Blood tests may soon offer early clues to ageing and health: Lucence CEO

SINGAPORE - In just five years’ time, Dr Tan Min-Han believes, people will be able to go to a polyclinic near them to take a simple blood test that can detect early signs of ageing. The results could guide lifestyle changes, such as sleep, diet and exercise, to improve key biomarkers and slow physical decline.

While this may sound like science fiction, Dr Tan said advances in precision healthcare are moving quickly enough to make it a near-term reality.

Precision healthcare refers to the use of technology and medical data to create tests and treatments tailored to an individual’s specific health profile, instead of applying the same solution to everyone.

It is also an industry with a bright future, particularly as people become better informed about their health and more proactive about managing their well-being.

Dr Tan, 51, is the founder, chief executive and medical director of Lucence, a medtech company that develops blood tests to detect cancer.

Lucence was founded in 2016 as a spin-off from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research. While incorporated and headquartered in Singapore, the company also maintains a co-headquarters in Palo Alto, California.

Since then, it has secured more than US$80 million (S$100 million) in equity funding, including US$20 million in a 2019 funding round led by IHH Healthcare. 

Asked if he has considered taking the firm public, Dr Tan said: “A listing is always an option to tap into the capital markets for growth and when the time is right, we may consider the possibility of a potential listing.”

Before starting Lucence, Dr Tan, whose younger brother is Mr Tan Min-Liang, the co-founder of Singapore gaming company Razer, was a medical oncologist heading a team at the National Cancer Centre Singapore.

“What I saw as a medical oncologist was that people were presenting their cancers late, and many of the cases were terminal... and people didn’t get information that would help them get better treatment,” he said.

He added that tissue biopsies, while currently one of the most informative diagnostic tools, are invasive and often painful.

“Blood tests are more acceptable and accessible as opposed to uncomfortable procedures like mammograms and colonoscopies. I believe that technology could make a lot of this better,” he said.

“Five years ago, being able to detect cancers from blood tests was science fiction. But now, we have made that a reality.”

Dr Tan is now aiming to expand the use of blood tests beyond cancer detection to provide a broader picture of a person’s overall health as they age.

He added that ageing is a challenge everyone ultimately faces, and awareness of how to slow the gradual decline that comes with it is growing.

By helping to identify cancer and early indicators of diseases like heart attacks and strokes, the company is well placed to play a broader role in educating people about their health as they age, Dr Tan said.

“People are struggling to get information around health all the time, whether we are just thinking of the elements of sleep, exercise, food – everyone is hoping to find information that’s of high quality and which is actionable for themselves.”

In the coming years, blood tests will be able to detect early signs of ageing, such as accumulating mutation in the body’s cells. These signals also correlate with issues like heart attacks and strokes.

These earlier detections, together with artificial intelligence solutions, can help ensure people adopt healthier lifestyles so they can improve their health before it is too late, he said.

“Our behaviour today is largely unguided. We might see a yoga instructor more often than we see a doctor.”

But if people know exactly where they are in terms of their health through tests, then they can change behaviours to mitigate the issues that come with ageing, Dr Tan said.

“We are beginning to realise that taking control of our own health is very experiential and personal.”

He added that people at the same age can look and feel very different.

“Many people now realise the gaps around traditional medical advice – how much advice do we take from official sources when what our own body tells us is also useful information?” Dr Tan said.

“We have been providing liquid biopsies, or blood tests, for cancer screening, but these can also play a role in longevity, so the person aged 40 and above can make more informed decisions.”

Lucence is among a growing number of health companies responding to rising demand for preventive diagnostics and early detection, as well as growing interest in longevity and well-being. Some examples include Singapore-based, Hong Kong-listed Mirxes, which develops blood tests to detect specific cancers and diseases early; and Hong Kong-listed Prenetics, which makes a DNA test kit that offers over 500 reports on health risks, nutrition and disease prevention based on a single saliva sample.

Dr Tan said this will drive continued growth in precision health, noting that Singapore’s development as a medical technology hub over the past 25 years puts it in a strong position to lead in this area.

While patients already travel here for medical care, biological samples can also be readily shipped from across the region to Singapore, allowing the medical industry here to deliver more accurate insights to improve health outcomes and longevity.

In tandem with the growth of the precision health industry, Lucence has established a workforce of more than 90 staff, of which 70 are based in Singapore.

In the six months to December 2025, it has grown its headcount by 20 per cent and continues to actively hire, Dr Tan said.

“To make sure that we operate a service that is delivering and scaling up in the region, we are constantly hiring people that are determined to scale and that are comfortable with operating regionally.”

Half of the firm’s new hires over the last year have been fresh graduates.

“I’ve hired graduates not just from life science courses, but also those in marketing,” he said. “The background training they have is less important than the willingness to get on with the work and make things happen.”

Lucence currently has a business presence in Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States. It also announced that its tests will be available in India. Key cities that it is looking to expand into include Tokyo, Bangkok, Manila and Kuala Lumpur.

Dr Tan added that Lucence has made strides in the US, where its tests are distributed by Mayo Clinic.

In the Silicon Valley, the confluence of AI and technology can enable healthcare professionals to act for better patient outcomes.

He added that the company also helps to give its Singaporean hires exposure in the US, where healthcare remains a vital sector.

“Fighting cancer is a universal goal, so we play an important role wherever this is,” he said.