As one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a significant global health challenge, especially in low-resource settings, where the lack of timely, accurate, and accessible diagnostics hampers eradication efforts. Against this backdrop, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis tests market in Japan is projected to achieve substantial growth, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 4% through 2036, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data, and analytics company.

GlobalData’s report, “Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Tests Market Size by Segments, Share, Regulatory, Reimbursement, and Forecast to 2036,” reveals that Japan’s Mycobacterium tuberculosis tests market accounted for around 4% of the Asia-Pacific market in 2024, attributed to delays in diagnosis and treatment, associated with limited awareness among patients and physicians, which hinder timely testing.

Japan’s Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund has recently announced an investment of approximately JPY679 million ($4.5 million) to support a multinational collaboration with Fluxus Inc. (USA), Fujirebio Inc. (Japan), and Heidelberg University Hospital (Germany) to develop a compact, ultrasensitive, and non-invasive TB diagnostic platform using advanced biomarker technology.

Divya Soni, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Diagnosing TB remains a challenge due to limited accessibility, suboptimal sensitivity, and delays in results, particularly among children and patients unable to provide sputum samples, contributing to late treatment and sustained transmission in underserved areas. Advances in diagnostic technology are paving the way for innovative point-of-care solutions that offer greater accuracy, affordability, and accessibility, aiming to close diagnostic gaps and mitigate the global burden of TB.”

The collaboration aims to develop a highly sensitive, urine-based assay for detecting lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a key TB biomarker, integrated into a portable point-of-care (PoC) system using Fluxus’s benchtop analyzer. Designed for use in resource-limited settings, it offers rapid, accurate, equipment-free testing and supports software updates for ongoing improvements, making it a flexible solution for TB-endemic regions.

Soni concludes: “As the world moves toward TB elimination, the development of accessible, sensitive, and field-ready diagnostic tools is more urgent than ever. By advancing portable technologies and fostering international R&D collaboration, Japan is helping to reshape the future of TB detection, prioritizing equity, precision, and impact to improve health outcomes on a global scale.”