Cancer care is in the middle of a quiet revolution—and the smartest money in healthcare has noticed.
In the last few weeks alone:
- Abbott announced a ~$21–23 billion acquisition of Exact Sciences, the company behind Cologuard and major precision-oncology assays like Oncotype DX. (PR Newswire)
- Freenome announced a SPAC deal to go public, expecting to raise around $330 million to launch its AI- and multiomics-powered blood tests for multi-cancer early detection. (Freenome)
These aren’t small bets. They’re a signal:
Advanced testing and genomic analysis are no longer “experimental extras” – they’re becoming the backbone of future cancer care.
This blog will break down what that means for you as a patient or caregiver, how three types of advanced testing work, and why cryopreserving your biopsy tissue is the key that unlocks them—both now and in the future.
Quick note: Nothing here is personal medical advice. It’s an educational overview to help you ask better questions and advocate for yourself with your care team.
What Big Deals Like Abbott–Exact and Freenome Really Mean
Abbott’s move to acquire Exact Sciences plugs a massive diagnostics giant directly into the fastest-growing areas of cancer screening and precision oncology—things like stool-based screening, multi-cancer blood tests, and molecular residual disease (MRD) assays. (PR Newswire)
At the same time, Freenome is:
- Building multiomics blood tests (looking at DNA, epigenetics, proteins, and more)
- Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to find faint early cancer signals in a standard blood draw
- Raising hundreds of millions of dollars and heading to the public markets to scale this platform globally (Freenome)
When large strategics and leading institutional investors put billions into:
- Early detection
- Precision diagnostics
- Multi-cancer and functional testing
…it’s because they believe this is where oncology is going—and where value (and better outcomes) will be created over the next decade.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most patients still receive care as if this future doesn’t exist.
Standard biopsy, standard pathology, standard chemo or radiation—often without taking full advantage of advanced tools that could better match treatment to your tumor.
That’s where three categories of advanced testing—and tissue cryopreservation—come in.
The Three Pillars of Advanced Cancer Testing
1. Treatment Effectiveness Testing (Ex-Vivo Drug Testing)
What it is:
Ex-vivo drug testing takes living tumor cells from your biopsy or surgery, exposes them to different cancer drugs (and combinations) in the lab, and directly measures how those cells respond—before you receive the drugs in your body.
Think of it as a “test drive” of chemotherapy and targeted agents on your cancer cells.
Why it matters:
- Tumors that look similar under a microscope can behave very differently.
- Studies in blood cancers and solid tumors show that ex-vivo drug response profiles can correlate with which treatments actually work in the clinic, and can help identify resistance earlier. (Nature)
Instead of guessing which regimen might work first, functional precision oncology aims to measure how your cells respond, then use that information to guide therapy.
What it requires:
- Viable, living tumor tissue.
Dead, chemically fixed tissue (like standard FFPE blocks) can’t respond to drugs, so it can’t be used for these live-cell assays.
This is one of the key reasons cryopreservation at the time of biopsy or surgery is so important—it keeps cells alive and usable for these tests later.
2. Genomic Analysis for Mutated Biomarkers
What it is:
Genomic testing reads the DNA (and often RNA) of your tumor to look for:
- Mutations
- Fusions
- Amplifications
- Other markers that can be matched to targeted therapies or clinical trials
Platforms like those developed by Exact Sciences and others are part of this wave of large gene panels and multi-cancer tests that go far beyond single-gene testing. (BioPharma Dive)
Why it matters:
- A single mutation (like an EGFR, ALK, BRAF, or NTRK alteration) can dramatically change your treatment options.
- Genomic profiling can reveal “druggable” targets your team might otherwise miss.
- It can also uncover trial eligibility tied to specific biomarkers.
The FFPE problem:
Most biopsies today are preserved using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) processing. FFPE is great for long-term storage and traditional pathology, but the formalin causes crosslinks and fragmentation of DNA and RNA. (ScienceDirect)
Modern genomic labs have learned how to work around many of these limitations, but:
- Nucleic acids can be degraded or chemically modified.
- Some advanced assays and larger panels may fail or give less reliable results.
- FFPE can limit future testing options, especially as new, more demanding technologies emerge.
How cryopreservation changes the game:
When tissue is flash-frozen at ultra-low temperatures, biological activity is essentially paused:
- DNA, RNA, proteins, and cellular structures are preserved in a much more “native” state. (SpeciCare)
- This can support higher success rates for complex genomic testing now—and for tests that haven’t even been invented yet.
Cryopreservation turns your tissue into a living, reusable asset, not a one-time diagnostic sample.
3. Immunoresponse Testing (Your Immune System vs. Your Tumor)
Immunotherapy has changed the outlook for many cancers, but it doesn’t work for everyone. The question isn’t just “Is there a drug for my cancer type?” It’s:
“Will my immune system actually respond to this drug?”
Immunoresponse testing looks at the interaction between your tumor and your immune cells, often focusing on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and other immune markers:
- TIL density and function have been linked to response or resistance to checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapies. (PMC)
- New ex-vivo platforms can co-culture your live tumor with your immune cells and test different immunotherapy strategies. (Science)
Again, this kind of testing requires viable tissue and immune cells. Cryopreservation allows:
- Preservation of tumor and sometimes blood/immune cells for future immune profiling
- The potential to build personalized vaccines, TIL therapies, or other advanced immune-based strategies as they become available (SpeciCare)
Why Cryopreservation Is the “Enabling Layer” for All of This
Let’s connect the dots:
- Ex-vivo drug testing needs living tumor cells.
