Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) and Labcorp (NYSE: LH) announced an expanded collaboration to advance precision oncology through next-generation sequencing solutions. The partnership aims to promote equitable access to cancer biomarker testing, generate evidence for payer coverage, and develop new tests for unmet medical needs.

The companies plan to co-commercialize Labcorp's FDA-authorized liquid biopsy assay PGDx elio plasma focus Dx alongside Illumina's FDA-approved TruSight Oncology Comprehensive for solid tumor profiling. These distributed test kits are intended to expand access to tissue and liquid biopsy testing for hospitals and community health systems.

New test development will span advanced oncology research and in vitro diagnostic tests for comprehensive genomic profiling and whole-genome sequencing. The collaboration also aims to provide pharmaceutical companies with opportunities for companion diagnostic development supporting targeted therapy approvals.

"By deepening our collaboration, we'll continue to leverage the strengths of our respective teams to innovate and improve access to critical biomarker testing for patients with cancer," said Traci Pawlowski, vice president of Clinical Product Development at Illumina.

The companies will continue joint efforts to demonstrate clinical utility of comprehensive genomic profiling. A collaborative study published in Frontiers of Oncology evaluated more than 7,600 non-small cell lung cancer tumor samples, showing that comprehensive genomic profiling detected variants with current targeted therapy or clinical trial options in more than 72% of patient tumors.

Since 2022, Illumina and Labcorp have produced eight joint publications in oncology and made 18 poster presentations at industry conferences. The information is based on a company press release.