Halifax-based Myomar Molecular, which has developed a urine test that assesses muscle health, has closed a $3.5 million seed round that will help it expand into the U.S. and Asia.

In an interview, Co-Founder and CEO Rafaela Andrade said the round comprised $1.6 million in equity investment, led by the Northern Ontario Angels, and $1.9 million in non-dilutive funding. The organizations contributing to the round include the Ontario Centre of Innovation and the Ontario Heritage Fund. The $3.5 million total exceeded the company’s original goal of a $3 million raise.

Myomar’s test assesses whether patients’ muscle mass has deteriorated, which is essential in treating degenerative diseases or monitoring the health of seniors. Clinics across Canada are now using the tests, and the company is executing on expansion plans in the U.S. and Japan.

“We are scaling the company right now,” said Andrade in the interview. “We just opened a lab in Aurora, Colorado, so that lab will feed the U.S. operations. It's a centralized lab to help with the shipping of urine across the U.S. for analysis.”

The tests need to be assessed in a lab, and shipping urine samples across the Canada-U.S. border can be complicated, she said. So the company needed to establish a lab in the U.S. to allow its expansion in the world’s largest economy.

The company also has a major partnership with the Japanese supplements giant Suntory Wellness, which invested in Myomar in the latest round. The company will study the use of Myomar tests to assess changes in muscle density amoung the users of its supplements, and this is spearheading the Halifax company’s growth in Japan.

"Myomar Molecular’s groundbreaking approach to non-invasive muscle health testing aligns perfectly with our commitment to addressing global challenges like aging populations and wellness," said Suntory America Director of Strategy and Business Development Yoshio Kinoshita in a statement. "We are excited to support their growth and contribute to advancing preventative health solutions.” 

Andrade added that the company has major partners in Singapore and South Korea, which will also help with Asian growth.

Myomar has recently begun true marketing campaigns for the first time, and has begun working with major clinics in Canada and the U.S., those with millions of customers each. The result has been a surge in revenues.  

“In the last quarter, we doubled the sales from the past quarter,” said Andrade. “We’re still not as big as we'd like to be, but now that we just started selling in the U.S., we think it's going to speed up quite fast.”

She added that changes in the marketplace bode well for the company. For example, about 20 million people are now using GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic or Wegovy, and there are concerns these weight-loss drugs could reduce muscle mass as well as fat. Capturing a mere  0.1 percent of this market could mean a $5 million boost in revenues for Myomar, said Andrade.

Now that the funding round is closed, the Myomar team, which currently comprises eight staff and two full-time contractors, has set its sights on product development and geographic expansion.

“In 2026, we want to finalize our at-home test, which is going to be revolutionary because people will be able to detect muscle degradation at home using a strip,” said Andrade. “And we want to open up the business development in Asia.”