• Conference
  • biomodal presenter
  • In partnership with Illumina

Official Exhibitor – American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026

19 April 2026
to 22 April 2026
San Diego Convention Center
, San Diego
, United States of America

Visit biomodal at booth 

#1717

Presentations

Explore our resources

Request a meeting

About the event

Join us to learn how biomodal is transforming cancer research through next‑generation multiomic insights.

At this year’s premier oncology meeting, we’re showcasing new advances across our integrated 5‑base, 6‑base, and bespoke solutions — empowering researchers to detect change earlier, profile cancer biology with greater clarity, and accelerate translational discoveries.

Visit booth 1717 to explore breakthrough data, engage with our scientific team, and learn how biomodal is redefining cancer understanding. Be sure to attend our Spotlight Theater talk and check out our four posters showcasing new findings you won’t want to miss.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by AACR.

Presenting at the event

Advances in biomodal’s duet multiomics portfolio for 5- and 6-base sequencing: Enabling wholistic understanding of genetics and epigenetics

Robert Osborne, PhD

Senior Vice President, Research & Development

biomodal

Sunday April 19th, 2026 | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Theater A

The biomodal workshop will include an overview of biomodal’s solutions for cancer research that deliver integrated genetic and epigenetic insights from the same low-input sample. Compatible with genomic DNA, FFPE DNA and cfDNA, biomodal’s technology provides researchers with the solutions they need to derive multiomic insights from even the most challenging samples. Speakers will present research leveraging biomodal’s 6-base technology (evoC) to infer mechanisms of treatment resistance in late-stage prostate cancer and early detection of Stage I CRC, both from plasma DNA.

This Exhibitor Spotlight Theater is a promotional activity and is not approved for continuing education credit. The content of this Exhibitor Spotlight Theater are the opinions of the presenter and do not represent the position or the opinion of the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) or its members.

Integrative dual ctDNA 5mC/5hmC methylomics and clonal reconstruction infer tumor transcription and resistance phenotypes in metastatic prostate cancer

Dr. Adam Sowalsky

Senior Investigator

National Cancer Institute, Genitourinary Malignancies Branch

Sunday April 19th, 2026 | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Theater A

Liquid biopsies can detect actionable mutations and infer broad tumor states from genome-wide cfDNA measurements, but quantitative transcriptome-like phenotyping at single gene resolution still largely requires tissue. Here, we asked whether 6-base whole-genome sequencing that jointly quantifies 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) could infer gene expression directly from plasma. We applied this framework to plasma from patients enrolled in a phase 2 clinical trial of the PARP inhibitor olaparib plus the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Inferred plasma transcriptomes distinguished adenocarcinoma vs. neuroendocrine phenotypes and identified a noncanonical WNT5A-associated signature linked to poor clinical response. Integrating longitudinal cfDNA methylomic profiles with phylogenetic reconstruction further revealed two resistance trajectories: one featuring high tumor heterogeneity with persistent AR signaling, and another marked by an AR-independent, stem-like program with metabolic reprogramming. These findings demonstrate that ctDNA can inform phenotype-driven tumor biology at gene-level resolution, integrating epigenetic modifications, inferred transcriptional programs, and clonal dynamics as a function of treatment response.

I’ll describe how we used biomodal’s 6-base sequencing on serial liquid biopsies to infer tumor gene activity directly from plasma and capture clinically relevant tumor states. I’ll then show how combining this with deep ctDNA sequencing and longitudinal sampling reveals baseline signatures and evolving resistance patterns that track with treatment response.

This Exhibitor Spotlight Theater is a promotional activity and is not approved for continuing education credit. The content of this Exhibitor Spotlight Theater are the opinions of the presenter and do not represent the position or the opinion of the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) or its members.

