SOPHiA GENETICS Announces Expanded Collaboration with AstraZeneca to Accelerate Liquid Biopsy Testing Globally from AACR

Rhea-AI Summary

SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca are expanding their collaboration to accelerate global liquid biopsy testing deployment. The partnership will extend MSK-ACCESS powered with SOPHiA DDM to 30 clinical institutions worldwide in 2025.

Key highlights:

• The liquid biopsy test detects genomic alterations from a single blood draw using advanced algorithms to analyze circulating tumor DNA
• This testing method offers advantages when traditional tissue biopsies are impractical due to cost, time, or invasiveness
• New data presented at AACR shows consistent accuracy across different laboratory settings

The expanded rollout supports AstraZeneca's real-world evidence initiatives and aims to validate decentralized liquid biopsy testing's clinical impact. The collaboration addresses a major industry challenge, as site-to-site result consistency has historically limited liquid biopsy adoption. Recent study results confirm the test maintains high analytical performance across multiple centers, matching the original standards set at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Positive

• Expanded collaboration with major pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to accelerate global deployment of liquid biopsy testing
• Significant scaling of deployment to 30 clinical institutions worldwide in 2025
• Real-world data demonstrates high analytical performance and consistency of MSK-ACCESS powered with SOPHiA DDM across multiple laboratory settings
• Technology enables cost-effective and less invasive cancer monitoring compared to traditional tissue biopsies

Negative

• None.

Insights

Biotechnology Investment Analyst

SOPHiA GENETICS expands AstraZeneca collaboration to scale liquid biopsy technology globally, strengthening commercial position in precision oncology diagnostics.

The expanded collaboration between SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca marks a strategic advancement in SOPHiA's commercialization strategy for their liquid biopsy technology. The planned extension to 30 clinical institutions worldwide in 2025 indicates meaningful scaling of their deployment infrastructure, though investors should note this is a forward-looking initiative rather than an immediate market expansion.

What's particularly valuable from a commercial perspective is the technical validation presented at AACR. The press release highlights that site-to-site discordance has been a major adoption barrier for liquid biopsy technologies. The interim study results demonstrating consistent analytical performance across multiple laboratory settings address this specific obstacle, potentially removing a key hurdle to broader market acceptance and adoption.

For SOPHiA GENETICS, this expanded collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company provides institutional validation of their technology approach. The decentralized testing model they've developed with Memorial Sloan Kettering differs from centralized laboratory models by enabling testing at the point of care, which can offer workflow and turnaround time advantages for healthcare providers.

The contribution to AstraZeneca's real-world evidence initiatives suggests the partnership has strategic value beyond just technology deployment. However, the press release doesn't disclose financial terms or revenue projections, making it difficult to quantify the direct economic impact of this expanded collaboration on SOPHiA's future revenue streams.

Oncology Diagnostics Expert

SOPHiA's liquid biopsy expansion solves critical lab-to-lab consistency problems, enabling wider access to advanced cancer diagnostics globally.

The expanded deployment of MSK-ACCESS® powered with SOPHiA DDM™ addresses one of liquid biopsy's most persistent technical challenges: analytical consistency across different testing environments. The technology analyzes circulating tumor DNA from blood samples, providing a critical diagnostic option when traditional tissue biopsies are impractical due to cost, turnaround time, insufficient tissue, or procedural invasiveness.

The data presented at AACR demonstrating robust transferability is technically significant. Historically, molecular diagnostic tests developed at specialized cancer centers like Memorial Sloan Kettering have been difficult to reproduce with the same sensitivity and specificity at community hospitals or regional laboratories. This "transferability problem" has limited the adoption of advanced molecular diagnostics, particularly for complex applications like liquid biopsy.

The multi-center study results showing high analytical performance consistent with the original Memorial Sloan Kettering test indicates SOPHiA has overcome a major technical barrier. By maintaining analytical consistency across diverse laboratory settings, this decentralized approach helps bridge the precision oncology gap between leading academic centers and community practice settings.

While the press release notes the technology can "complement solid tissue testing," it appropriately acknowledges that liquid biopsy isn't a universal replacement for traditional biopsies. The implementation across 30 global clinical institutions will generate valuable insights into optimal clinical workflows and use cases for this technology in diverse healthcare systems.

BOSTON and ROLLE, Switzerland, April 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH), a cloud-native healthcare technology company and global leader in data-driven medicine, today announced the expansion of its ongoing collaboration with AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) to accelerate the deployment of MSK-ACCESS® powered with SOPHiA DDM™ globally. Building on the initial collaboration announced in October 2024, this new phase will extend the test's reach to a total of 30 clinical institutions worldwide in 2025.

