Liquid Biopsy and Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Tests

Liquid biopsies are minimally invasive tests that analyze bodily fluids (typically blood) to detect cancer-derived materials, such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and extracellular vesicles/exosomes. Building on this technology, Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) tests can simultaneously screen for multiple types of cancer—including those without standard screening protocols, like pancreatic or ovarian cancer—from a single blood draw.

How They Work MCED assays measure various biological signals shed by tumors into the bloodstream. These include DNA sequence mutations, DNA methylation patterns (epigenetic changes), DNA fragmentation profiles, and protein biomarkers. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms are then used to anal ...