BioNexus Gene Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:BGLC) shares jumped 10% after the company announced strategic agreements with Fidelion Diagnostics to jointly commercialize VitaGuard, a next-generation liquid biopsy platform for minimal residual disease (MRD) testing across Southeast Asia.
Under the definitive agreements, BioNexus will acquire newly issued Fidelion shares representing at least 15% of Fidelion’s fully diluted equity, while Fidelion will receive restricted BioNexus shares equivalent to 19.9% of BGLC’s pre-money outstanding stock. The transaction will be executed privately and will not require registration under the Securities Act.
The collaboration is built around VitaGuard, a tumor-naïve, high-fidelity liquid biopsy platform capable of detecting circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) at levels as low as 0.02% variant allele frequency. The tumor-naïve approach allows for MRD testing without the need for tissue samples, simplifying the process and expanding accessibility.
“Moving from agreements to execution marks the next growth chapter for BGLC. The sub-$1,000 genome changed medicine by collapsing cost without losing quality. We intend to do the same for MRD — bringing high-fidelity, tumor-naïve blood tests to everyday care across ASEAN,” said Sam Tan, Chief Executive Officer of both BGLC and Fidelion.
As part of the deal, BioNexus will gain exclusive commercialization rights across ASEAN nations, with initial launches planned in Singapore and Malaysia. The partnership aims to make MRD testing more affordable and widely available, mirroring the democratization of genetic testing achieved through low-cost genome sequencing.
Both companies expect to close the transaction once all remaining conditions are satisfied within the designated timeframe.