Media Coverage

A blood test based from a South Baltimore lab is making treatment clearer for cancer patients. HaystackMRD, made by Haystack Oncology within Quest Diagnostics, looks for signs of cancer that conventional methods may miss. While it's been in development for many, many years, the test was made clinically available for oncologists and pharmaceutical partners in late 2024.

In this exclusive interview, Quest Diagnostics’ Ines Dahne-Steuber discusses their daytime kidney care lab strategy with MLO Editor in Chief, Christina Wichmann.

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, are known by many as “forever chemicals” due to the way they can accumulate and linger in the environment and body. These chemicals are widely used in thousands of industrial and consumer products and may enter the body through contaminated food and water. Research by Quest Diagnostics outlined similar results: men that were tested using the company’s PFAS blood test had higher PFAS concentrations in their blood than women who were tested.

Helio Genomics and Quest Diagnostics have partnered to expand access to a blood-based liver cancer test across the U.S. Starting in April, providers with a Quest account will be able to order HelioLiver, a test designed for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma, through Quest’s network, according to a March 18 news release shared with Becker’s.

Guardant Health’s Shield blood-based colorectal cancer screening test is now available for physician ordering through Quest Diagnostics’ nationwide network, the companies announced March 10, giving clinicians a new avenue to access the only blood test with full Food and Drug Administration approval as a primary colorectal cancer (CRC) screening option for average-risk adults aged 45 and older.

Several large healthcare organizations have announced they have signed on to Google Cloud for Gemini-powered AI agents for patient engagement, improved workflows, revenue cycle capabilities and easier-to-read lab results. At HIMSS26, Google Cloud will show how agentic AI can lead healthcare organizations from siloed data entry to automated results. Quest Diagnostics, which offers diagnostic information services, has announced Quest AI Companion, a new AI-powered chat feature that helps individuals understand Quest laboratory test results. Through the app and portal MyQuest, individuals can ask questions about their test results and receive explanations in a HIPAA-compliant solution.

Quest Diagnostics is launching a chatbot tailored for laboratory test results as it seeks to allow patients the ability to come to terms with their findings and perform deeper dives on their own health. The Quest AI Companion can probe data from patients’ labs for up to five years in order “to help explain results and uncover potential health risks,” according to a March 2 statement.

Quest Diagnostics, a leading provider of diagnostic information services with headquarters in Secaucus, announced that Benjamin Beauvalot has joined the company as senior vice president, chief strategy and M&A officer. “Ben has an extensive track record of delivering successful growth, M&A and transformation strategies for world-class health care organizations,” Davis said.

Quest Diagnostics said its Flow Cytometry MRD for Myeloma test detects minimal residual disease (MRD), the small number of cancer cells that can remain in the body after treatment and potentially lead to relapse, “at a fraction of the cost” of other methods. “Our Flow Cytometry MRD for Myeloma test harnesses cutting-edge science and technology to deliver ultrasensitive insights from a noninvasive blood test, thereby improving care and value for patients and the healthcare system,” Yuri Fesko, MD, Quest’s senior vice president and chief medical officer, said in a company press release.

In 2020, as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)—a number projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2060.1 As changes in the brain can begin years before the first symptoms appear, the science around assessing risk and diagnosing AD and other dementias is complex and continues to evolve with the publication of new research. (By Michael K. Racke, MD)