Otago-based medical diagnostics company Pacific Edge says Japan has given it a patent for its colon and rectal cancer technology.
The company said its colorectal cancer prognostic technology is in the late stages of development.
Chief executive David Darling said it was a significant step for the business to secure intellectual property protection in Japan - a country where colorectal cancer is the most prevalent type of that disease.
Mr Darling said Japan was the world's second largest single biomedical market.
Meanwhile, Pacific Edge is continuing to focus on rolling out its commercial bladder cancer detection device Cxbladder in the United States.
