MTL Epitherapeutics and RI-MUHC Develop Early Prostate Cancer Blood Test

June 13, 2025

Montreal, Quebec — May 8, 2025

MTL Epitherapeutics, a Quebec-based biotechnology company, has received funding through the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) and CEIM to support the development of a prostate cancer blood test aimed at detecting aggressive cases earlier. The project is being developed in collaboration with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC).

The new prostate cancer blood test uses DNA methylation profiling and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify cancer-specific epigenetic markers in circulating tumor DNA. It aims to provide a non-invasive, more accurate alternative to PSA screening, which often lacks specificity and leads to unnecessary procedures.

“This initiative addresses the urgent need for better early detection tools,” said Dr. David Cheishvili, co-founder of MTL Epitherapeutics and affiliated scientist at the RI-MUHC. “We are using DNA-based markers to distinguish aggressive prostate cancer from benign conditions with high precision.”

The prostate cancer blood test project includes:

Optimization of assay protocols in partnership with a Quebec-based contract research organization
Clinical validation using patient samples from Quebec
Integration of machine learning tools to improve biomarker classification

Dr. Shafaat Rabbani, senior scientist at the RI-MUHC, is leading the validation studies at the McGill University Health Centre. The test builds on biomarker research validated in over 18,000 public samples and is being designed for scalability and future regulatory use.

This initiative complements ongoing research efforts at the RI-MUHC. For more information, see the related article:
New blood test aims to detect aggressive prostate cancer earlier.

About MTL Epitherapeutics

MTL Epitherapeutics is a Montreal-based biotech company developing diagnostic tools based on DNA methylation for early cancer detection and monitoring. Co-founded by epigenetics pioneer Dr. Moshe Szyf and DNA methylation expert Dr. David Cheishvili, the company integrates bioinformatics, NGS, and machine learning to bring molecular diagnostics into clinical practice.

Learn more at epimedtech.com