AGTC Genomics Secures Major Funding to Develop Stool-Based Multi-Omics Test for Early Colorectal Cancer Detection

Malaysian-led consortium with Universiti Malaya, UMMC, Sunway University, IMU University and USM aims to move advanced cancer screening out of the hospital and into the home — including rural and underserved communities.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — 25 August 2026 — AGTC Genomics today announced that it has secured major research funding to develop a next-generation, stool-based multi-omics test for the early detection of colorectal cancer — an approach designed around a sample that can be collected at home and analysed in a central molecular laboratory, bringing advanced cancer screening within reach of communities far from specialist hospitals.

The programme is delivered in collaboration with Universiti Malaya, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Sunway University, IMU University and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), bringing together expertise in genomics, molecular oncology, gastroenterology, cancer biology, microbiome research, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence and clinical medicine.

It targets one of Malaysia's most persistent cancer challenges: colorectal cancer is one of the most detectable cancers there is — yet roughly three in every four Malaysian patients with recorded staging are still diagnosed at Stage III or Stage IV.

"The problem we want to solve is not simply how to build a more sophisticated cancer test. It is how to make sophisticated cancer detection accessible to more people." — Professor Dr Chee-Onn Leong, Founder and CEO, AGTC Genomics

Three in four are diagnosed late

According to the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report 2017–2021, approximately 73.7% of colorectal cancers in men and 73.5% in women with reported staging were diagnosed at Stage III or IV. Only around 7% were diagnosed at Stage I.

The consequences are measured in years of life. Malaysian survival data previously reported by the Ministry of Health showed five-year relative survival of 75.8% for Stage I colorectal cancer, falling to 17.3% for Stage IV disease.

Malaysia's National Strategic Plan for Colorectal Cancer has itself recognised that more than 70% of cases were being detected late, and identified expansion of screening access as a national priority.

The message is straightforward: colorectal cancer is not especially difficult to detect. The challenge is getting enough people screened, early enough.

Why late detection persists

Screening works. Faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) and colonoscopy are established approaches, and international evidence confirms that colorectal cancer screening reduces mortality. But real-world barriers remain.

Colonoscopy is highly effective, but requires bowel preparation, specialised facilities, trained personnel and attendance at a healthcare facility — significant obstacles for anyone living hours from the nearest endoscopy centre.

Conventional FIT is far simpler and can use stool collected at home, but it primarily detects human haemoglobin — microscopic blood in the stool. Not every early cancer or precancerous lesion bleeds continuously, and a test built around occult blood does not capture the broader molecular biology of the disease.

For rural and underserved communities, the gap widens further. Distance, transport, time away from work, availability of specialist services, awareness and the practicalities of returning samples all affect participation. A Malaysian study conducted in semi-rural Johor identified low awareness alongside logistical concerns around stool-sample screening as important barriers.

From a single marker to a molecular fingerprint

The newly funded programme starts from a different premise. Stool can carry far more biological information than blood alone: cells shed continuously from the lining of the colon and rectum, together with DNA, microbial material and other molecules that may carry signatures associated with precancerous change and colorectal cancer.

The consortium will investigate how multiple complementary molecular signals — including genomic, epigenomic and microbiome-associated signatures, with additional omics layers evaluated through the programme — can be integrated into a single analytical framework for early detection.

In short, the question changes from "Is there blood in this stool sample?" to "Is there a molecular signature of colorectal cancer in this stool sample?"

Cancer is biologically complex, and a single biomarker may not capture every early tumour. By combining complementary molecular layers with advanced bioinformatics and machine learning, the research aims to identify patterns that are difficult to recognise from any one marker alone — potentially important when tumour burden is still small.

The objective is a test sensitive enough to identify early disease, specific enough to minimise unnecessary investigations, and simple enough to support community-based screening at scale. These performance characteristics will be established through rigorous analytical and clinical validation as part of the research programme.

"Colorectal cancer gives us a particularly important opportunity, because biological material from the tumour and the surrounding intestinal environment can be found directly in stool. Instead of looking only for blood, we want to investigate multiple layers of molecular information and determine whether they can collectively provide a stronger signal for detecting cancer earlier." — Professor Dr Chee-Onn Leong

Designed for the community, not just the tertiary hospital

A central goal of the programme is to ensure that advances in precision medicine do not remain confined to major cities and tertiary centres.

A stool-based approach makes a decentralised screening model possible: an individual could collect the sample privately at home or through a community health programme, with samples then transported to a central molecular laboratory for multi-omics analysis. Initial screening would no longer require every participant to travel to a specialist centre.

Subject to clinical validation and implementation studies, such a model could ultimately support screening through community clinics, Klinik Kesihatan, general practitioners, mobile health programmes and rural outreach initiatives — precisely where access to gastroenterologists and colonoscopy facilities is most limited. The World Health Organization has noted this advantage directly: stool samples can be collected at home and sent for laboratory analysis, making these approaches well suited to population-based screening.

Screening first. Colonoscopy where it matters most.

The research is not intended to replace colonoscopy. Colonoscopy remains essential for diagnostic confirmation, biopsy and the removal of precancerous polyps, and anyone with a positive stool-based molecular screening result would still require appropriate clinical assessment and diagnostic follow-up.

The long-term objective is a more scalable screening-to-diagnosis pathway: large numbers of asymptomatic individuals screened conveniently and non-invasively first, with colonoscopy and other advanced investigations prioritised for those with positive or concerning results. This could make better use of limited specialist capacity while extending screening to a far larger population.

Malaysian data for Malaysian and Southeast Asian patients

A key priority for the consortium is developing and validating molecular signatures using data relevant to Malaysian and Southeast Asian populations — rather than relying solely on technologies and datasets generated elsewhere.

The wider ambition is a solution that can eventually be translated across Southeast Asia, where large populations remain geographically distant from advanced tertiary healthcare.

"Today, too many patients first enter the healthcare system because they are bleeding, losing weight, anaemic, experiencing bowel obstruction or already have symptoms of advanced disease. By then, we have already lost part of our most valuable advantage — time. Our vision is different. We want colorectal cancer screening to become something that can start in the home and reach people wherever they live — from Kuala Lumpur to the smallest communities in Malaysia. Your postcode should not determine how early your cancer can be detected." — Professor Dr Chee-Onn Leong

Through this programme, AGTC Genomics and its academic and clinical partners aim to combine multi-omics science, non-invasive stool sampling and a decentralised screening model to move colorectal cancer detection from the hospital to the community — and from late-stage diagnosis towards early detection and prevention.

The future of cancer screening should not only be more precise. It should also be simpler, more accessible, and able to reach the people who need it most.

---

About AGTC Genomics

AGTC Genomics is a Malaysian precision medicine and advanced molecular diagnostics company specialising in genomics, oncology, infectious diseases, rare diseases and precision health. The company operates an ISO 15189-, ISO 17025- and CAP-accredited advanced genomics laboratory in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Through advanced genomic technologies, bioinformatics and collaborative translational research, AGTC Genomics aims to make precision diagnostics increasingly accessible, affordable and clinically relevant to patients in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia.