Roche said it will acquire Saga Diagnostics for up to $595 million through Foundation Medicine, expanding its molecular residual disease testing portfolio. The deal includes milestone payments and is expected to close in the third quarter, after which Pathlight will be integrated into Foundation Medicine. Saga’s tumor-informed MRD platform, Pathlight, combines whole-genome sequencing and digital PCR to detect and track structural variants at high sensitivity. Roche also highlighted plans to leverage its Axelios sequencing and Digital LightCycler PCR platforms to build decentralized MRD testing models. The acquisition targets an MRD market moving from academic validation toward broad clinical use, including Medicare coverage for recurrence monitoring in early-stage breast cancer in specific subtypes—an indicator of payor traction for MRD solutions.