Liquid biopsies analyze nucleic acids shed from tumors and have long been used to detect mutations, guide targeted therapies and identify treatment resistance. Now, with advanced bioinformatics, they also help monitor residual or recurring disease after curative treatment and are emerging as a tool for early cancer screening in asymptomatic individuals.
Beyond biomarkers: A 740-gene view
Identifying cancer biomarkers with genomic profiling and QDI annotations.
Our collaboration with QIAGEN has been very important in our ability to provide accurate and current annotations for the genomic data that our tests produce.
Dr. Martina Lefterova, MD, PhD, Guardant Health
Why it matters
Traditional tissue biopsies provide a limited snapshot – often from a single tumor site at a single point in time. Liquid biopsies, enhanced by advanced bioinformatics from QIAGEN Digital Insights (QDI), offer a real-time, system-wide view of cancer by analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from the bloodstream. This allows clinicians to track tumor evolution, resistance mutations and treatment opportunities with far greater precision.
Dr. Martina Lefterova, MD, PhD, is Vice President and Executive Laboratory Director at Guardant Health
A molecular pathologist with extensive expertise in next-generation sequencing and clinical diagnostics, she leads efforts to advance precision oncology through liquid biopsy testing.
September 2025