Peer-reviewed study describes hybrid capture on-chip and enzyme-based fluorescent labeling method for profiling lung cancer-associated cfDNA methylation patterns
TEL AVIV, Israel, July 2, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- JaxBio Technologies Ltd., today announced peer-reviewed results published in npj Precision Oncology showing that a DNA chip-based blood test approach, with an estimated research workflow cost of approximately $60 per sample, detected lung cancer-associated methylation signals with over 90% sensitivity and specificity, without DNA sequencing.
The study, "Sequencing-free On-chip detection of lung cancer by fluorescent enzymatic profiling of cfDNA methylation," describes a microarray-based method that combines hybrid capture on-chip with enzyme-based fluorescent labeling. The approach allows cancer-associated epigenetic signals in plasma-derived cell-free DNA to be read on a DNA microarray rather than through DNA sequencing.
"Sequencing typically measures around 30–100 copies of each interrogated genomic target, whereas a DNA microarray simultaneously measures signals from tens of thousands of copies of each target. This much stronger aggregated signal can improve the detection of rare biomarker targets," said Prof. Yuval Ebenstein, CSO and Cofounder of JaxBio.
In the proof-of-concept study, researchers analyzed plasma samples from 103 participants, including 51 patients with stage II-IV lung cancer and 52 age-matched healthy controls. After identifying 170 genomic regions with differential methylation patterns associated with lung cancer, the classifier was tested in a blinded validation set of 60 samples. It achieved 93.1 percent sensitivity at 90.3 percent specificity, with an area under the curve of 0.947.
"Cost and scalability are major barriers to broader adoption of liquid biopsy testing," said Dr. Shahar Zirkin, CEO and Cofounder of JaxBio. "This proof-of-concept study shows that cancer-associated methylation signals can be read from a simple blood sample on a DNA microarray, without sequencing and with higher precision, using hybrid capture on-chip and enzyme-based fluorescent labeling. With its superior signal, simplicity, and cost advantage, we believe this approach could be an important step toward making molecular cancer testing more broadly accessible, scalable, and practical for real-world clinical use."
Cancer-associated DNA methylation patterns provide highly informative biomarkers for the early detection and monitoring of cancer, making methylation-based liquid biopsy a promising diagnostic approach. However, broader clinical adoption will require liquid biopsy workflows that are more affordable, scalable, and practical for routine implementation.
The manuscript reports that the current research workflow can be completed in two to three days at a cost of approximately $60 per sample when performed on commercially available arrays. The authors position the method as a potential molecular complement to imaging, rather than a replacement for CT.
The study also reports exploratory findings in lung cancer subtype classification and treatment response monitoring, although larger studies are required to evaluate these potential applications. The authors noted that the study was conducted against healthy controls and that further prospective validation will be needed to evaluate performance in clinically relevant populations, including patients with benign lung disease or indeterminate pulmonary nodules.
JaxBio was recently awarded a €2.5 million EIC Accelerator grant from the European Innovation Council and has initiated the multicenter LUMEN clinical trial to evaluate its technology in a clinical setting.
The intellectual property underlying the approach has been exclusively licensed to JaxBio Technologies.
JaxBio Technologies Ltd. is a liquid biopsy company developing blood-based technologies for cancer detection and monitoring. The company's platform is designed to identify cancer-related biomarkers in the blood using smart-chip technology, with the goal of making molecular cancer testing faster, more cost-effective, more sensitive and more accessible.
For more information, learn more > https://jaxbio.com/
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Victoria Gronau, JaxBio Technologies Ltd., 972 542587278, [email protected], https://jaxbio.com/
SOURCE JaxBio Technologies Ltd.
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