This is Biocept's third BCBS contract and enables cancer patients to access the company's testing services in network under their Wellmark health plans.
Natera said its liquid biopsy assay Signatera is well suited for the immuno-oncology field, particularly pharmaceutical companies developing personalized vaccines.
The PHG Foundation's report calls for raising clinician awareness about ctDNA testing technology in order to improve patient access to targeted therapies.
Natera has entered the oncology space with a ctDNA assay and sees its blood banking service as a way to eventually tap into the consumer genomics space.
The money will fund a new plan to sequence tumor DNA from more than 1 million cancer patients. The firm also announced a new JV in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
The company expects Medicare coverage for its test to extend to intermediate prostate cancer patients this year, and it believes new data will help drive increased adoption.
The company is developing a non-invasive test that analyzes only a small area of the genome to infer overall tumor mutational load to help guide immunotherapy use.
