SINGAPORE, July 5 -- A Singapore skincare company born out of a traditional soya sauce business may hold clues to new cancer therapies, thanks to a fungus used in fermentation.

The Straits Times reported today that Kitkoji, a spin-off from heritage brand Nanyang Sauce, is working with the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) to study fungal metabolites - molecules produced during fermentation - for their potential in treating cancer.

The one-year collaboration, signed in May, will focus on validating early findings that showed anti-cancer effects in a proprietary extract found in Kitkoji's products.

The key ingredient is Aspergillus oryzae, or koji, a mould commonly used in fermenting soya sauce, miso and sake.

In 2022, Nanyang's s...