Gencurix, Hitachi to cooperate on molecular diagnostics

South Korean biotech company Gencurix Inc. said on Tuesday that it will cooperate with Japan's Hitachi High-Tech Corporation to enter the Japanese cancer diagnostics market.

The partnership aims to develop cancer diagnostic testing services by combining Gencurix's expertise in selecting key biomarkers and developing molecular diagnostic products with Hitachi High-Tech's experience in in vitro diagnostics research and manufacturing.

Hitachi's collaboration with Gencurix reflects the growing importance of diagnostic technology in oncology as personalized medicine gains ground.

While patients with the same type of cancer were previously treated similarly, advances in diagnostics now allow for tailored treatments, reducing costs and improving survival rates.

Gencurix, the leading domestic player in cancer molecular diagnostics, holds proprietary technology in breast cancer diagnostics, which tests bodily fluids like blood and urine using digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Hitachi, which operates including semiconductors, energy, industrial machinery, and IT, has recently invested in a US diagnostics company.

Hitachi High-Tech supplies medical imaging equipment to hospitals worldwide.

Write to Dae-Jyu Ahn at powerzanic@hankyung.com