Blood tests are attracting the spotlight in the fight against lung cancer, offering patients a simple prick instead of more scans. Doctors and patients alike turn to these quick checks as helpful extras alongside low-dose CT.
On Wednesday, shares of Britain’s Cizzle Biotechnology Holdings PLC (LON: CIZ) (FRA: E7F0) jumped more than 16 per cent after its American partner, Cizzle Bio, launched the CIZ1B lung cancer blood test in Texas. Cizzle Biotechnology Holdings, listed on the London Stock Exchange, developed the core technology through years of research at the University of York. Cizzle Bio, a separate Texas-based company founded in 2024, holds exclusive rights to commercialise the test in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
Cizzle Bio will soon make the CIZ1B test available to licensed health care providers in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas. The test recently completed laboratory validation at OmniHealth Diagnostics, a Dallas-based CLIA-certified lab. This validation means experts carefully checked that the test works reliably and meets strict quality standards in a real lab setting before offering it to doctors. OmniHealth now processes samples and delivers results, giving the launch a solid operational base.
The Texas launch marks the first commercial step in the U.S. Cizzle Bio plans to expand access through more CLIA-certified labs across the country in the coming months. The test is already positioned for use in other markets through the partnership structure.
The CIZ1B test uses a simple blood sample to look for a specific protein variant linked to early-stage lung cancer. It serves as a complementary tool that helps doctors assess risk, especially for people with suspicious findings on scans or those who cannot easily get other tests. Early data shows favourable performance in detecting Stage I disease. It will be available as a Laboratory Developed Test and is not FDA approved.
In the busy American market, CIZ1B enters alongside established options. Guardant Health Inc‘s (NASDAQ: GH) (FRA: 5GH) Guardant360 Liquid CDx blood biopsy and Roche Holdings AG Basel ADR Common Stock (OTCMKTS: RHHBY) subsidiary Foundation Medicine’s One Liquid CDx help guide treatment for patients who already have cancer by spotting changes in tumour DNA.
CIZ1B stands out by focusing specifically on early lung cancer detection in a straightforward way that complements existing tools without replacing them. It has shown 95 per cent sensitivity for detecting Stage I lung cancer and 96 per cent negative predictive value in key validation studies.
Alongside blood testing, breath analysis is gaining attention as another radiation-free and minimally invasive option for screening. American companies such as Breath Diagnostics and Vocxi Health are leading research in this growing medtech area, exploring how simple breath samples can help spot lung cancer even earlier.
Read more: Breath Diagnostics advances pre-op pneumonia screening with FDA breakthrough designation
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