The researchers found that the reliable sampling of rare circulating tumor DNA fragments served as the key challenge for developing liquid biopsy assays.
The Rehovot, Israel-based firm expects to soon receive marketing clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for its methylation-based Bladder EpiCheck test.
The Taiwan-based startup aims to publish data showing the instrument's prognostic value in colorectal cancer, as well as launch a new version, by this summer.
The Italian firm believes its liquid biopsy method can help assays detect early-stage breast cancer to minimize mammography screening prior to curative surgery.
Following the launch of its urine-based Qsant assay later this year, the firm plans to develop updated versions of it with new biomarkers for different disease indications.
The method, which uses a metabolic marker called hexokinase-2, could be developed to predict cancer patient prognosis and determine progression-free survival.
The group aims to adapt the method, which detects poly-adenine tails, to monitor for minimal residual disease in late-stage colon cancer patients after surgery.
The team plans to integrate the method, which combines mutation enrichment with duplex sequencing, into its platform to detect minimal residual disease in blood.
The firm will build liquid biopsy companion diagnostic tests that complement its tissue-based assays and are tailored for drugs developed by pharma partners.
The FDA and CDC call for a pause in administering Johnson & Johnson's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine while reports of rare blood clots are looked into, reports the Wall Street Journal.