A recurring theme at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting wasn’t a single dataset, biomarker, or therapy.
It was a broader shift in how the oncology community is thinking about innovation.
Across presentations spanning targeted therapies, liquid biopsy, molecular diagnostics, and artificial intelligence, a common theme emerged: the challenge is no longer simply discovering new biomarkers. The challenge is translating them into clinical impact.
That message was echoed throughout the meeting and reinforced by the 2025-2026 ASCO Presidential theme "The Science and Practice of Translation: Improving Cancer Outcomes Worldwide.” The focus was not only on scientific breakthroughs, but on how those breakthroughs ultimately reach patients and influence care.
Over the past decade, precision oncology has transformed cancer treatment. Biomarkers that once identified niche patient populations are increasingly becoming central to treatment selection, sequencing, escalation and de-escalation decisions. New targeted therapies continue to expand the number of clinically actionable alterations, while advances in liquid biopsy, AI-enabled pathology and molecular profiling are generating increasing sophisticated insights into tumor biology.
But generating insights is only part of the equation.
The real challenge is ensuring those insights can be translated into approved therapies and integrated into clinical workflows to be delivered to patients at scale.
Precision oncology is entering an implementation era
Historically, innovation in precision medicine was often measured by scientific discovery: identifying a novel target, validating a biomarker or demonstrating clinical utility.
Today, success increasingly depends on implementation.
Can a companion diagnostic strategy support regulatory approval?
Can biomarker testing be deployed consistently across healthcare systems?
Can genomic information reach clinicians in time to influence treatment decisions?
Can testing access expand beyond a limited number of specialized centers?
The industry is entering an implementation era in which operational execution is becoming as important as scientific innovation.
Building the infrastructure for precision oncology
Meeting this challenge requires more than a single technology.
It requires infrastructure that supports translation across the entire precision oncology ecosystem, from biomarker discovery and companion diagnostics development to testing access and clinical adoption.
For biopharma organizations, companion diagnostics have become an increasingly important component of therapeutic development strategies. As targeted therapies continue to proliferate, developers need diagnostic partners capable of supporting biomarker identification, assay development, regulatory strategy and global commercialization.
Built on more than a decade of experience working with biopharma companies, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Oncomine companion diagnostic solutions support organizations throughout the development journey, helping align diagnostic and therapeutic development to bring biomarker-driven therapies to market, globally.
But bringing a therapy to market is only one part of the translation challenge.
Once a therapy is approved, healthcare systems must be able to identify eligible patients efficiently and consistently.
Expanding access to genomic insights
As genomic testing becomes increasingly important across cancer care, testing access has emerged as a critical consideration.
Many healthcare systems continue to face challenges related to testing capacity, workflow complexity and access to specialized molecular laboratories. As precision oncology expands, the ability to deliver genomic insights closer to where patients receive care may become increasingly important.
This is where decentralized testing models are gaining momentum.
The Ion Torrent™ Oncomine™ Dx Express Test was developed to help expand access to next-generation sequencing (NGS), by enabling laboratories to bring genomic testing capabilities closer to patients. By simplifying workflows and supporting faster access to genomic information, decentralized testing can help reduce barriers between biomarker identification and treatment selection.
For healthcare systems, the potential impact extends beyond operational efficiency. It is about helping to ensure that biomarker-informed treatment decisions can be made when they matter most.
From discovery to patient impact
ASCO 2026 demonstrated that the future of precision oncology will not be defined solely by the next biomarker, the next assay or the next targeted therapy.
It will be defined by how effectively the industry translates innovation into patient care.
That translation requires infrastructure across the entire continuum, from companion diagnostics development and regulatory strategy to decentralized testing and clinical implementation.
To learn more about precision medicine at Thermo Fisher, please visit thermofisher.com/cdx
**Oncomine Dx Express Test (US) Abbreviated Intended Use: The Oncomine Dx™ Express Test is a qualitative in vitro diagnostic test. The Oncomine Express Test is indicated as a companion diagnostic (CDx) to identify non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations for treatment with ZEGFROVY™ (sunvozertinib) in accordance with the approved therapeutic product labeling. The Oncomine Dx Express Test detects biomarkers recommended by professional guidelines for multiple solid tumors, including substitutions, insertions, and deletions in 42 genes, copy number variants in 10 genes, and fusions or splice variants in 18 genes.