ARPA-H awardees to develop lymphatic system diagnostics

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has selected 11 research and development teams to develop a comprehensive diagnostic toolkit for earlier detection of lymphatic system problems, the agency recently announced.

The teams will be part of the Lymphatic Imaging, Genomics, and pHenotyping Technologies (LIGHT) program, which will invest $135.7 million in lymphatics research over 5 years.

The lymphatic system plays roles in the spread of cancer, heart failure, chronic inflammation, and neurodegenerative disorders. It also is a major contributor to diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney, liver, and lung diseases, long COVID, and Lyme disease. Although imaging and genetic diagnostics for other organ systems have surged ahead, lymphatic diagnostics lag decades behind, ARPA-H said. Millions of Americans with lymphatic dysfunction, including lymphedema, receive misdiagnoses or are never diagnosed.

Many awardees’ goals are laboratory-related. They include developing a device to measure lymphatic flow and obstruction in real time, devising a method for precisely diagnosing and classifying pediatric lymphatic anomalies, and developing a score for detecting lymphatic dysfunction and predicting lymphedema risk. Other lab-related objectives include discovery of biomarkers and targeted imaging agents for liver and gut lymphatics, building an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered predictive tool, and a comprehensive diagnostic platform that integrates AI-enabled biomarker technologies, high-resolution photoacoustic imaging, and multimodal genetic-epigenetic predictors.

Collaboration aims to accelerate precision oncology

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and SOPHiA Genetics recently announced a collaboration to develop data-driven tools to accurately analyze, interpret, and translate diagnostic results into clinical practice.

As part of the collaboration, MD Anderson and SOPHiA GENETICS will develop an advanced next-generation sequencing oncology test that translates complex multimodal data into actionable insights with greater speed and scale. MD Anderson researchers will use SOPHiA GENETICS’ artificial intelligence to create bioinformatics pipelines that enable clinicians to interpret complex RNA-sequencing data. The collaboration will explore new ways to characterize tumor evolution in real time, strengthen the reliability and reproducibility of complex genomic testing, and enhance identification of optimal clinical trials or research avenues for individual patients.

Research focuses on early Alzheimer’s disease blood test

A major international research project is underway to test whether a fingerprick blood test that detects phosphorylated tau 217, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and neurofilament light polypeptide could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

The fingerprick test uses a simple plasma separation card that does not need refrigeration. It can be stored and shipped to a laboratory for analysis at ambient temperature. The study will compare the test with a variety of other experimental Alzheimer’s disease tests, including speech tests, retinal scans, cognitive tests, and gold standard PET scans and MRI scans.

The project is part of the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation‘s Bio-Hermes-002 study, a cross-sectional study that will result in a blood, cerebrospinal fluid, retinal, digital, MRI, and PET brain imaging biomarker database.

Partnership to advance cancer diagnostics that examine intracellular DNA folding

Fox Chase Cancer Center and Arima Genomics recently announced a partnership to develop advanced diagnostics based on analysis of the three-dimensional structure of DNA.

The collaboration, which includes Fox Chase’s Cancer Epigenetics Cancer Institute (CPI), aims to help physicians better identify genomic changes that traditional testing methods may miss.

CPI will leverage Arima’s Hi-C-based technology — which captures how DNA folds and interacts inside cells — in its diagnostic workflows for lymphoma and sarcoma through Arima’s Aventa Lymphoma and Aventa FusionPlus tests.

Unlike conventional DNA sequencing, which breaks the genome up into millions of tiny reads that lose their spatial relationships, Arima’s platform allows for analysis of the 3D architecture of the entire genome, revealing important structural changes. This expanded view offers more accurate insights into how a tumor forms and evolves, Fox Chase Cancer Center and Arima Genomics said.

Collaboration will advance liquid biopsies in the U.S.

A strategic collaboration between Pangea Laboratory and Gene Solutions will validate artificial intelligence-driven liquid biopsy assays for use in cancer detection, characterization, and monitoring within CLIA-certified and College of American Pathologists (CAP)-accredited laboratory settings in the United States market.

The collaboration will initially focus on validating two flagship assays from Gene Solutions. One is SPOT-MAS, a type of liquid biopsy that integrates circulating tumor DNA epigenomics, the physical, nonrandom fragmentation patterns of circulating cell-free DNA, and genomics to detect early cancer signals from a single 10 mL blood draw.

The other test, K-4CARE, combines comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic profiling with molecular residual disease detection to guide targeted therapy selection and deliver longitudinal circulating DNA-MRD monitoring insights.

Pangea Laboratory will leverage its integrated validation platform and regulatory expertise to
oversee all analytical and clinical validation activities for Gene Solutions’ innovative multiomics technologies.

Collaboration focuses on next-generation metastatic breast cancer sequencing

A partnership between KDA Group and AstraZeneca Canada aims to improve next-generation sequencing for patients with metastatic breast cancer, KDA Group recently announced.

This partnership will use KDA’s digital platform Medherize, integrated with the Quebec health record, known as Dossier Santé Québec (DSQ). Medherize consolidates laboratory results, clinical alerts, and patient-reported information into a single workflow for clinicians.

The companies plan to integrate targeted digital alerts within Medherize to prompt timely testing, interpretation, and clinical action, thereby supporting consistent adoption of precision oncology practices across the care continuum.

This approach also aligns with a new Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services framework for community pharmacists regarding oral anticancer medication practices, including analysis of treatments based on laboratory results. Medherize will connect pharmacists to relevant DSQ information and enable automatic receipt of lab results, clinical alerts, and patient-reported adverse events to facilitate more consistent follow-up.

Read the full March-April 2026 issue of CLN.