Radically different
Nature Medicine, Published online: 29 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04516-1
We developed a tool, Talos, for automated reanalysis of genomic data from patients with a rare disease and show that frequent reanalysis can be delivered at scale and low cost. Talos is open source, thereby enabling broad adoption by the clinical and research communities.
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 29 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03186-1
Serine integrases are retargeted to streamline genomic integrations of DNA.
Nature Medicine, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04477-5
Talos, a new tool for the automated analysis of genomic data, demonstrates the feasibility and diagnostic utility of systematic reanalyses of data in rare diseases.
Nvidia has announced the NVIDIA BioNeMo Agent Toolkit, which turns complex scientific workflows into agent-executable tasks, including model selection, input preparation, workflow execution, output inspection, and results explanation.
The toolkit includes NVIDIA BioNeMo and is powered by NVIDIA NIM microservices, NVIDIA Parabricks, NVIDIA NeMo, and NVIDIA Nemotron and has applications across protein structure prediction, molecular docking, generative chemistry, genomic analysis, protein design, and biomarker discovery.
“For the first time, researchers can build AI agents that understand scientific knowledge, use scientific tools, and execute scientific workflows,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, in a press release. “This is a new way to do science—one that can dramatically accelerate discovery across biology, chemistry, genomics, and medicine.”
Nvidia has entered collaborations with research organizations, including the Arc Institute, Open Molecular Software Foundation, and the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD). The partnership with IPD has accelerated runtimes for the biomolecular complex prediction tool, RosettaFold3, resulting in two times faster performance than the prior generation model.
“Every tool we’ve built for protein design is only as powerful as the scientists who can efficiently access it,” said David Baker, PhD, professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington and director of the Institute for Protein Design, in a public release. “The next leap in science won’t come from a single discovery; it will come from the speed of iterative designs and agents that can repeatedly reason through the complexity of biology at a speed humans never could.”
The toolkit’s applications include virtual screening, where agents identify promising small-molecule drug candidates by generating compound designs, docking them to a target, predicting binding strength, and filtering for developability properties. The agent can then output which candidates should be prioritized to compress timelines.
In genomic analysis and target discovery, agents can identify genetic insights and biological targets from raw sequencing data. Agents can also connect real-world data to reasoning models for biomedical research, improving the efficiency and accuracy of clinical development processes, including literature review, protocol generation, clinical trial screening, and pharmacovigilance. In medical imaging analysis, agents can process, segment, synthesize, and reason over medical imaging data to support biomarker discovery.
AI-native biology companies, including Boltz, Basecamp Research, Chai Discovery, PerturbAI, Dyno, and Proxima, have collaborated with NVIDIA to develop tools to accelerate therapeutic design workflows. Diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies, including Lilly and Natera, are using BioNeMo Agent Toolkit to scale agentic workflows across discovery, translational research, and clinical insight.
The post Nvidia Unveils Science Reasoning AI Suite with BioNeMo Agent Toolkit appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
Epigenetics is increasingly powering cancer diagnostics and liquid biopsies. These emerging private companies are spurring the market with structural DNA, fragmentomics, and DNA methylation tests.
Our understanding of the role of epigenetics in disease is growing rapidly, driven by rapid advances in sequencing technology and computing.
Epigenetic processes such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA expression can interact with genomic changes to cause cancer. Therefore, diagnostics can detect early signs of disease by screening for these epigenetic signals.
Players including Illumina, Agilent Technologies, and Roche Diagnostics are leading the global market for epigenetic diagnostics, which is expected to swell by 15.5% per year from $17 billion in 2024 to $39 billion by 2030.
Growth is being driven by the increasing affordability of genome sequencing; the integration of AI tools in data analysis; growing investments; and soaring demand for liquid biopsies—noninvasive cancer tests based on blood and urine samples.
One of the first diagnostics with an epigenetic component to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was Exact Sciences’ (now part of Abbott Laboratories) ColoGuard® noninvasive stool test for colorectal cancer in 2014.
Since then, epigenetics diagnostics have already been generating M&A activity, with deals in the space including Cardio Diagnostics of the U.S. going public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Mana Capital in 2022; the takeover of Ireland’s EpiCapture by compatriot Trinity Biotech in 2024; the 2023 acquisition of Germany’s Epigenomics AG by U.S.-based New Day Diagnostics; and U.S. Agilent’s acquisition of Avida Biomed, also in 2023.
There is also corporate venture interest with giants like Illumina Ventures, the Labcorp Venture Fund, and Lilly Asia Ventures making investments in small startups.
Check out below for our take on the most promising privately-owned players in the epigenetics diagnostics space, based on their investor attraction and market potential.
1. Arima Genomics
Founded: 2015 | Headquarters: Carlsbad, California
Arima Genomics was spun out of UC San Diego and developed research tools to pinpoint the 3D structure of DNA in cells.
However, the company pivoted to cancer diagnostics after its assay discovered vital clues on how to treat a teenage girl with glioblastoma in 2022.
Arima’s Hi-C technology involves locking the DNA structure in place via crosslinking. DNA strands are then cut with enzymes and labeled with a marker called biotin. Arima uses a process called proximity ligation to connect DNA strands that were physically close together into a single strand, and then sequences the resulting molecule.
Last year, Arima launched a lymphoma test that is delivered via the firm’s laboratory testing service, certified by the U.S. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) program. The test is designed to be used to help patient management by discovering gene fusions and rearrangements for 417 genes in different types of lymphoma.
The test helps to fill in the gaps left by the gold standard, fluorescent in situ hybridization, which can be time- and resource-intensive and lead to conflicting results.
Arima raised $22 million in a Series C round led by Illumina Ventures in 2025 and appointed a former venture partner from Illumina Ventures as CEO. The firm is using the proceeds to launch a pipeline of clinical assays in cancer.
Arima also closed a partnership with Fox Chase Cancer Center earlier this year to co-develop diagnostic tests for lymphoma and sarcoma.
2. DELFI Diagnostics
Founded: 2019 | Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland
DELFI Diagnostics was founded on an “aha” moment at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine when a group of researchers aimed to overcome the high costs and low sensitivity of traditional liquid biopsies.
The breakthrough involved hunting for the certain way cell-free DNA fragments appear in the blood. Healthy cells and cancer cells package their DNA in different patterns, reflecting changes in the cell’s genomic and epigenomic machinery.
Using this method of “fragmentomics,” DELFI’s technology can tap into orders of magnitude more data than traditional methods.
DELFI’s product FirstLook Lung uses artificial intelligence (AI) and fragmentomics technology to screen a blood sample for signs of lung cancer. It is designed as an adjunct tool to check whether patients are eligible for lung cancer screening, and is regulated under the CLIA program.
The startup’s other product, DELFI-Tumor Fraction (DELFI-TF), allows pharmaceutical companies to track the effectiveness of a cancer therapy based on a sample of less than one milliliter of plasma.
Delfi raised $5.5 million in a seed round when it was founded, with investors including Menlo Ventures and Illumina Ventures.
The startup subsequently raised a $100 million Series A round led by OrbiMed in 2021, a $225 million Series B round led by DFJ Growth in 2022, and a $34 million debt round last year.
3. Element Biosciences
Founded: 2017 | Headquarters: San Diego, California
Element Biosciences was co-founded by three former Illumina employees who dreamed of democratizing access to genomic sequencing.
The company markets devices designed to sequence genetic information at a lower cost and higher performance than traditional next-generation sequencing. These include AVITI
—its flagship benchtop sequencer—and AVITI24, which can simultaneously analyze DNA, RNA, proteins, and phosphorylated proteins.
The company generated $25 million in revenue in 2023, partly driven by orders of AVITI.
The technology, based on a process called Avidite Base Chemistry (ABC), uses a dye-labeled polymer to bind genetic material and produce sequencing data with the need for fewer reagents than traditional sequencing.
Element is working with epigenetics specialists to boost their research offerings, including Dovetail Genomics and biomodal.
