Zymo Research and STORI Advance Early Pregnancy Detection with Cell-Free DNA Technology

IRVINE, Calif., April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Zymo Research, a global leader in life science technologies, and STORI, a new women's health company, today announced a collaboration to bring a novel early pregnancy assay to market, enabling detection of placental-derived DNA in maternal blood as early as five weeks of gestation.

The assay was developed using molecular biology technologies and workflow infrastructure developed by Zymo Research, integrating optimized sample preservation, cell-free DNA extraction chemistry, assay design, and computational analysis. Each stage of the workflow was engineered to enable reliable recovery and detection of low-abundance circulating DNA fragments during early gestation.

"Detecting fetal DNA at such early stages of pregnancy, when the embryo is approximately the size of a poppy seed, required rethinking nearly every step of the workflow," said Paolo Piatti, PhD, Director of Applied Epigenetics at Zymo Research. "The ability to reliably recover and capture these extremely low-abundance signals opens new possibilities for highly sensitive circulating DNA analysis."

"Early pregnancy is a period where biological signals are already present, but difficult to measure," said Sabina Melarti, CEO at STORI. "The value of early insight lies not just in getting an answer sooner, but, more importantly, in receiving that answer with the highest possible degree of accuracy and responsibility. Working with Zymo allows fetal cell-free DNA to be measured with the sensitivity and care required to make that possible."

Under the agreement, STORI will serve as the exclusive commercialization partner, bringing to market an assay powered by Zymo Research's technology through its reproductive health platform. The offering will support at-home capillary blood collection to expand access to early-stage testing, with initial applications such as prenatal biological sex determination. 

Preliminary analytical validation has been completed, and additional IRB-approved clinical studies are underway to further characterize assay performance and gestational sensitivity.

This collaboration highlights how Zymo Research empower partners and innovators with the molecular technologies and workflow foundations that unlock advantages in diagnostics and drive innovation across the broader health and life sciences landscape.

About Zymo Research Corp.

Zymo Research, a privately owned biotech company founded in 1994, is a global leader in molecular tools for life sciences. Driven by the principle "The Beauty of Science is to Make Things Simple," Zymo Research is dedicated to developing innovative solutions that address complex scientific challenges.

Known also as The Epigenetics Company, Zymo Research offers a comprehensive range of technologies, including solutions for sample collection, DNA/RNA purification, library preparation, microbiomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, genomics, and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) services.

In addition to its cutting-edge technologies, Zymo Research is committed to sustainability. By engineering environmentally friendly solutions, the company strives to reduce waste and contribute to a more sustainable future through scientific innovation.

For more information, please visit www.zymoresearch.com

About STORI

STORI is a women's health company focused on early human developmental biology. The company translates molecular signals into accessible biological insight, pairing scientific rigor with responsible, human-centered interpretation and application.

Its work spans early biological systems across the perinatal arc, from fertility through pregnancy and early life.

For more information, please visit www.ourstori.com

SOURCE Zymo Research Corp.