The firm will scale US-based testing capacity for its LiquidHallmark liquid biopsy assay, which uses amplicon-based technology to detect cancer-related mutations.
Ceres plans to develop its Nanotrap technology to isolate undetectable levels of circulating tumor DNA in blood samples from non-small cell lung cancer patients.
The company believes its tests can already help oncologists better assess post-surgery risk, though prospective validation would be necessary for broad claims.
The company's HCCscreen assay will be used in a liver cancer screening public health initiative, generating real-world data on the test's clinical validity and impact.
The firm also discussed recent studies comparing its UltraSeek lung cancer assay with more established liquid biopsy tests to detect drug-resistant mutations.
Epic will access the center's liquid biopsy samples and expand its platform to in-depth characterization of cell-free fractions and circulating tumor cells.
The company also announced John Leite, the former leader of clinical business development activities at Illumina, had joined the firm as chief business officer.
The company highlighted efforts to expand the use of its tests in the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, an area in which research collaborations have begun to yield some data.
A negative preliminary decision regarding reimbursement for the company's flagship colon cancer screening test in the US remains an issue for the company.
The Chinese company is branching out from its core genomics business to liquid biopsy cancer screening and monitoring as it eyes areas for global expansion.
The startup aims to combine its microfluidic platform with a circulating tumor DNA-based assay offered by a potential partner and launch the test by 2022.
