Natera today reported the publication of a peer-reviewed validation study for its Latitude tissue-free molecular residual disease (tfMRD) assay in colorectal cancer, appearing in npj Precision Oncology. The study assessed 1,230 longitudinal plasma samples from 195 patients across stages II–IV CRC, demonstrating a sensitivity of 92% for detection of molecular relapse at a median lead time of 6.8 months before clinical recurrence. These findings build on data first revealed at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology GI Congress, reinforcing Latitude’s potential to guide adjuvant therapy decisions and improve patient outcomes.

Natera also announced that its Fetal Focus single-gene noninvasive prenatal test (sgNIPT) and the EXPAND clinical trial will be presented in an oral plenary session at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine annual meeting, February 8–13, 2026. EXPAND is a prospective, blinded trial enrolling over 5,000 pregnant individuals to assess Fetal Focus’s performance in detecting inherited monogenic disorders. Powered by Natera’s ultra-sensitive LinkedSNP™ technology, the assay achieved a negative predictive value of 99.98% in preliminary analysis, underscoring its clinical utility for early, accurate fetal genotyping.