In Vitro Diagnostics

Back-to-back meetings at LSX? No time to attend the innovator showcase? Here is what you might have missed from medtech innovators at the LSX World Congress Europe on 29 April.

The FDA's final LDT ruling was struck down in federal court last month. For now, diagnostic companies can commercialize under CLIA regulations or apply for FDA approval. McDermott and Tribun Health have shared insights on the risks, pros and cons of both regulatory routes.

Cambridge-based startup Mursla Bio's liquid biopsy test EvoLiver uses extracellular vesicles to detect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk cirrhotic patients. Medtech Insight sat down with with Mursla Bio CEO Pierre Arsène.

OneCell Diagnostics, the Mumbai-based startup backed with $16m in series A funding, is rebranding to 1Cell.Ai to represent the firm's focus on combining deep science with AI-powered capabilities.

Biotech and pharma are increasingly clear about one thing: They need diagnostics. But with prices suppressed, how have diagnostics companies proven their utility without going under?

Now that a federal judge has ruled the US FDA exceeded its authority by unilaterally assuming regulatory oversight of lab-developed tests, what’s the agency’s next move? And does it really have one?

In this week’s Digital Health Roundup, Medtech Insight’s Marion Webb highlights her conference coverage from CES, HIMSS, AAOS and LSI including Exec Chats with Gary Guthart, CEO of Intuitive Surgical, and Arcadia’s chief strategy officer Aneesh Chopra. Brian Bossetta highlights a recently FDA-cleared alert system that sends vital signs to clinicians. Elizabeth Orr discusses FDA warning letters sent to Exer Labs for exceeding marketing claims under what is allowed under the device’s 510(k) clearance. Shubham Singh discusses how Roche's unveiling of its next-generation sequencing (NGS) prototype challenges Illumina. The SBX technology is set to compete directly with Illumina’s NovaSeq and NextSeq platforms.

The Cologuard Plus test has a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 94% for the detection of colorectal cancer; “unmatched accuracy,” according to Exact Sciences.

A federal judge in Texas delivered what is most likely a fatal blow to the US FDA’s final rule, which would have regulated lab-developed tests as medical devices.

The urine-based GAGome test showed promise in the first clinical results from the international AURORAX-0087A, in the largest study conducted on clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.

A new set of clinical lab regulations, which came into effect in January, include higher fees, an expanded set of possible consequences for labs that are not in compliance, and revised employee standards.

23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced the resignation of founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki. Privacy concerns surrounding the sale of its extensive genetic database remain after a 2023 data breach exposed data from some 7 million users. Experts warn that bankruptcy proceedings could lead to consumer data being sold, raising questions about legal protections and consumer rights.

ACLA wants policymakers to see the vital role clinical labs play in delivering better health outcomes for patients and improving public health, especially in their potential for catching diseases early.

Implementing a reflex test alongside traditional prostate cancer screening is cost-effective for high-risk groups, claims Prostate Cancer Research. Oxford BioDynamics sheds light on UK market conditions influencing the adoption of its reflex test, EpiSwitch PSE.

Hologic attains full US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for its Aptima SARS-CoV-2 assay, which reached market under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Overall, Hologic’s “best-performing” molecular diagnostic business continues to grow despite the decline in revenue for COVID-19 assays and related items.

Researchers from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Center are testing Digostics’ GTT@home test in children to assess if it offers a better alternative to the clinical gold-standard oral glucose tolerance test.

Oxford BioDynamics' blood-based colorectal cancer diagnostic test EpiSwitch NST has shown high accuracy (81-85%) and positive predictive values (57-87%) for colorectal cancer and polyps. By reducing false positives, the test could minimize unnecessary follow-up procedures.

Precision medicine startup LinusBio launches its breakthrough diagnostic aid across 44 US states. The laboratory test aims to support earlier diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and can be ordered by health care providers.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft guidance limits tissue biopsy collection in clinical trials to primary endpoints and specific research use cases. However, Andrew Newland, CEO of circulating tumor cell (CTC) liquid biopsy firm Angle Plc, believes that the guidance could enhance the market for liquid biopsy makers.

Stock prices for liquid biopsy firm Angle Plc are up since 28 January after the release of new research. The study used Angle’s technology to detect clinically relevant mutations in circulating tumor cells that were not found in traditional circulating DNA, allowing for further insights into cancer progression, Andrew Newland, Angle CEO, told Medtech Insight.