Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Freenome Acquires Cancer Dx Firm Oncimmune

NEW YORK – Freenome announced on Monday that it has acquired UK-based cancer immunodiagnostics firm Oncimmune Ltd. for an undisclosed amount. 

Oncimmune, a subsidiary of cancer immune-profiling company Oncimmune Holdings, offers its CE-marked EarlyCDT Lung blood test, ImmunoInsights autoantibody discovery platform, and a research and development pipeline of more than seven cancer detection signatures, Freenome said in a statement. EarlyCDT Lung detects elevated levels of autoantibodies generated by the immune system in patients with early-stage lung cancer. 

Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

South San Francisco, California-based Freenome's multiomics platform combines machine learning with tumor and non-tumor signals to detect early-stage cancers from blood. It is completing verification and validation studies for its colorectal cancer screening test for submission to the US Food and Drug Administration, the company said. It has also developed population health solutions for insurers and clinicians to complement its blood tests. 

The acquisition "positions Freenome to expand its existing multiomics platform capabilities with non-tumor derived signals and bolsters our tailored portfolio of screening tests for cancer detection," Freenome CEO Mike Nolan said in a statement. "In addition, the growing clinical impact of EarlyCDT Lung, a commercialized autoantibody assay, strengthens Freenome's lung cancer detection capabilities."

The Scan

Machine Learning Helps ID Molecular Mechanisms of Pancreatic Islet Beta Cell Subtypes in Type 2 Diabetes

The approach helps overcome limitations of previous studies that had investigated the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic islet beta cells, the authors write in their Nature Genetics paper.

Culture-Based Methods, Shotgun Sequencing Reveal Transmission of Bifidobacterium Strains From Mothers to Infants

In a Nature Communications study, culture-based approaches along with shotgun sequencing give a better picture of the microbial strains transmitted from mothers to infants.

Microbial Communities Can Help Trees Adapt to Changing Climates

Tree seedlings that were inoculated with microbes from dry, warm, or cold sites could better survive drought, heat, and cold stress, according to a study in Science.

A Combination of Genetics and Environment Causes Cleft Lip

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers investigate what combination of genetic and environmental factors come into play to cause cleft lip/palate.