Haystack Oncology
Haystack Oncology, now owned by Quest Diagnostics, makes a blood test that looks for tiny traces of tumour DNA after cancer surgery to tell whether any cancer is left behind or coming back.
Overview
Haystack Oncology, a Quest Diagnostics company since June 2023, developed Haystack MRD, a tumour-informed circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) assay for minimal residual disease (MRD) in solid tumours. The patient's tumour is sequenced to build a personalised variant panel, which is then tracked in plasma using patented duplex error-correction that reads both DNA strands, with a stated limit of detection of 0.0006 percent. The FDA granted Breakthrough Device Designation in August 2025 for MRD-positive stage II colorectal cancer, and New York State approved the test in June 2026. The assay runs in Baltimore, with Quest sites in Hamburg and Helsinki, and is under study with Rutgers Cancer Institute in triple-negative breast and lung cancer. Quest's 10-K records the acquisition as $392 million all-cash net of cash acquired, plus possible contingent payments.
Funding
All startupsInvestors not recorded; see the round sources.
| Round | Year | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acquisition · Quest 10-K: all-cash transaction for $392 million net of cash acquired, comprising $304 million cash and contingent consideration initially estimated at $88 million; up to $150 million more tied to revenue and CMS coverage milestones. Closed 20 June 2023. | 2023 | $392M | sec.gov |
Amounts only where the cited source states them. Rounds without a public source are not listed.
Notes
top- Baltimore is given as the laboratory location in the 2025 Breakthrough release; the current website footer lists Quest's Lewisville, Texas address. Original Quest acquisition press release (April 2023) could not be located on the Quest newsroom; the 10-K was used instead. Pre-acquisition venture funding not sourced.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- PersonNitzan Rosenfeld
Shares Whole-exome & whole-genome sequencing, MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA).
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Shares Whole-exome & whole-genome sequencing, MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA).
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Shares Whole-exome & whole-genome sequencing, MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA).
- PersonMaximilian Diehn
Shares MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA), Non-small-cell lung cancer.
- PersonAsh A. Alizadeh
Shares MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA), Non-small-cell lung cancer.
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Shares MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), Colorectal cancer.
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Shares MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA), Colorectal cancer, Non-small-cell lung cancer.
- ProductRaDaR
Shares MRD / molecular residual disease testing, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA), Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), Non-small-cell lung cancer.