The 360Dx Index was up 12 percent last month as shares of Accelerate Diagnostics, Veracyte, and Exact Sciences each improved more than 40 percent month over month.
The firm's CEO told investors at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference that in addition to driving growth of its sepsis test in the US, Accelerate is eyeing expansion into China.
The improvement in the 360Dx Index was modest compared to 2017, but it still outpaced the broader markets, which fell dramatically in the last month of the year.
Veracyte was the only company in the 360Dx Index whose stock price rose last month while NantHealth, NeoGenomics, and Accelerate Diagnostics saw sharp declines.
During the year, the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance drove development and adoption of advanced diagnostic tests, including molecular testing.
The company is developing a new gold standard comparator test after it encountered problems with typical culture methods it used in developing a new pneumonia assay.
The company is in discussions with the FDA about a new test being developed for severe bacterial pneumonia and expects to start a clinical trial in Q1 2019.
