An illustration of a DNA helix. Natera has acquired cancer testing company Foresight Diagnostics, whose technology detects two or more mutations on the same DNA molecule.

Dive Brief:

• Natera last week said it completed the acquisition of Foresight Diagnostics, expanding the company’s position in solid tumor molecular residual disease detection, particularly in lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.
• The all-stock transaction was valued at $275 million upfront, plus up to $175 million in revenue- and reimbursement-based milestone payments.
• Foresight’s PhasED-Seq technology will be integrated into Natera’s Signatera platform to further differentiate performance in solid tumors.

Dive Insight:

Foresight’s testing technology is a liquid biopsy approach that identifies small amounts of circulating tumor DNA left in the blood after treatment that can signal cancer recurrence.

The company’s Clarity test tracks genomic differences between cancer and healthy cells and can detect ctDNA levels below one part per million. The PhasED-Seq technology reduces errors in sequencing data by requiring detection of at least two separate mutations on the same DNA molecule.

Foresight claims the test is up to 100 times more sensitive than other first-generation liquid biopsy methods.

“This deal catapults [Natera] into the ultra-sensitive MRD test ranks,” Jefferies analyst Tycho Peterson said in a note.

Natera said Foresight’s phased variant technology and leadership in lymphoma complement its own capabilities in personalized MRD testing. Natera’s Signatera test is personalized to each patient’s unique tumor DNA for potentially more precise results.

Foresight is leading clinical research on B-cell lymphomas, an area where more than 75,000 new cases occur annually in the U.S., the companies said.

The enhanced version of Signatera, with phased variants, is available immediately for research use for biopharma and academic partners, they said. It is expected to be launched for clinical use in 2026.