Morgan Stanley upgrades Charles River, downgrades IQVIA on diverging CRO outlooks

Tempus announced an expanded, multi-year collaboration with Moderna and Merck to support the potential commercialization of intismeran autogene, also known as V940 or mRNA-4157, a potential first-in-class individualized neoantigen therapy being evaluated in combination with KEYTRUDA in patients with completely resected stage IIB-IV melanoma and other cancer types. Intismeran autogene is jointly developed by Moderna and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and the new collaboration builds on joint efforts initiated last year. Under the agreement, Tempus will manage the timely collection and transfer of tumor tissue and blood samples required for next-generation sequencing, and, subject to applicable regulatory approvals, will also provide NGS services to support the intismeran autogene design and manufacturing process. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed. Moderna Chief Business Officer Said Francis said the partnership lets the company leverage Tempus's commercial footprint and advanced sequencing capabilities, while Jannie Oosthuizen, President of Global Oncology and MSD International, said such collaborations are helping build the infrastructure needed to bring individualized neoantigen therapies to patients at scale.

Roche Diagnostics has provided two molecular testing instruments to the Institut National de Santé Publique to support Ebola testing capacity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus has pushed demand for testing beyond current laboratory capacity. Roche will preconfigure the Light cycler and Magna Pure instruments and train local laboratory technicians before deploying the equipment to Bunia for validation testing. The Institut National de Santé Publique will conduct local validation of the Bundibugyo virus, after which Roche anticipates further tests could be shipped and additional instruments deployed. The delivery follows Roche's June announcement that it had developed a Research Use Only molecular PCR test targeting Bundibugyo virus. As of 28 September 2026, UN Health Authority data reported 8,067 confirmed cases and 3,901 deaths, a case fatality rate of 48.4% across 60 health zones in six provinces, and the WHO has assessed the risk in the DRC as very high and confirmed the outbreak remains a public health emergency of international concern.

Alvotech announced on Tuesday that it has agreed to a long-term deal with LOTTE Biologics to manufacture multiple biosimilar drugs at LOTTE's Syracuse, New York facility. The agreement adds 40K liters of manufacturing capacity and expands Alvotech's U.S. production footprint. The added capacity will support the company's growing biosimilar pipeline and global supply needs, with potential for the partnership to expand. Commercial production will begin after required technology transfer, facility qualification, and regulatory approvals.

QIAGEN N.V. announced new artificial intelligence capabilities to help researchers analyze complex biological and genomic data faster while keeping the scientific evidence behind the results visible. The expansion includes IPA Investigator, a new AI research companion for QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, and the new QIAGEN Discovery Platform, which extends these capabilities into automated drug discovery workflows. The new offerings build on more than 25 years of biomedical knowledge from QIAGEN Digital Insights, whose bioinformatics solutions are used by around 150,000 users. The global market for AI in bioinformatics is projected to more than double from about $12 billion in 2026 to more than $25 billion by 2031, according to Mordor Intelligence. At the University of Bergen in Norway, researchers tested IPA Investigator using complex datasets that deliberately introduced misleading sample comparisons, and Dr. Simona Chera, Professor at the University of Bergen, said the tool identified the problem, cautioned against overinterpreting the results and suggested a better experimental design.

NeoGenomics, Inc. issued preliminary third-quarter 2026 revenue guidance of about US$209 million with very strong next-generation sequencing growth and outlined plans to increase its full-year revenue guidance. The company also amended its bylaws to expand its Board to up to eleven directors. In a planned leadership transition, President and COO Warren Stone will become CEO and join the Board in January 2027, while current CEO Tony Zook moves to Executive Chair and the Board refreshes its independent leadership. The stronger revenue outlook, particularly in NGS, supports the near-term revenue catalyst but does not materially change the central risk that high fixed costs and heavy investment could weigh on margins if volumes soften or funding pressures persist. NeoGenomics' narrative projects $997.4 million revenue and $64.1 million earnings by 2029, with a $19.72 fair value estimate.