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14-Mar-2025

A Game-Changer for Pancreatic Cancer Detection? Mainz Biomed and Liquid Biosciences Uncover Promising mRNA Biomarkers

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, largely because it’s so difficult to catch early. By the time it’s diagnosed, it’s often too late for effective treatment. But that could soon change thanks to a new discovery by Mainz Biomed and Liquid Biosciences, who have teamed up to develop a non-invasive, blood-based test that could revolutionize early detection.

A Breakthrough in Early Detection

The two companies have identified a set of mRNA biomarkers that could make screening for pancreatic cancer much easier and far more accurate. Using Liquid Biosciences' EMERGE platform, researchers analyzed samples from 285 subjects, including 35 pancreatic cancer patients, and found a set of biomarkers that showed an impressive 95% sensitivity and 98% specificity in detecting the disease.

That’s a big deal. High sensitivity means the test is excellent at picking up cases of pancreatic cancer, while high specificity means it’s unlikely to give false positives. If this test becomes widely available, it could help spot pancreatic cancer in its early stages, giving patients a much better chance of successful treatment.

What Happens Next?

Mainz Biomed has secured exclusive rights to these biomarkers and is now working on turning them into a commercially viable diagnostic test. The plan is to refine the test, improve its accuracy even further, and prepare for regulatory approval, including potential FDA applications.

This move is part of Mainz Biomed’s broader strategy to expand beyond colorectal cancer screening and develop new, non-invasive cancer detection tools that could save lives.

Why This Matters

Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 12%, largely because most cases aren’t caught early enough. Current screening methods are limited, and there’s no widely used test for early detection. A simple blood test that can reliably flag pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear would be a game-changer—and that’s exactly what Mainz Biomed and Liquid Biosciences are aiming to deliver.

While there’s still work to be done, this breakthrough brings real hope for improving pancreatic cancer survival rates. If successful, this test could become a routine part of early cancer screening, helping to detect the disease before it becomes life-threatening.

Read the full press release from Mainz Biomed here.