Category: diagnostics
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STAT+: Key study of Grail’s cancer detection test fails in setback for company
STAT+: Key study of Grail’s cancer detection test fails in setback for company A blood test for detecting cancer early being developed by the diagnostics firm Grail failed to meet its main goal in a giant study being conducted with England’s National Health Service, the company said Thursday. Grail’s test has been the standard bearer…
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STAT+: Cancer detection firm Freenome to go public via $330 million SPAC deal
STAT+: Cancer detection firm Freenome to go public via $330 million SPAC deal Freenome, a Bay Area biotech that is part of the increasingly competitive race to accurately detect cancer early through blood-based tests, announced Friday that it plans to go public to advance the development of tests that can spot individual cancers and several…
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STAT+: In radiology, an early adopter of AI, technology is advancing faster than the field can keep up
STAT+: In radiology, an early adopter of AI, technology is advancing faster than the field can keep up In the massive demonstration arena of Chicago’s McCormick Place conference complex this week, hundreds of computer monitors lit up with every body part and radiological image: fractures in X-rays, breast cancer in mammograms, brain atrophy in MRIs,…
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STAT+: Wellness startup Function Health raises $300 million as consumer lab testing picks up steam
STAT+: Wellness startup Function Health raises $300 million as consumer lab testing picks up steam Function Health, which offers its members nutrition, supplement, and other lifestyle guidance based on lab tests and body scans, announced on Wednesday $298 million in new funding with plans to add artificial intelligence features to help with the interpretation of…
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STAT+: Grail says new data on multi-cancer screening test show improved performance
STAT+: Grail says new data on multi-cancer screening test show improved performance As part of its bid to transform the future of cancer screening and seize control of a potentially vast and increasingly competitive market, Grail announced fresh data on Friday from a large U.S. study of its flagship blood-based test for detecting dozens of…
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STAT+: Fifty cancer types in one liquid biopsy test: Exact Sciences enters early-detection market
STAT+: Fifty cancer types in one liquid biopsy test: Exact Sciences enters early-detection market Consumers can now purchase Exact Sciences’ liquid biopsy early detection test, Cancerguard, and get an indication of whether they might have one of 50 different cancers included in the test’s analysis. The biotechnology company launched the test on Wednesday, and Tom…
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STAT+: Exact Sciences acquires rights to rival Freenome’s blood-based colon cancer test
STAT+: Exact Sciences acquires rights to rival Freenome’s blood-based colon cancer test Exact Sciences announced on Wednesday that it acquired the rights to a blood-based colon cancer screening test from rival firm Freenome. Exact is paying Freenome $75 million for exclusive rights in the United States to current and future versions of the Bay Area…
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Major Alzheimer’s group says some blood tests may be used in place of brain scans for diagnosis
Major Alzheimer’s group says some blood tests may be used in place of brain scans for diagnosis A major Alzheimer’s disease medical group is recommending that specialists may use certain blood tests to help diagnose patients with cognitive impairment in lieu of more complex and invasive tests, a move that could lead more people to…
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STAT+: Anne Wojcicki wins back 23andMe, this time as a nonprofit
STAT+: Anne Wojcicki wins back 23andMe, this time as a nonprofit A nonprofit led by Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder and long-time CEO of genetic data firm 23andMe, won a last-minute bidding war to buy most of the company’s assets for a price of $305 million, the company said in a press release. The news, reported…
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FDA clears first blood test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s
FDA clears first blood test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s The Food and Drug Administration approved on Friday the first blood test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, opening up a quicker way for patients to get detected for the neurological condition and receive treatment. The test, developed by Japan-based Fujirebio Diagnostics, uses a blood sample to detect the…
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Trump’s drug-pricing plan and a potential Theranos 2.0
Trump’s drug-pricing plan and a potential Theranos 2.0 How likely is it for President Trump’s new drug-pricing plan to be implemented? Why have investors seemed unbothered by the proposal? And will we see a return of Elizabeth Holmes’ blood-testing ambitions? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s…
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Elizabeth Holmes rises again — or at least her partner does
Elizabeth Holmes rises again — or at least her partner does She is serving an 11-year prison sentence for misleading investors and is barred from participating in federal health programs for 90 years. But Elizabeth Holmes’ dream of a diagnostic testing revolution is once again the talk of health care. The emergence of Haemanthus, a…
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First at-home test kit for cervical cancer approved by the FDA, company says
First at-home test kit for cervical cancer approved by the FDA, company says WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators have approved the first cervical cancer testing kit that allows women to collect their own sample at home before shipping it to a laboratory, according to a medical device company. Teal Health said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved…