By Diagnostics World Staff
August 25, 2026 | HanchorBio and the research team led by Professor Sung-Liang Yu of National Taiwan University enter collaboration; NORD adds three new centers to its Rare Disease Centers of Excellence Network; NeuraLight announces that its platform will be deployed as part of the Healthy Brain Ageing study; and more.
HanchorBio announced that its wholly owned Taiwan subsidiary has entered a strategic collaboration with the research team led by Professor Sung-Liang Yu of National Taiwan University, a key participating team in the Taiwan Cancer Moonshot Program. This collaboration represents an important step in HanchorBio's evolution from a clinical-stage immunotherapy company toward a precision immunotherapy platform integrating patient-derived biological insights, biomarker strategies, proprietary therapeutic engineering, and global clinical development capabilities. Press release.
MediGuide has launched its Longevity Intelligence Service, a service designed to help individuals better understand their biological health, identify potential health risks earlier, and receive personalized clinical guidance through an integrated preventive healthcare solution that combines advanced diagnostics, predictive health intelligence, physician expertise, and coordinated care. Press release.
The Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California San Diego will serve as the Central Laboratory and Biorepository for the XPRIZE Healthspan Competition, in which teams from around the world compete for $101 million in research funding to create innovative interventions that restore muscle, cognitive, and immune function in order to extend the human healthspan. Press release.
The COPD Foundation announced plans for an Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development (EL-PFDD) meeting for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This meeting is modeled after the FDA’s PFDD public meetings. The meeting will enhance understanding of how living with COPD impacts daily life experiences; capture representative perspectives across the population on what matters most for improving their condition; and inform therapy development and regulatory decision-making with insights on current care and treatment benefit needs. Press release.
NeuraLight announced that its platform will be deployed as part of the Healthy Brain Ageing (HeBA) study, a landmark European initiative advancing how brain function is measured and tracked across the aging population. The collaboration deploys NeuraLight’s precision brain function biomarkers in a population-scale program built to detect the earliest changes in the brain, up to a decade before symptoms appear. HeBA is one of the most ambitious brain-aging efforts in Europe: a four-country program designed to identify people at risk of developing Parkinson's disease early. Spanning Germany, Austria, Spain, and Luxembourg, the study focuses on adults aged 50-80 and has enrolled nearly 13,000 participants. Press release.
ProAxsis announced progress in its expansion into the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease market through an ongoing clinical research study in collaboration with Imperial College London. The study builds on the company’s established position in bronchiectasis and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, where its technology has already supported important clinical programs with global pharma. These include the phase 2 WILLOW study for Insmed and the use of ProAxsis’ ProteaseTag lab-based assays for biomarker analysis, which helped support the FDA approval of BRINSUPRI, the first approved treatment for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and now a blockbuster drug. Press release.
The National Organization for Rare Disorders announced three newly designated NORD Rare Disease Centers of Excellence, expanding the national network's clinical and research expertise across pediatric and adult medicine. With these additions, the network now includes 49 designated Rare Disease Centers of Excellence members across 28 states and the District of Columbia, with affiliations spanning more than 170 academic medical centers, research institutions, and children's hospitals nationwide. Press release.
Tagomics launched LiquiPath, a cross-species, multi-organ "liquid pathology" platform, for non-invasive drug safety monitoring. Developed for use across preclinical studies, clinical development, and on-market surveillance, LiquiPath aims to give drug developers earlier and clearer insights into patient safety, with an early access program now open. LiquiPath combines Tagomics' epigenetic technology, Activace, with proprietary cell-type-specific methylation atlases and advanced deconvolution algorithms to trace circulating cell-free DNA back to its tissue of origin. From a single blood sample, the platform is designed to enable sensitive, multi-tissue detection of treatment-related adverse effects. Press release.
QIAGEN announced that the FDA has cleared the QIAstat-Dx BCID GPF Plus AMR Panel, the first QIAstat-Dx panel for bloodstream infections to receive FDA clearance. The QIAstat-Dx BCID GPF Plus AMR Panel detects 20 gram-positive bacterial and fungal pathogen targets, as well as a broad pan-gram-negative target together with 10 genetic antimicrobial resistance markers from positive blood culture samples in about one hour. The rapid identification of pathogens and resistance gene markers can support informed treatment decisions, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection prevention measures. Press release.
The National Health Council launched its latest Trusted Messengers campaign in Detroit. This proven patient and health care professional education initiative aims to close the significant gap in urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) testing among adults at elevated risk for chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular events. The uACR, a simple urine test, checks for the presence of albumin in the urine. If albumin is found in the urine, a condition known as albuminuria, it can be a sign of damage to kidney tissues or blood vessels. uACR testing can detect kidney damage earlier than other tests, such as the estimated glomerular filtration rate blood test, before patients experience symptoms. Press release.
HerAnova Lifesciences announced the presentation a new real-world clinical data evaluating HerResolve, its multi-omic blood-based test designed to aid in the diagnosis of endometriosis in symptomatic women. Titled “Ongoing Evaluation of Real-World Clinical Performance of a Multi-Omic Blood-Based Molecular Test (HerResolve) for Detection of Endometriosis in Symptomatic Women,” the presentation analyzed 197 commercial cases from women referred for HerResolve testing due to signs and symptoms associated with endometriosis, including unexplained infertility, pelvic pain, and/or abnormal uterine bleeding. Press release.
Seegene announced a comprehensive Syndromic PCR-based testing approach for reproductive tract infections through the simultaneous detection of sexually transmitted infections and human papillomavirus. The announcement follows Seegene's launch of the Global Million Clinical Study on July 8. The initiative aims to generate scientific evidence for Global New Standard of PCR testing by accumulating real-world clinical data from healthcare institutions worldwide and evaluating the clinical utility of disease-specific diagnostic testing strategies. Press release.