UCLA researchers published results for MethylScan, a low-cost, single-sample blood test that reads circulating cell-free DNA methylation patterns to detect multiple cancers and liver/organ abnormalities simultaneously. The approach, described in a PNAS paper, uses cfDNA (small fragments released during cell death) and leverages tissue-specific methylation signatures, aiming to move beyond mutation-only liquid biopsies that require deep sequencing. The work reports early performance in more than 1,000 people and frames the technology as a broad screening and monitoring tool rather than a single-disease assay. If validated in larger cohorts, this could reduce costs and operational complexity for broad early detection workflows and change how health systems decide which populations get liquid biopsy testing.