Life sciences and diagnostics company Revvity has had a busy couple of years, playing a major role in the next-generation sequencing-based screening of newborns to better enable healthcare professionals to uncover a range of risks while allowing for earlier interventions and personalized treatment plans.
Revvity
launched
in May 2023 as a life sciences and diagnostics spin out of PerkinElmer, aiming to “expand the boundaries of human potential through science.”
The company has big plans for 2026, pushing forward in the genomics space, and eyeing four major trends, including the expanding role of multiomics in companion diagnostics and therapeutics development, the use of AI in base editing to advance cell and gene therapy, next-generation sequencing gaining traction in newborn screening worldwide, and immunotherapy improvements in clinical trials.
To dive more into these trends,
MD+DI
connected with four leaders at Revvity to discuss the company’s end-of-year forecast, the feature of next-generation sequencing, and more.
With next-generation sequencing gaining traction in newborn screening worldwide, what's the biggest barrier preventing faster adoption, and how do you see that changing in 2026?
Anna Godenhjelm, general manager of reproductive health at Revvity:
As newborn screening steadily evolves, next-generation sequencing continues to gain traction, enabling earlier and more comprehensive detection of rare genetic diseases. The success of any newborn screening program is wholly dependent on multi-stakeholder engagement. Public health authorities, informed by clinicians and evidence-backed research, help set the standards. Implementation and engagement are different challenges entirely.
Broadly speaking, when it comes to implementation, common concerns have to do with ethical, legal, and cost considerations. There also is a need to create a mechanism to refer screen positive babies and their family to the right clinical genetics team for confirmation testing and follow up care. We’re aware of more than 60 feasibility studies actively working to address these challenges. In 2026, collaboration among stakeholders and consensus building will be critical. The integration of data combining information from traditional newborn screening and with the addition of newer genomic newborn sequencing information will improve decision making and accelerate the broader integration of NGS in newborn screening and public health programs worldwide. Collaborations with international organizations, including the World Health Organization, will also be critical in advocating for the implementation of universal and more equitable screening programs, ensuring that more newborns benefit from early diagnosis and improved health outcomes.
Which of these four areas—multiomics, base editing, NGS in newborn screening, or immunotherapy improvements—do you predict will have the most dramatic impact on patient care by the end of 2026, and why?
Madhuri Hegde, SVP and chief scientific officer at Revvity:
We anticipate significant advances in all these areas, and be able to advance the understanding of disease and hopefully a treatment for many disease areas. By integrating various omics disciplines (e.g., genomics, proteomics, metabolomics), researchers are able to develop a more comprehensive approach to understand the molecular basis of disease – moving beyond single biomarker models to more robust, multi-layered systems. This integrated approach can lead to improvements in target validation, patient selection and reduce attrition in clinical trials. We continued technological advances in 2026 and collaboration between pharma companies working on the same therapeutic approaches spanning oncology, immunology, rare and chronic diseases and complex neurological disorders like ALS and Alzheimer’s.
Similarly in the world of rare diseases, pharma companies could use a common approach like base editing to create treatment for multiple rare diseases and such reducing cost and accelerating the availability of therapy for the rare disease community.
What's one development in your field that you're watching closely for 2026 that most people in the industry aren't talking about yet?
Miguel Tam, director of product management, life science reagents at BioLegend, a Revvity subsidiary:
While less publicized, accurate and reproducible product performance is essential in clinical research for successful translation into diagnostic applications. As research continues to advance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of rare and complex conditions - such as type 1 diabetes, cancer, allergies, and rare deficiencies like paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) - the need for well-defined, biologically relevant controls has steadily increased. From modified lyophilized human cells to carefully engineered cell lines, complex positive controls that mimic a patient’s condition or serve as biomarkers are enhancing confidence in diagnostic tools.
Beyond improving reproducibility and accuracy, higher standardization across diverse disease areas is moving clinical research and diagnostics towards greater ease of use as well as reduced costs by increasing the efficiency of diagnostic tests - critical elements in advancing healthcare solutions worldwide.
What do you think the biggest barrier will be for new medtech development in general in 2026?
Hegde:
Staffing issues are possibly the greatest challenges facing laboratories today, which directly impact the pace of innovation in medtech development. This is nothing new to lab leaders who’ve been dealing with talent shortages and budget constraints since long before 2025 – probably reaching an inflection point during the Covid-19 pandemic. And while there’s no perfect replacement for highly skilled laboratory professionals, there have been efficiency gains in some labs with the adoption of automated systems and other artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) technologies.
Looking at FDA's approach to accelerating approvals for drugs addressing major public health needs, like Sanofi's Tzield receiving a priority voucher, how do you think this will reshape drug development timelines and strategies in 2026?
Hegde:
Sanofi’s Tzield is one of the first recipients of a national priority voucher from FDA, which could expedite its approval for use in stage 3 type 1 diabetes individuals. This signals that regulators are seemingly more open to accelerating the approval process for new drugs that address major public health issues or treat large, unmet medical needs. We expect this momentum to influence how companies design and prioritize their pipelines in 2026 — with more focus on earlier engagement with regulators and clearer demonstration of real clinical impact.
To meet these faster timelines, we will see multiple pharma companies collaborating with regulatory agencies to use a common approval pipeline to fast-track approval of therapeutics. At the same time, platforms such as next generation sequencing, mass spectrometry, next-generation proteomics will pair with data analysis, which requires integrated software tools. Additionally, pairing gene editing tools, such as CRISPR, zinc finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, with diagnostic and data infrastructure will bring therapies to patients faster.
Is there anything else you would like to expand on?
Michelle Fraser, head of cell and gene therapy at Revvity:
The remarkable progress in cell and gene editing is something to continue watching. It’s been five years since the pioneers of CRISPR/Cas9 received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and among the many advances since, base editing continues to be a standout platform. This technology enables precise, single-base modifications to correct disease-causing mutations or silence genes without inducing the double-stranded DNA breaks characteristic of CRISPR/Cas9. This significantly reduces DNA damage, leading to a higher yield of healthier cells. Contemporary base editing platforms are highly flexible and modular, allowing for fine-tuning, simultaneous multi-gene edits, and even concurrent knock-ins, supporting complex, multiplexed genetic engineering. Recently, Revvity partnered with Profluent to incorporate AI-designed enzymes into base editors, vastly expanding the potential for optimizing these tools. The future promises base editing as a versatile toolbox for tackling both simple and complex genetic disorders.