Poster Presentation: The importance of high analytical sensitivity and specificity of 5 and 6-base assays to enhance the detection of ctDNA in liquid biopsy applications

Thao Huynh

Scientific Affairs Partner

biomodal

Sunday, April 19th, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Poster Section 5 / Poster Board Number: 30

Sensitive detection of cancer-derived DNA fragments (ctDNA) within cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in liquid biopsy is essential for identifying early-stage cancers, monitoring treatment response and minimal residual disease. A major challenge in these applications is detecting ctDNA, indicative of disease state, when this represents a small fraction of the total cfDNA. Advances in methylomic profiling, including 6-base sequencing with duet evoC which distinguishes 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), have enabled high-sensitivity ctDNA detection by analyzing methylation patterns across individual sequencing fragments (fragment level analysis) as opposed to more traditional analyses that average methylation levels at individual CpG loci.

We present a comparative analysis of the background error rates in fragment-level methylation analysis between the duet suite of methylation assays from biomodal and alternative methylation sequencing technologies, showing error rates below 10-5 for both biomodal assays compared to error rates above 10-4 for alternative technologies. We further show how this lower error rate can enable more sensitive detection of ctDNA, and present the application of these technologies to detecting ctDNA in cfDNA from patients diagnosed with stages I-IV colorectal cancer.

Our findings further emphasize the power of fragment-level analyses in cfDNA-based applications. They illustrate that it is critical to carefully consider analytical performance to achieve maximum clinical sensitivity and specificity from limited cfDNA samples.

Poster Presentation: Simultaneous identification of methylation and somatic variants can improve sensitivity for cancer detection and monitoring

Brett Evans

Territory Account Manager

biomodal

Sunday, April 19th, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Poster Section 5 / Poster Board Number: 29

Sensitive detection of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) within the total pool of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is crucial for the early diagnosis of cancer via liquid biopsy, and for monitoring ctDNA levels during treatment and remission. This enables earlier monitoring of treatment response, identification of minimal residual disease, and early detection of cancer. However, ctDNA typically represents only a minor fraction of overall cfDNA, posing significant challenges for conventional biomarker-based detection methods. Recently, fragmentomics-based approaches have shown promising results for ctDNA detection in liquid biopsy samples, with studies demonstrating that analysis of fragment size distributions across genomic regions, the frequency of 5′ end motifs, and nucleosome positioning patterns near functional genomic sites can substantially enhance sensitivity and specificity.

The advent of advanced methylomic profiling methods, such as 6-base sequencing with duet evoC, which distinguishes 5-methylcytosine (5mC) from 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), has further expanded the analytical landscape. Integrating 5mC and 5hmC profiling with ctDNA detection strategies extends the spectrum of discernible fragment end motifs and provides orthogonal data layers to fragment size and nucleosome positioning analysis. These multidimensional epigenetic signatures hold the potential to markedly improve the resolution and accuracy of ctDNA detection.

Here, we evaluate the impact of these additional epigenetic layers on ctDNA detection in liquid biopsy samples from a cohort of healthy volunteers and patients with different stages of colorectal cancer. We show that as well as different 5mC and 5hmC profiles between healthy, and early or late stage CRC, there are distinct differences in fragmentomics metrics when comparing across these groups. We identify regulatory regions displaying differences in nucleosome positioning in cfDNA derived from healthy individuals and CRC patients. Finally, we compare the ability of fragmentomics and epigenetic modalities (individually and in combination) to classify CRC patients. These classifiers evidence the utility of full multiomic datasets in cfDNA applications.

Poster Presentation: Using the 6-base genome for full multiomic analysis of cfDNA through combined methylation and fragmentomic analysis to enhance classification of clinical cancer cfDNA samples

Steven Ciaramaglia

Territory Account Manager

biomodal

Sunday, April 19th, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Poster Section 5 / Poster Board Number: 28

The 6-base genome, provided by duet evoC, provides the canonical 4-base genome whilst simultaneously distinguishing 5-methylcytosine from 5-hydroxymethylcytosine to provide the 5th and 6th, epigenetic, bases. The 6-base genome has been shown to be a powerful tool for the discovery of biomarkers of early biological change and provides mechanistic insight across important applications including oncology, liquid biopsy and neurology. In these applications it is important to maximise the information derived from precious DNA samples, both in terms of multiomic data and material recovery.

