New Blood Test Detects Early Colorectal Cancer with 95% Accuracy

CAMBRIDGE, England – January 20, 2026 – A groundbreaking study published today in Nature Communications Medicine has unveiled a new type of liquid biopsy that can detect the earliest stage of colorectal cancer with 95% accuracy, a significant leap forward in the fight against the world's second-deadliest cancer.

The research, led by life sciences company biomodal, details a proprietary technology that analyzes two distinct epigenetic markers in blood, offering a far more sensitive and informative picture of cancer's development than previously possible. This advance has the potential to dramatically shift colorectal cancer (CRC) screening from invasive procedures to a simple, highly accurate blood test, which could lead to earlier diagnoses and substantially improved patient survival rates.

The Epigenetic Edge: A '6-Base Genome'

At the heart of the breakthrough is biomodal’s duet multiomic technology, which provides a “6-base genome” analysis. For decades, genomics has focused on the four primary DNA bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). However, the new approach adds two critical epigenetic modifications of cytosine—5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC)—into the equation as distinct, readable bases.

These two markers, while structurally similar, often have opposing biological functions. 5mC is typically associated with silencing genes, acting like a 'stop' sign for gene expression. In contrast, 5hmC is generally linked to gene activation and is an intermediate in the process of demethylation. Conventional methods for analyzing DNA modifications often fail to distinguish between the two, conflating them into a single 'modified cytosine' readout. This loss of information can obscure the subtle, early signs of disease.

biomodal's study demonstrates that by separately measuring these two markers in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) circulating in the blood, their models can capture signals that are otherwise invisible. “With our 6-base approach, we have demonstrated that by separately measuring and integrating both methylcytosine with hydroxymethylcytosine changes, we can capture biological signals that were previously hidden,” said Robert Osborne, biomodal’s Senior Vice President of Research and Development and the paper's lead author. This, he added, opens “the door to more sensitive, accurate, and informative liquid biopsy testing.”

The research revealed that nearly half of the genomic regions examined were undergoing activation in the progression to later stage cancer, showing increased 5hmC in early-stage cancers and decreased 5mC in late-stage cancers. This finding highlights 5hmC's crucial role as a sensitive biomarker for disease development.

A New Standard for Early Detection

The clinical implications of this enhanced accuracy are profound. Colorectal cancer is most treatable when caught early; survival rates for patients diagnosed at Stage I can exceed 90%. However, due to the limitations and invasive nature of current screening methods like colonoscopies, many patients are diagnosed at later stages when the disease has spread and treatment options are more limited.

The study analyzed cfDNA from treatment-naïve CRC patients and compared them to healthy controls. The model integrating both 5mC and 5hmC measurements achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 95% (measured as Area Under the Curve, or AUC) for Stage I CRC samples. This figure starkly contrasts with the 66% accuracy (AUC = 0.66) achieved by conventional approaches that provide a conflated readout, demonstrating a dramatic improvement in performance.

“Changes in DNA methylation patterns are among the earliest alterations observed in cancer cells, making them useful as biomarkers across oncology applications, from detection to monitoring treatment response,” noted Prof. Sarah-Jane Dawson, a clinician scientist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the University of Melbourne. She added that biomodal is “equipping the research community with more precise tools to interrogate biological changes at their earliest molecular stages.”

This level of precision in a non-invasive blood test could overcome patient reluctance associated with colonoscopies and the lower sensitivity of some stool-based tests for early-stage lesions, potentially making routine screening more accessible and effective.

Navigating the Path from Lab to Clinic

While the results are promising, the path to widespread clinical adoption involves navigating a competitive landscape and rigorous regulatory hurdles. The liquid biopsy market for cancer screening is a rapidly growing field, with companies like Guardant Health and Freenome also developing multiomic blood tests. However, biomodal's unique ability to differentiate 5mC and 5hmC provides a distinct technological advantage, particularly for early-stage detection where ctDNA levels are low and subtle epigenetic signals are paramount.

Before the test can become a standard of care, it must be validated in larger, prospective clinical trials involving diverse patient populations. These studies will be critical for securing regulatory approval from bodies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has set a high bar for diagnostic tests intended for population-wide screening.

Independent experts in the field, while optimistic, urge a measured approach. “The 95% accuracy for Stage I is remarkable, but it needs to be validated in large, diverse populations before it can change clinical practice,” commented one oncologist not involved with the study. “If the performance holds up in real-world settings, it would be a true game-changer for how we screen for colorectal cancer.”

Beyond Colorectal Cancer: The Future of Multiomics

The potential of the 6-base genome approach extends far beyond a single type of cancer. The company has indicated that its technology is applicable to other complex diseases where epigenetic dysregulation plays a key role, including neurodegenerative disorders and the biology of aging.

In conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, subtle changes in gene regulation in the brain occur years before symptoms become apparent. A technology that can detect these nuanced epigenetic shifts in blood or other bodily fluids could pave the way for earlier diagnosis and intervention. Similarly, in aging research, understanding the dynamic interplay between 5mC and 5hmC could unlock new biomarkers to measure biological age and predict the onset of age-related diseases.

By providing a more complete and dynamic view of the genome, this multiomic technology represents a significant step toward the future of personalized medicine, where diagnostics can not only detect existing disease but also predict future health risks, enabling proactive and preventative care across a spectrum of human conditions.