Navigating the future of lung cancer biomarkers

Setting the context

Thermo Fisher Scientific sought a strategic, evidence-backed understanding of the HRMG biomarker landscape in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Interest in DNA methylation biomarkers has grown rapidly over the past decade. Yet the research, clinical validation data, competitive activity, and regulatory progress were dispersed across hundreds of publications and multiple markets.

Saguna Consulting partnered with Thermo Fisher to consolidate this complexity into a comprehensive landscape report bringing scientific rigor, commercial clarity, and strategic direction into one structured narrative.

Why this mattered

Early detection and precision diagnostics in lung cancer represent a rapidly evolving opportunity. But progress depends on knowing where the science stands and where the white spaces remain.

Without a clear view of:

• Clinically validated HRMG biomarkers
  
• Ongoing trials and performance benchmarks
  
• Competitive products and regulatory progress
  
• How HRMGs compare to other biomarker modalities
  

…R&D prioritization becomes uncertain. For Thermo Fisher, this was not just a research exercise. It was about informing investment decisions, shaping diagnostic strategy, and positioning competitively in a fast-moving early detection market.

The constraint

The challenge was scale and complexity. 

Ten years of peer-reviewed research.
Multiple biomarker modalities.
Diverse sample types: tissue, plasma, sputum.
Global commercial activity and regulatory variation.

Scientific depth had to be preserved. Clinical relevance especially for early-stage NSCLC had to be prioritized. And the final output needed to be actionable for business decision-makers. Clarity had to emerge from volume.

Our delivery

Saguna Consulting designed and delivered a comprehensive strategic landscape report that:

• Mapped and curated 50+ HRMGs from academic and clinical studies
  
• Identified biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic validation
  
• Analyzed performance metrics (sensitivity, specificity, AUC) across sample types
  
• Benchmarked HRMGs against mutation, protein, autoantibody, and miRNA-based biomarkers
  
• Developed a global competitive landscape of companies, assays, and regulatory pathways
  
• Highlighted future opportunities, research gaps, and commercialization white spaces
  

Rather than presenting fragmented findings, we structured the landscape into clear themes enabling faster comparison, prioritization, and strategic alignment.

Following delivery, Thermo Fisher gained:

• A clearer prioritization strategy for HRMG targets
  
• A benchmark view against leading commercial assays
  
• Visibility into competitive white spaces
  
• A structured foundation for partnership and validation decisions
  

The report now supports internal R&D direction, go/no-go evaluations, clinical study planning, and strategic conversations across teams.

Looking ahead

The landscape framework is positioned to extend beyond NSCLC informing feasibility assessments in new cancer types and different regulatory markets. What began as a synthesis of data has become a strategic reference tool adaptable for internal planning, investor dialogue, and future publications. A complex scientific landscape, made actionable.