Craif Inc. (Location: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Ryuichi Onose, hereinafter referred to as “Craif”) and Tokio Marine & Nichido Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (Location: Chiyoda-ku, President and CEO: Katsumi Nakazato, hereinafter referred to as “Tokio Marine & Nichido Life Insurance”) announced a new partnership. With this partnership, “miSignal™” series will be provided to customers of Tokio Marine & Nichido Life Insurance at a preferential price to support early detection of cancers starting from 2^nd February 2020.

■ Background and purpose of this partnership 
Craif is a startup company founded in 2018. “NANO IP™ (NANO Intelligence Platform),” enables highly accurate detection of biological material such as microRNAs, related to diseases by using non-invasively collected bodily fluids, like urine. With this innovative platform, Craif is dedicated to developing screening tests using NANO IP™ to achieve early detection of cancer and provide the best medicine for everybody. According to Monthly Vital Statistics published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, cancer have been the leading cause of death in Japan since 1981 (accounts  for 27.6% of all deaths in 2020), posing a major challenge to the lives and health of the public. Although the 5-year relative survival rate of cancer patients has been improving due to medical advances, the 5-year relative survival rate for stage IV cancer is still below 40%, while the 5-year relative survival rate for stage I cancer is over 90% according to the above statistics.

Craif is aiming for social implementation of a “highly accurate early stage cancer detection test utilizing urinary miRNA.” Tokio Marine & Nichido Life Insurance has been conducting “Protect Customers from Cancer Campaign” since 2007, providing “comprehensive solutions” to customers not only by insurance claims payment but also by various means. In February 2022, Tokio Marine & Nichido Life Insurance will launch a new cancer insurance called “Anshin Cancer Treatment Insurance,” which covers treatment costs from short-term treatment for early stage cancer to long-term treatment for serious cancer. With the launch of “miSignal^TM” series, Tokio Marine & Nichido Life Insurance will extend efforts for social contribution through early detection of cancer by offering “miSignal™” at a preferential price.

■ About “miSignal™”

miSignal™ is a PCR test that detects urinary miRNA which plays an important role in the onset, progression and metastasis of cancer. Our distinctive technology efficiently captures urinary miRNA and detects the risk of early stage cancer with high accuracy. The greatest feature of this test is that it is “painless.” By simply submitting your urine to a medical institution, you can easily check your risk of cancer without any burden. The first test from miSignal series will be for ovarian cancer available from 1st February. Along with the progress of R&D, the number of cancer types that miSignal can cover will gradually increase. For more details, please visit our website (http://misignal.jp/).

■ Comments from both companies
Ryuichi Onose, CEO, Craif 
While the cost of cancer treatment varies depending on the duration of the treatment etc., insurance benefits of conventional cancer insurance policies are often equal, resulting in a gap with the latest treatment realities. The new cancer insurance policy “Anshin Cancer Treatment Insurance” is a new initiative to address such issues, and Craif hopes to contribute to Tokio Marine & Nichido Anshin Life Insurance’s challenge by providing “miSignal™,” an early stage cancer detection test utilizing urinary miRNA. 

■ About Tokio Marine & Nichido Anshin Life Insurance Co.
Due to recents medical advances, it is said that cancer can be cured if it is detected at an early stage. In order to support early detection of cancer and protect customers along with insurance coverage, we will introduce Craif’s cancer risk test, “miSignal^™,” at a preferential price to our customers. Together with Craif, we will continue to support early detection of cancer.