Freenome has announced a strategic agreement with Roche aimed at commercialising its cancer screening technology outside the US.
Exceeding $200m, the deal grants Roche exclusive rights to assemble “kitted” tests, combining software and assay components, enabling decentralised processing, removing the need for extensive central laboratory facilities.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
It includes a licensing and research and development (R&D) component and includes a $75m equity investment, milestone payments, and royalties on international test sales.
The agreement also includes Freenome’s assessment of Roche’s upcoming Sequencing by Expansion (SBX) technology for possible use in future projects.
Freenome will maintain rights to centralised testing outside the US alongside all US rights, contingent on a pre-existing licence agreement with Exact Sciences.
Roche Diagnostics CEO Matt Sause said: “This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to blood-based early cancer detection, which has the potential to transform disease management.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“Furthermore, it represents an example of our intent to establish high-impact clinical applications for our groundbreaking sequencing by expansion technology.”
Alongside their ongoing R&D work to utilise Roche’s Elecsys technology for protein and multiomic analysis, both companies will also collaborate to apply the SBX technology for enhancing Freenome’s cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening tests for cancer.
In addition, Freenome will gain access to the plasma sample cohorts of Roche, which are anticipated to expedite the development of personalised screening for cancers such as lung cancer.
Freenome CEO Aaron Elliott said: “Combining our technology with Roche’s expertise in kit development and its footprint outside the US will enable us to extend our reach globally and help more patients.”
In August 2025, Freenome reported that Exact Sciences had obtained exclusive rights for commercialising its blood-based colorectal cancer screening test in the US.
This test was submitted for review to the US Food and Drug Administration for pre-market approval.
Roche has previously invested in Freenome, leading a $254m funding round in February 2024.
