World-first melanoma trial

A WORLD-first technique for better detecting melanoma is being developed by a small Melbourne firm.

Geneseq Biosciences has received local and international attention for its non-invasive test and is preparing for a big clinical trial.

The start-up’s founder Ryan Van Laar said that three Australians die each day from melanoma but screening guidelines were inconsistent and one-in-six melanomas were initially misdiagnosed.

“We’re developing a test that looks for the genetic signal of melanoma in people’s blood,” he said. “Rather than trying to find melanoma by looking outside of the body — by looking at the skin — we’re looking internally.

“It will be a test that people can order through their GP.”

The test, called Melaseq, detects micro-RNAs, or genetic markers, in the blood that are released by cancer cells.

Mr Van Laar recently visited Japan as part of a City of Melbourne business mission to Asia and had positive talks with hospitals about Melaseq’s potential.

“We’re now working with a couple of groups in Melbourne to do a large clinical trial of about 1000 patients,” he said.

Chair of the council’s small business, retail and hospitality portfolio Susan Riley said Australia’s melanoma risk rate was three times that of other parts of the world.

“Getting melanoma treated early is the key, and Geneseq have developed a test that detects the genetic fingerprints of melanoma in your blood — it’s a world-first for Melbourne,” she said.

The city council helps startups through the missions and its small business grants programs.

Global consultancy firm Start Up Genome has ranked Melbourne among the top cities for business start-ups, and the city has about 170 dedicated co-working spaces.