Pharus Diagnostics LLC. announced on Wednesday that it has launched the OncoSweep Pancreas Spotlight, a liquid biopsy screening test designed to aid in the detection of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in high-risk individuals.

Utilizing next-generation sequencing and a proprietary machine learning platform, the test analyzes microRNA and CA19-9 biomarkers from a simple blood sample. This innovation builds on a January 2024 global licensing agreement with City of Hope, incorporating a proprietary microRNA biomarker panel developed under the leadership of Dr Ajay Goel. The collaboration transforms academic insights into a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) via PharusDx's OncoSweep platform.

PDAC remains challenging due to late-stage diagnoses, with stage IV cases showing only a 3% five-year survival rate compared to over 40% if detected at stage I. Elevated risk groups include individuals with specific genetic syndromes, familial predispositions, or lifestyle factors such as smoking and obesity. PharusDx aims to bridge research and practical diagnostics, addressing critical gaps in early cancer detection.