Caris Launches MCED Test: Ion Genomics Newsletter, July 1, 2026
German Merck buys Bio-Techne, lots of Natera news, July 17th happy hour, Springer Nature Sells SciAm, and more.
Caris Life Sciences has launched Caris Detect, a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) blood test that uses whole-genome sequencing, whole-transcriptome sequencing, and artificial intelligence to identify cancer signals at early stages.
As of the July 1 launch, the test is available as a laboratory-developed test for a self-pay rate of $3,500 per test, Guggenheim Securities Analyst Subbu Nambi wrote in a note to investors.
That’s much more than the two other MCED tests currently available as LDTs: Grail’s pathsetting Galleri and Exact Sciences’ Cancerguard (now part of Abbott) both currently run around $700 for self-pay customers.
Caris Detect draws on the company’s molecular profiling database and is supported by data from the Caris Detect ACHIEVE 1 study, which the company said demonstrated performance in detecting cancer signals across multiple cancer types. Caris did not disclose specific performance metrics from the study in its announcement. Nambi noted that Caris marketing materials showed Stage I sensitivity of 56.8 percent, stage II sensitivity of 70.1 percent, stage III sensitivity of 77.1 percent , and stage IV sensitivity of 99.1 percent; Stage I-II combined sensitivity is 61.3 percent.
How that compares to the other tests, namely Galleri, isn’t clear. The Caris test uses deep sequencing, likely boosting sensitivity, Nambi told Ion Genomics. “However, the data they have shared is not interventional or prospective which makes head to head comparison between MCED tests a bit difficult.”
For comparison, in May, Grail presented data from its NHS Galleri trial, suggesting that “annual testing with Galleri increased Stage I-II cancer diagnoses by 16 percent, when added to the standard of care.”
In its statement, Caris said it intends to continue building the clinical evidence base for the test.
“Early detection remains one of the most urgent and consequential challenges in oncology,” Caris CEO and Founder David Halbert said in a statement. “Caris Detect represents a major step forward in our mission to transform cancer care through the most advanced molecular science available. By combining unmatched biological depth with sophisticated AI, we are giving physicians and patients a powerful new tool to help identify cancer earlier and support more informed clinical decisions.”
Ion Genomics Update
Mark your calendars for Friday July 17! I’ll be doing another live happy hour, joined by the incomparable Molly Zeller, lab manager at University of Wisconsin-Madison DNA sequencing core facility. Two topics I can guarantee we’ll be talking about: sequencing technology and Wisconsin beer.
Make sure to sign up for a Substack account to get access to the live broadcast, or catch it later on the usual podcast channels.
Other genomics news
Germany’s Merck to Buy Bio-Techne for $11.3 Billion
German science and technology company Merck KGaA said on June 25 it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Minneapolis-based Bio-Techne for $73 per share in cash, or approximately $11.3 billion.
Natera faces class action suit for discontinued fertility test
A class action suit filed in US federal court accuses Natera of false and misleading advertising for its discontinued preimplantation genetic test for aneuploidy (PGT-A.)
As reported by GenomeWeb, the suit alleges Natera “committed fraud by marketing and selling its Spectrum PGT-A test as a ‘proven, accurate, and reliable method to decrease the chance of miscarriage and increase the chance of giving birth to a healthy baby when science does not support this.’”
More Natera News
Natera's Signatera Wins First MRD Approval in Japan for Colorectal Cancer
Natera’s Signatera tumor-informed molecular residual disease (MRD) test has received regulatory approval from Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for use in patients with colorectal cancer in the adjuvant setting, making it the first PMDA-approved MRD test in the country.
Natera, Aveta Biomics to Incorporate MRD Testing into Phase 3 Cancer Trial
Natera and Aveta Biomics have announced a partnership to incorporate Signatera circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing into Aveta’s global Phase 3 registrational trial evaluating an oral immuntherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Samsung Affiliates Invest $110 million in Grail
Under an agreement announced June 25, Samsung-associated entities invested $110 million in Grail through the purchase of common stock at a price of $70.05 per share.
