确定 89% 病例的肝硬化风险，并在 95% 的情况下识别出未患肝硬化的人。

该测试可以帮助医生及早发现高危人群（例如患有脂肪肝、慢性肝炎或酒精相关肝病的人）的肝硬化风险。

肝硬化是一种严重的疾病，肝脏会萎缩、结痂和硬化，其功能衰竭。

这是由多种原因造成的肝脏慢性损伤的结果，包括脂肪肝、过量饮酒和自身免疫性肝病等。

虽然肝硬化无法完全逆转，但早期发现和治疗（包括对患有慢性乙型和丙型肝炎的患者使用抗病毒药物）可以减缓其进展并控制症状。

然而，在更晚期阶段，死亡风险很高。失代偿期肝硬化患者——肝脏已无法正常运作——如果不进行肝移植，平均预期寿命约为两年。

根据 2021 年全球疾病负担研究，全球有超过 17 亿例肝硬化病例，2021 年有 143 万人死于该疾病。

如果不加以控制，肝硬化会导致肝功能衰竭和肝细胞癌，也就是原发性肝癌——这是最常见的肝癌类型，每年每 10 万人中约有 30 人患上此病。

肝癌是这里男性癌症死亡的第三大原因，也是女性癌症死亡的第五大原因。

Mirxes 和 NCCS 在一份声明中表示，目前肝硬化的筛查方法在早期发现该疾病方面存在挑战，给基层医疗带来了障碍。

他们说，例如，常规的肝酶血液检查和超声波检查对早期瘢痕的敏感性不足。

他们补充说，与此同时，瞬时弹性成像和磁共振弹性成像等精确成像技术（测量身体组织硬度和弹性的非侵入性方法）通常仅限于专科中心，造成“严重的医疗瓶颈”。

10月16日，Mirxes联合创始人兼首席执行官周立涵博士在新加坡国立癌症中心（NCCS）发表讲话。Mirxes和NCCS在一份声明中指出，目前肝硬化的筛查方法在早期发现疾病方面存在挑战，给基层医疗带来了障碍。（海峡时报照片：阿里芬·贾马尔）

Mirxes联合创始人兼首席执行官周立涵博士于10月16日在国家癌症研究中心发表讲话。Mirxes和国家癌症研究中心在一份声明中表示，目前肝硬化的筛查方法在早期发现该疾病方面存在挑战，给基层医疗带来了障碍。

他们指出，虽然肝脏活检是金标准，但该手术属于侵入性操作，并伴有疼痛和出血的风险，因此不适合作为常规人群筛查手段。

CIRRHOClear 于 10 月 16 日在新加坡上市，并计划最终将该产品引入其他国家。

这项检测只需抽取患者少量血液，将在诊所和筛查中心投入使用。目前尚不清楚其费用。

该测试是根据 ELEGANCE 研究的结果开发的，ELEGANCE 是一项由 NCCS 牵头的里程碑式研究，该研究对 2000 名肝病患者进行了调查。

这项为期四年的研究旨在开发临床工具，以便更早、更准确地识别原发性肝癌高危人群。

“早期发现是我们改变慢性肝病病情发展轨迹的最佳手段，”新加坡国立癌症中心和新加坡中央医院外科及肿瘤外科高级顾问周皮尔斯说。

“通过及早发现肝硬化，CIRRHOClear 可以为医生提供实用的风险分层工具，以指导及时的临床决策，从而使患者受益，”ELEGANCE 研究的主要研究者说道。

Mirxes 联合创始人兼首席执行官周立涵表示：“基于我们已成功证明可用于胃癌和肺癌早期检测的成熟 RNA 平台，我们相信 CIRRHOClear 将使基层医疗服务提供者能够及早发现肝脏瘢痕。

“这种转变将肝脏护理从被动治疗转变为主动预防，从而遏制了未经控制的肝硬化发展为终末期肝衰竭和肝癌。”

扎基·阿卜杜拉是《海峡时报》的记者。他主要负责健康新闻报道，偶尔也报道科学、环境、科技和穆斯林事务等议题。