- Advanced genomic and multiomic testing works best with high-quality DNA/RNA and intact proteins.
- Immunoresponse testing often needs live tumor–immune interactions.
Standard FFPE processing:
- Kills the cells
- Crosslinks and damages DNA/RNA
- Limits what can be done beyond basic diagnostics (IDT DNA)
Cryopreservation, by contrast:
- Rapidly freezes tissue at ultra-low temperatures, halting biological activity
- Preserves viability and molecular integrity
- Keeps your tissue usable for repeat testing, new assays, and future trials (SpeciCare)
That’s why SpeciCare talks about your cryopreserved tumor as a “most valuable asset” in your cancer journey, enabling:
- Functional drug testing
- Deep genomic profiling
- Immuno-based assays
- Increased access to trials that require high-quality or live tissue (SpeciCare)
The Reality: Most Doctors Aren’t Offering All of This (Yet)
Oncology is changing fast, but clinical practice often lags behind the science. Many patients:
- Never hear the words “cryopreservation” before biopsy or surgery.
- Aren’t told about ex-vivo drug testing or advanced immunoresponse assays.
- Get standard FFPE processing by default—because that’s “how it’s always been done.”
It’s not usually bad intent. It’s:
- Time pressure
- Insurance complexity
- Lack of familiarity with newer technologies
- Fragmentation between hospitals, academic centers, and specialized labs
But the effect is the same:
If you don’t ask, the opportunity may be lost—permanently.
Once tissue is removed and fully processed as FFPE, you can’t go back in time and make it living again. You may have only one chance to preserve it in a way that supports the most advanced testing and future options.
What Smart Investors Are Doing—And What Smart Patients Can Learn
When Abbott spends tens of billions to acquire Exact Sciences, it’s betting on:
- Molecular diagnostics
- Multi-cancer early detection
- Precision oncology tools that go far beyond “one-size-fits-all” chemo (PR Newswire)
When Freenome raises hundreds of millions and goes public via a SPAC, it’s doubling down on:
- Multiomics + AI to catch cancer earlier with blood tests
- A personalized menu of screening tests based on risk and clinical guidelines (Freenome)
These companies, their investors, and strategic partners are all sending the same message:
The future of cancer care is personalized, data-rich, and deeply dependent on advanced testing.
As a patient or caregiver, you don’t get to buy a $23 billion company.
But you do get to decide what happens to your tissue.
Becoming Your Own Advocate: Questions to Ask Before Biopsy or Surgery
Here are practical questions you can bring to your medical team:
- “What will happen to my biopsy or surgical tissue after it’s removed?”
- Will it be preserved only as FFPE, or is there an option to also cryopreserve a portion?
- “Can some of my tumor be cryopreserved as living tissue for future testing and clinical trials?”
- Ask whether your hospital or surgeon is open to working with a third-party cryopreservation provider like SpeciCare.
- “What advanced testing options might be relevant for my situation?”
- Ex-vivo drug response testing (treatment effectiveness)
- Expanded genomic profiling / multi-omic analysis
- Immunotherapy response or immune profiling tests
- “If my first-line treatment doesn’t work, what’s Plan B—and will preserved tissue give us more options?”
You are not being “difficult” by asking these questions. You’re doing exactly what the smartest people in the industry are doing: planning ahead, because the future of cancer care is arriving quickly.
How SpeciCare Fits In
SpeciCare’s role is to make this whole process easier for patients and their families.
- We coordinate the logistics of tissue cryopreservation: shipping kits, working with your surgeon or hospital, and ensuring the tissue is preserved correctly in a secure cryolab. (SpeciCare)
- We help connect your preserved tissue to advanced testing options—ex-vivo drug testing, genomic analysis, and immuno-immune assays—as they’re appropriate and available. (SpeciCare)
- We work alongside your medical team, not instead of them, to add an extra layer of information and opportunity to your care.
The goal is simple but powerful:
Don’t just remove or biopsy your tumor—preserve it for the fight ahead.
The Bottom Line
Billions of dollars are flowing into cancer diagnostics, multi-cancer blood tests, and functional precision medicine for a reason:
- Ex-vivo drug testing can reveal which treatments your tumor actually responds to.
- Genomic and multiomic analysis can uncover targeted options and trial matches.
- Immunoresponse testing helps predict who may benefit from powerful immunotherapies.
- Cryopreservation is the practical step that keeps your tissue “alive” for these tests—today and in the future.
Most patients will never hear about any of this unless they bring it up.
If you or a loved one is facing a biopsy or surgery for suspected or confirmed cancer, this is your moment to ask:
“How can we preserve this tissue so it works for me—not just today, but for every option that might come next?”
SpeciCare exists to help you answer that question and guide you through the process.
If you’d like to explore whether cryopreservation and advanced testing are right for your situation, you can schedule a free consultation through SpeciCare to talk through your options and timing with someone who understands both the science and the logistics. (SpeciCare)
Your tumor tissue is a one-time resource.
Treat it—and your future options—as something worth protecting.
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