Developed in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, MSK-ACCESS® powered with SOPHiA DDM™ is an innovative liquid biopsy testing application designed to detect actionable genomic alterations from a single blood draw using proprietary, state-of-the-art algorithms which analyze circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). The application supports real-time cancer monitoring and treatment selection when traditional tissue biopsies are not feasible due to cost, turnaround time, insufficient tissue, or the invasiveness of the procedure.

The expanded rollout will continue to contribute to AstraZeneca's global real-world evidence initiatives and help further validate the clinical impact of decentralized liquid biopsy testing across diverse healthcare systems. By increasing the availability of MSK-ACCESS® powered with SOPHiA DDM™, SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca aim to understand further how liquid biopsy testing can complement solid tissue testing and, in some cases, provide greater benefit for labs and patients.  

The announcement coincides with SOPHiA GENETICS's presentation at AACR, in which the company presented data demonstrating the robust transferability of the decentralized MSK-ACCESS® powered with SOPHiA DDM^TM solution. Historically, site-to-site discordance has been a major barrier to the widespread adoption of liquid biopsy testing. SOPHiA GENETICS presented real-world data highlighting the consistent accuracy and precision of MSK-ACCESS® powered with SOPHiA DDM^TM across various laboratory settings. Interim results from the multi-center study demonstrated the high analytical performance of the decentralized test in line with the original single-site test at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

"Our collaboration with AstraZeneca represents a significant step toward scaling next-generation oncology diagnostics globally," said Ross Muken, President, SOPHiA GENETICS. "This expanded deployment reflects the growing momentum behind liquid biopsy and our shared ambition to make these technologies more accessible and impactful worldwide."

Visit SOPHiA GENETICS at the American Association for Cancer Research's Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois from April 25^th–30^th to learn more about how SOPHiA GENETICS is collaborating with AstraZeneca to transform patient care with data-driven medicine.

For more information on SOPHiA GENETICS, visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM, or connect on LinkedIn. 

About SOPHiA GENETICS  

SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH) is a cloud-native healthcare technology company on a mission to expand access to data-driven medicine by using AI to deliver world-class care to patients with cancer and rare disorders across the globe. It is the creator of the SOPHiA DDM™ Platform, which analyzes complex genomic and multimodal data and generates real-time, actionable insights for a broad global network of hospital, laboratory, and biopharma institutions.  For more information, visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM and connect with us on LinkedIn. 

SOPHiA GENETICS products are for Research Use Only and not for use in diagnostic procedures unless specified otherwise. The information in this press release is about products that may or may not be available in different countries and, if applicable, may or may not have received approval or market clearance by a governmental regulatory body for different indications for use. Please contact support@sophiagenetics.com to obtain the appropriate product information for your country of residence. 

SOPHiA GENETICS Forward-Looking Statements: 
This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, products, and technology, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including those described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based, unless required to do so by applicable law. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. 

Media Contact:
wpp_sophiagenetics@gcihealth.com

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FAQ

What is the new AstraZeneca and SOPHiA GENETICS (SOPH) collaboration expansion announced at AACR 2025?

SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca are expanding their collaboration to deploy MSK-ACCESS powered with SOPHiA DDM liquid biopsy testing to 30 clinical institutions worldwide in 2025, up from their initial October 2024 partnership.

How does the MSK-ACCESS liquid biopsy test by SOPHiA GENETICS (SOPH) work?

MSK-ACCESS powered with SOPHiA DDM detects actionable genomic alterations from a single blood draw using proprietary algorithms to analyze circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), enabling real-time cancer monitoring when traditional tissue biopsies aren't feasible.

What results did SOPHiA GENETICS (SOPH) present at AACR 2025 for their liquid biopsy test?

At AACR 2025, SOPHiA GENETICS presented real-world data showing consistent accuracy and precision of MSK-ACCESS powered with SOPHiA DDM across different laboratory settings, matching the performance of the original single-site test at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Where can investors learn more about SOPHiA GENETICS (SOPH) AstraZeneca collaboration?

Investors can learn more at the American Association for Cancer Research's Annual Meeting in Chicago from April 25-30, 2025, or visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM and their LinkedIn profile.

What are the benefits of SOPHiA GENETICS (SOPH) liquid biopsy testing expansion?

The expansion will contribute to AstraZeneca's global real-world evidence initiatives, validate decentralized liquid biopsy testing across healthcare systems, and improve accessibility to advanced cancer diagnostics worldwide.