July 31, 2025 | UK Biobank completed the world’s largest whole body imaging project; Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics announced a strategic co-marketing agreement with Promega Corporation; and more.
Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics announced a strategic co-marketing agreement with Promega Corporation to deliver integrated molecular testing solutions designed to enhance safety, efficiency, and flexibility across a wide range of diagnostic settings. This collaboration brings together Longhorn’s PrimeStore Molecular Transport Medium (MTM) and Promega’s Maxwell automated nucleic acid extraction platform, delivering an end-to-end workflow to support an all-in-one solution for safer and enhanced virus sample collection, transportation, and analysis. Press release.
Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system, named the Supervised Contrastive Ordinal Learning algorithm, that could support medical professionals in detecting and accurately diagnosing the stage of disease in a range of serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetic eye complications, and cancer. The AI system uses routine and non-invasive medical images, such as bone density scans and ultrasounds not only for the early detection of diseases, but also to highlight disease-specific changes that help in staging and clinical interpretation. Press release.
Geneoscopy has received FDA approval to streamline the stool collection process for ColoSense, its RNA-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test. The newly approved collection kit no longer requires patients to separate their sample into multiple containers. This improves ease of use and reduces barriers to at-home screening, while maintaining clinical performance. ColoSense uses advanced RNA technology to detect biomarkers associated with CRC and advanced adenomas—precancerous growths that can develop into cancer if left untreated. Press release.
MeMed completed its multi-year development of MeMed BV Flex, a next-generation test designed to expand the reach of MeMed BV into decentralized, CLIA-waived settings. The test enables accurate differentiation between bacterial and viral infections in just 15 minutes using only a few drops of capillary blood from a finger prick. Following initial dialogue with the FDA, a multi-center pivotal study is underway to confirm clinical accuracy and support regulatory submission. Press release.
Castle Biosciences announced that its DecisionDx-Melanoma test has been granted Breakthrough Device designation from the FDA. DecisionDx-Melanoma is a gene expression profile test that provides comprehensive, personalized results to guide risk-aligned management decisions for patients diagnosed with stage I-III cutaneous melanoma. DecisionDx-Melanoma is designed to provide biological insights that help inform clinicians’ post-diagnosis decision making based on a patient's individual predicted risk of metastasis. Press release.
10x Genomics and the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) have entered a research collaboration for the Target Inference from Spatialomics & Histology Using Multimodal AI & Phenotypes (TISHUMAP) project. A*STAR GIS and 10x Genomics will analyze up to 2,500 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded clinical tissue samples, including those from gastric, liver and colorectal cancers. This initiative will leverage 10x Genomics' Xenium platform and advanced artificial intelligence to analyze thousands of tissue samples with the goal of accelerating drug target discovery and enabling precision medicine for cancer and inflammatory diseases. Press release.
UK Biobank completed the world’s largest whole body imaging project, scanning the brains, hearts, abdomens, blood vessels, bones, and joints of 100,000 volunteers. Since 2015, UK Biobank’s imaging data have been released in batches and scientists around the world are using these data to develop better diagnostic tests for life-altering conditions such as heart disease, dementia and cancer. Soon, approved researchers will have access to over one billion de-identified images, from 100,000 volunteers. Press release.
Fred Hutch Cancer Center has launched the Vanguard Study, a national study of a new type of blood test that screens several different cancers called multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests. Researchers will evaluate whether these blood tests will help people ages 45 to 75 find cancer early when it may be easier to treat. The Vanguard Study is a pivotal first step in evaluating the feasibility of conducting large-scale randomized clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of MCD tests and other emerging cancer screening technologies. Its findings are intended to help shape the design and implementation of future studies aimed at advancing early cancer detection. Press release.
Waters Corporation and Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) announced a definitive agreement to combine BD's Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business with Waters. The companies expect the agreement to bring together complementary technologies to serve high-volume testing in attractive and regulated end markets; accelerate Waters’ expansion into multiple high-growth adjacent end-markets; apply Waters’ proven execution model to unlock the full potential of BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business; and more. Press release.