DELFI Diagnostics to Present First Clinical Utility Data for Blood-Based Lung Cancer Screening at ATS 2026 International Conference

Late-breaking oral presentation of the L301 FIRSTLUNG Study highlights first-of-its-kind evidence that a blood-based test can increase lung cancer screening uptake; five total presentations span clinical utility, real-world implementation, and health equity across three health systems

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DELFI Diagnostics, Inc., developer of innovative blood-based tests that leverage cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentomics for cancer detection and monitoring, today announced that five abstracts featuring DELFI technology, including a late-breaker, will be presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2026 International Conference, taking place May 15-20, 2026, in Orlando, FL. Spanning oral sessions and posters, the five presentations mark a significant milestone for DELFI's fragmentomics platform, featuring the first clinical utility evidence ever generated for a blood-based lung cancer screening approach alongside real-world implementation data from health system collaborators and new evidence on reaching underserved populations with accessible, life-saving early detection.

The centerpiece of DELFI's ATS program is a late-breaking oral presentation of the L301 Clinical Utility Study (FIRSTLUNG), a cluster-randomized interventional trial evaluating whether offering blood-based lung cancer testing or low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) increases overall lung cancer screening rates. The study, led by James Davis, MD, of Duke University, is the first interventional trial to measure the clinical utility of a blood-based test in the lung cancer screening pathway. Results will be presented during a late-breaker session at ATS 2026.

Despite a decade-old U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation for annual lung cancer screening via LDCT, fewer than one in five eligible Americans are screened each year, making lung cancer the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.¹ DELFI's FirstLook™ Lung test, the first commercially available blood-based test in the United States with high sensitivity for lung cancer screening, was designed to address this gap by offering a convenient first step that integrates with routine blood work.^2,3

Beyond the L301 late-breaker, DELFI's ATS program includes real-world implementation data from health systems already using FirstLook Lung in clinical practice, as well as new evidence on the feasibility of at-home blood collection for lung cancer screening in under-resourced communities. Together, the five presentations address the most critical questions facing lung cancer screening today: Does a blood-based test change clinical behavior? Can it reach the patients who need it most? And can it be implemented at scale?

"The data we're presenting at ATS represent a turning point for lung cancer screening," said Susan Tousi, CEO of DELFI Diagnostics. "For the first time, we have clinical utility evidence showing that a blood-based test can meaningfully move the needle on screening uptake. Combined with real-world implementation data from our health system partners, these presentations demonstrate that FirstLook Lung is not just analytically validated. It changes clinical practice and reaches patients who were previously unscreened."

Presentations at ATS 2026

Late-Breaking Oral Presentation:

A Cluster Randomized Interventional Study of a Blood-Based Lung Cancer Screening Test in Primary Care Practices: The FIRSTLUNG Study
Session: Late-Breaker Oral Presentation
Clinical Trial: NCT06145750
Presenter: James Davis, MD, Duke University Medical Center

Accepted Poster Presentations:

From Recalcitrance to Receptivity: Blood-Based Lung Cancer Screening and Its Association with Uptake and Completion
Session: Thematic Poster
Presenter: Muhammad Anees, MD, Allegheny Health Network

FIRSTLUNG L301: Baseline Socioeconomic Characteristics of a Cluster Randomized Clinical Utility Trial Evaluating Blood-Based Lung Cancer Screening Across Diverse Communities
Session: Poster
Presenter: James Davis, MD, Duke University Medical Center

Implementation of a Blood-Based Lung Cancer Screening Test to Address Adherence Barriers to Low-Dose Computed Tomography Within an Integrated Healthcare Delivery System
Session: Oral Rapid Fire
Presenter: Ali Zaidi, MD, Allegheny Health Network

Feasibility of At-Home Blood-Based Cell-Free DNA Testing for Lung Cancer Screening in Under-Resourced Communities
Session: Oral Poster
Presenter: Dan Raz, MD, City of Hope

The five presentations reflect a significant expansion of the clinical evidence base for DELFI's fragmentomics platform at the world's largest pulmonary medicine meeting. While DELFI's AACR 2026 program showcased advances across cancer subtyping, immunotherapy response, and treatment monitoring, the ATS program is squarely focused on lung cancer screening: the clinical question of whether a blood-based test changes real-world screening behavior, and the implementation question of how health systems can deploy it effectively.

The L301 FIRSTLUNG Study is a registered, multi-site clinical trial (NCT06145750) and represents the first interventional study designed to evaluate the clinical utility of a blood-based test in the lung cancer screening pathway. Additional presentations from Allegheny Health Network and City of Hope provide independent, real-world evidence of FirstLook Lung implementation across different care models and patient populations, including under-resourced communities.

Dr. James Davis, physician, tenured faculty at Duke University, medical director of the Duke Center for Smoking Cessation, and PI of the Delfi L301 study, had this to say: "A central idea behind using a blood test for lung cancer screening is that a primary care provider will be able to send their patient down the hall to the lab to get a complete blood count, cholesterol, and lung cancer screening. The hope for a lung cancer screening blood test is that it makes lung cancer screening sufficiently easy that a large portion of people who qualify for screening receive it. The L301 FIRSTLUNG Study addressed impact on clinical practice by asking the question: 'If primary care providers have access to a lung cancer screening blood test, will it increase rates of lung cancer screening?' Results from this study were unambiguous."

Attendees are invited to visit DELFI Diagnostics at Booth #2431. For more information about DELFI's lung cancer screening program and fragmentomics platform, visit www.delfidiagnostics.com.

1. USPSTF Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/lung-cancer-screening 
2. American Lung Association, 2025 State of Lung Cancer Report: https://www.lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer/key-findings 
3. The FirstLook Lung test is a laboratory-developed test. This test was developed, and its performance characteristics were determined by DELFI Diagnostics. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The laboratory is regulated under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and is qualified to perform high-complexity clinical tests. The test is used for clinical purposes. It should not be regarded as investigational or for research.

About DELFI Diagnostics

DELFI Diagnostics is developing next-generation, blood-based tests that are convenient, accessible, and reliable, offering a new way to help detect cancer. DELFI's proprietary technology leverages advanced AI to analyze patterns of circulating cell-free DNA fragments in the blood, an approach known as fragmentomics, to help detect lung cancer with high sensitivity. FirstLook Lung, the first commercially available blood-based screening test for lung cancer in the United States, serves individuals eligible for lung cancer screening through a simple blood draw that integrates with routine blood work. With a negative predictive value of 99.8 percent, the test identifies individuals at elevated risk for lung cancer, including early-stage disease, and guides them toward follow-up with guideline-recommended low-dose CT. Through novel health system partnerships, DELFI is pioneering electronic medical record (EMR) integration that makes blood-based testing available to historically underserved populations. FirstLook Lung has not been cleared or approved by the FDA.

To learn more about DELFI Diagnostics, visit DELFIDiagnostics.com

SOURCE DELFI Diagnostics