Quest Diagnostics , a leading provider of diagnostic information services, has announced a new collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The partnership aims to develop a laboratory-based blood test to assess elevated risk for multiple cancers, potentially improving early detection and encouraging preventive screening.
Under the agreement, Quest will create and validate a lab-developed test based on circulating protein biomarkers linked to increased cancer risk. These include markers for colorectal, lung, breast, pancreatic, ovarian, liver, prostate, esophageal, and stomach cancers. The test will be based on the Multi-Cancer Stratification Test (MCaST), a risk assessment model developed by Dr. Samir Hanash and his team at MD Anderson through research involving tens of thousands of patients across screening cohorts.
Quest will refine and further develop the MCaST model for its own clinical use. If validation is successful, the company may commercialize the test, aiming to make it available to healthcare providers in North America by 2026.
Unlike conventional screening tools that typically target one cancer at a time—and often require invasive or costly procedures—this blood-based test is intended to supplement those methods. It offers a non-invasive and affordable way to identify individuals who may benefit from more targeted and medically appropriate cancer screenings or evaluations. Current multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests often rely on DNA analysis from blood, which can be costly and lack standardized follow-up protocols. In contrast, Quest’s proteomics-based approach focuses on personalized risk assessment to support actionable clinical decisions.
This innovation comes at a critical time. Only 51% of U.S. adults report undergoing routine medical checkups or cancer screenings in the past year, due in part to the discomfort or inconvenience of current methods.
“One of the biggest barriers to early cancer detection is that patients skip preventive screenings because they’re too invasive or unaffordable,” said Mark Gardner, Senior Vice President of Oncology, Genomics, and R&D at Quest Diagnostics. “By leveraging Dr. Hanash’s proteomics research, we aim to develop a convenient, accessible, and cost-effective blood test that helps identify those at higher risk—ultimately encouraging earlier intervention and improving outcomes.”