GRAIL, Inc., a life sciences company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured has entered into a definitive agreement to combine with Cirina Ltd., a privately held company that is also focused on the early detection of cancer.

Cirina was co-founded by world renowned scientist in non-invasive molecular diagnostics, Dennis Lo, his colleagues Rossa Chiu and Allen Chan at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and lead investor, Decheng Capital. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong with research and development teams in Hong Kong and South San Francisco.

Dr. Lo was the first scientist to discover the presence of circulating fetal DNA in a pregnant mother’s blood. Drs. Lo, Chiu and Chan have also been key contributors to the growing body of scientific evidence that cancer patients may be distinguished from healthy individuals using analyses of the plasma nucleic acid components of the bloodstream.

Min Cui, founding partner and managing director of Decheng Capital, will join GRAIL’s Board of Directors as an observer. Maneesh Jain, chief executive officer of Cirina, will join the GRAIL team as well.

With this business combination, GRAIL will also expand its ability to make an impact globally by developing and commercializing products in Asian as well as Western markets. As an operating GRAIL subsidiary, Cirina has ongoing research collaborations with CUHK and looks forward to further consolidating this relationship.