The company has also formed collaborations with diagnostics providers to enhance their offerings, including Revvity’s neonatal genetic tests and Medicover Genetics’ tests for hereditary cancers, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, infertility, and neonatal diseases.
The company plans to market a clinical diagnostics-focused sequencing product called AVITI Dx, with EU approval expected this year in the form of a CE In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) mark.
Element Biosciences has raised more than $680 million since it was founded, including a $277 million Series D round in 2024. The asset manager, Wellington Management, led the oversubscribed round, with participation from Samsung Electronics, Fidelity, and more.
This year, Element plans to commercialize a benchtop device, called VITARI, that can sequence a whole genome at high quality for just $100.
4. Nucleix
Founded: 2008 | Headquarters: Rehovot, Israel
Nucleix was initially founded to use epigenetics to trace falsified DNA in forensic investigations. Although the technology worked well, the management team decided to pivot to cancer screening.
Nucleix’s kits involve screening for specific cancer-linked DNA methylation patterns using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
The company also uses machine learning to construct biomarker panels best suited to the application of interest.
Nucleix’s Bladder EpiCheck® urine test is designed to detect the recurrence of bladder tumors based on changes in DNA methylation. It can also be used to support standard diagnostics when detecting bladder cancer in cases where malignancy is suspected.
The test has a CE mark in Europe and FDA 510(k) clearance in the U.S. for bladder cancer recurrence, meaning it can be marketed as substantially equivalent to another device in the U.S. market.
Nucleix is also developing a blood test for detecting lung tumors based on their DNA methylation signatures.
The company raised a $55 million funding round led by RA Capital Management in 2021, with participation from investors including BlackRock and corporate venture firm Lilly Asia Ventures. It followed up with a $22 million extension round in 2022.
In 2024, Nucleix sealed a strategic partnership with A. Menarini Diagnostics, part of the Italian Menarini Group, to bring its Bladder EpiCheck test to the European market.
5. Precede Biosciences
Founded: 2021 | Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
Precede was established by a team comprising Dana Farber Cancer Institute researchers and the venture capital firm 5AM Ventures.
Precede is developing blood tests that measure signals of disease based on the genomic and epigenomic characteristics of cell-free DNA shed into the blood by tumors.
For example, the company tracks gene transcription activity and DNA methylation based on as little as one milliliter of plasma. It can then use machine learning to interpret the results and predict the optimal treatment for each patient.
Precede collaborates with drugmakers to harness its technology to inform the development of next-generation radioligand therapies and antibody-drug conjugates, which depend on the knowledge of target expression and pathway activity rather than single genomic alterations.
The research-focused product Precede Bio Insight is designed to track the progress of cancer, with data spanning breast and prostate cancer.
The second product, Precede Bio Dx, also allows clinicians to select patients for clinical trials based on the blood test results.
The company emerged from stealth mode with $57 million in 2023, and followed up with a Series B round worth $83.5 million in January this year to fund the scaling of its technology as it gains commercial traction.
Among the B round’s syndicate were corporate venture investors Labcorp Venture Fund and Lilly Asia Ventures, and existing investor Illumina Ventures.
Jonathan Smith, PhD, is a freelance science journalist based in the U.K. and Spain. He previously worked in Berlin as a reporter and news editor at Labiotech, a website covering the biotech industry. Prior to this, he completed a PhD in behavioral neurobiology at the University of Leicester and freelanced for the U.K. organizations Research Media and Society of Experimental Biology. He has also written for medwireNews, Biopharma Reporter, and Outsourcing Pharma.
The post Beyond the Genome: Five Emerging Leaders in Epigenetics Diagnostics appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.
Nature Medicine, Published online: 08 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04439-x
In a whole-exome sequencing analysis, the beneficial effects of the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin in reducing the risk of future heart failure hospitalization in individuals with type 2 diabetes were markedly greater in individuals who carried a cardiomyopathy-associated genetic variant compared with noncarriers, suggesting a personalized preventative therapy based on genetic information.