Here we present the next evolution of the duet product portfolio. Through implementation of a novel single-stranded ligation approach, we demonstrate marked improvements in assay performance including material recovery and DNA methylation calling sensitivity, whilst maintaining high genetic and epigenetic accuracy. These improvements derive from the ability of single-stranded ligation to maintain the original cfDNA strands. In contrast, end-repair can fill-in 5’ overhangs with unmodified cytosines (reducing methylation detection sensitivity) and can introduce errors at 5’ overhangs in addition to nicks and gaps. In addition, end-repair can remove information by degrading 3’ overhangs. The single-stranded ligation method also captures both single and double stranded cfDNA, maximizing recovery of unique molecules. This is a critical parameter for liquid biopsy applications, where it is important to assay as many circulating-tumor (ctDNA) molecules as possible.

We anticipate that these improvements will further enhance the power of the duet portfolio to reveal powerful novel biomarkers and provide mechanistic insight in sample-constrained liquid biopsy applications.

Poster Presentation: Single stranded ligation enhances the performance of the duet evoC 6-base assay, enhancing value in low DNA input applications including liquid biopsy

Thao Huynh

Scientific Affairs Partner

biomodal

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Poster Section 45 / Poster Board Number: 25

There is increasing evidence that combining genetic and DNA methylation information in cancer research and diagnostics provides significant utility. For example, bi-allelic inactivation of tumour suppressor genes commonly occurs through a combination of somatic mutation at one allele and epigenetic silencing of the second allele and can be a key driver of cancer progression. In addition, gene fusions have an impact on DNA methylation patterns and DNA methylation changes can provide information on gene fusion status, even where the fusion event itself cannot be confidently identified in genetic sequencing data. Furthermore, combined genetic and epigenetic analysis of individual DNA fragments can increase sensitivity of somatic variant detection, which is particularly important in liquid biopsy applications.

Here we analyse cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using 6-base sequencing with duet evoC, which calls genetic mutations and distinguishes between 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) with high accuracy. We leverage duet evoC to confidently identify circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA) fragments in cfDNA, a method that can be generally applied to increase the sensitivity of MRD detection. We also demonstrate that bi-allelic inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in patient samples can be identified in a single assay. Further, we identify methylation patterns that are indicative of gene fusions or chromosomal rearrangements, opening the possibility of improving the sensitivity of gene fusion detection in clinical samples.

Our results highlight how duet evoC enables integrated genetic and epigenetic profiling in a single assay, revealing clinically relevant alterations that conventional approaches often miss. This integrated view offers a more sensitive and comprehensive framework for cancer detection and monitoring.

Find the venue

One sample. One workflow. One solution.

Here are the relevant biomodal resources for information. Find poster presentation information, case studies, interviews, and more.

Attending from biomodal

Brett Evans

Brett Evans

US Territory Manager, Midwest
Craig Fishman

Craig Fishman

Regional Head of Sales, North America
Gianina LaChapelle

Gianina LaChapelle

Regional Marketing Manager
Jen Stone

Jennifer L. Stone, PhD

Vice President, Business Development and Customer Solutions
Mark Consugar

Mark Consugar

Associate Director of Scientific Affairs
Rob Osborne

Robert Osborne, PhD

Senior Vice President, Research & Development
Steven Ciaramaglia

Steven Ciaramaglia

US Territory Manager, Northeast
Thao Huynh

Thao Huynh

Scientific Affairs Partner

Register now

Meet our team at the event

AACR 2026 17APR26
352246092006

Stay up to date

Explore recent biomodal news and the events that we’ll be attending in the near future.

News

Events

What are you looking for?