“This investment from the Samsung entities further strengthens our balance sheet and extends our cash runway as we advance key priorities, including securing regulatory approval and reimbursement for Galleri in the US and expanding access to MCED internationally,” Grail CFO Aaron Freidin, said in a statement.
As previously announced, Grail and Samsung intend to collaborate to commercialize the Galleri MCED test in South Korea, with the potential to expand into additional Asian markets, including Japan and Singapore.
Last month, Samsung poured $175 million into Element Biosciences.
Boehringer Ingelheim, Immunai Ink $15M Collaboration to Analyze T-cells
Boehringer Ingelheim and Immunai have launched a collaboration aimed at identifying novel T-cell targets across immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease.
Bioptimus to Expand AI-Based Tissue Atlas with French GI Cancer Network
French artificial intelligence startup Bioptimus has signed a partnership with the Fédération Francophone de Cancérologie Digestive (FFCD), a French academic cancer research organization, granting the Paris-based biotech access to a cohort of clinical trial data from more than 3,000 gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients.
Inso Biosciences Nabs $200,000 BARDA Funding
Cornell University spinout Inso Biosciences has received $200,000 in non-dilutive funding for technical development, evaluation, and validation of its sequencing sample prep technology. The funding is through Vanguard, a joint initiative between the BioTools Innovator startup accelerator and the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Inso has ties to the lab that developed zero-mode waveguides, the silicon chip features that power Pacific Biosciences’ long-read sequencing technology. The company is developing tech for purifying high-molecular weight DNA purification ahead of long-read sequencing.
NeoGenomics Appoints Carolyn Starrett to Board
Starrett, formerly CEO at Flatiron Health, brings more than 25 years of experience in health tech, data, and AI. She was previously on the board of Foundation Medicine and is currently a life sciences advisor to OpenAI.
CHOP Inks MOU With Abu Dhabi DoH
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abu Dhabi Department of Health establishing a strategic collaboration focused on advancing gene editing capabilities and accelerating innovation in rare disease care.
Under the agreement, CHOP experts will provide specialised training to Abu Dhabi clinician-scientists in innovative gene editing approaches for rare diseases. The collaboration will focus on building local expertise and further refining specialised skills in base-editing therapies targeting conditions including liver metabolic disorders, genetic clotting disorders, urea cycle disorders and central nervous system conditions, while supporting the long-term development of advanced therapies for diseases prevalent within the region.
In 2025, CHOP created the first personalized gene‑editing therapy for a baby with a rare metabolic disease, https://www.chop.edu/news/childrens-hospital-philadelphia-marks-one-year-anniversary-worlds-first-personalized-crispr
Elsewhere on Substack: Springer Nature Sells Scientific American
SciAm, as it’s fondly referred to, was owned by Springer Nature, a publishing giant that owns scientific journals including Nature.
They just sold it to the conglomerate that publishes Discover, among other titles. The new owners promptly fired the unionized employees, including some of the best science writers and editors in the business.
What I’m Reading
As reported by GEN:
A journey that has lasted more than 30 years for Sangamo Therapeutics, a pioneering gene editing biotech company in the Bay Area, has reached an unwanted milestone as the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Concurrent with its starting voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Sangamo simultaneously entered into two separate asset sale agreements: Eli Lilly has agreed to acquire Sangamo’s capsid delivery platform, zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) platform, modular integrase (MINT) platform, and prion disease program, ST-506. Astellas Pharma has agreed to take over Sangamo’s Fabry disease program, isaralgagene civaparvovec (ST-920).
The first beat I had in genomics was CRISPR and genome editing technologies, so there’s a pang of loss in seeing that Sangamo Therapeutics has filed for bankruptcy. I recall that Sangamo’ Fydor Urnov was one of the most visible proponents of genome editing in those days, especially for the therapeutic potential of CRISPR.