On March 18, 2026 Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) and Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services, reported an expanded collaboration to advance precision oncology through innovative applications of next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions across the healthcare ecosystem. Projects are expected to include promoting equitable access to cancer biomarker testing by bringing it closer to patients through new distributed test offerings; generating evidence to facilitate payer coverage; and developing new tests to address areas of unmet need.
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"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. "Our longstanding collaboration is rooted in a shared vision to advance precision oncology through groundbreaking research and leading-edge technologies."
New test development is expected to span advanced oncology research and in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). These solutions will aim to address areas of unmet needs in precision oncology and help bridge existing testing gaps.
As part of the collaboration, the companies will explore co-commercializing Labcorp’s FDA-authorized liquid biopsy assay PGDx elio plasma focus Dx alongside Illumina’s FDA-approved TruSight Oncology Comprehensive for solid tumor profiling. Together, these distributed IVD test kits are intended to expand access to both tissue and liquid biopsy testing for hospitals and community health systems—bringing advanced biomarker testing closer to patients and helping to provide more specific diagnoses and identify eligibility for targeted treatments and clinical trials. This distributed offering also aims to provide pharmaceutical companies with differentiated opportunities for companion diagnostic (CDx) development, supporting both tissue and liquid biopsy needs for targeted therapy approvals.
"This collaboration reflects Labcorp and Illumina’s shared commitment to improving cancer care through innovation and access," said Shakti Ramkissoon, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president and medical lead for oncology at Labcorp. "Building on our longstanding medical and scientific collaborations and our ongoing efforts to generate clinical evidence and expand access to advanced genomics, we are combining our expertise to deliver transformative testing solutions that support more timely, equitable cancer care."
Illumina and Labcorp will also continue joint efforts to demonstrate the clinical utility of CGP and promote its adoption. In a collaborative study published in Frontiers of Oncology, researchers evaluated more than 7,600 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor samples. The study applied Illumina CGP to demonstrate its coverage and utility in detecting known and novel genomic features of NSCLC. Results showed that CGP detected variants with a current targeted therapy or clinical trial in more than 72% of patient tumors.
This is one of eight joint publications in oncology between Illumina and Labcorp since 2022, along with 18 posters and presentations made at industry conferences.
"Expanding access to advanced genomic testing is essential to delivering personalized cancer care," said Pawlowski. "Together with Labcorp, we are accelerating innovation to bring critical insights closer to patients and enable better outcomes across diverse care settings."
(Press release, Illumina, MAR 18, 2026, View Source [SID1234663710])