Natera Shares Jump 21% on Strong Demand for Cancer Blood Test

Genomics company Natera's stock gained 21% on Friday following strong demand for its blood test for detecting cancer, in a move that made executive chairman and co-founder Matthew Rabinowitz a billionaire, Forbes Daily reported.

Natera's blood-based cancer testing technology has helped drive investor interest as demand for genomic diagnostics grows. [Photo: Natera LinkedIn]

In a related development, researchers reported that an artificial-intelligence model developed by OpenAI generated novel bacteriophages — viruses that infect bacteria — after scientists at Stanford University trained the model to recognize patterns in DNA structures and use them to design previously unseen viral genomes.

Scientists say AI-assisted biological design could eventually contribute to advances in areas such as treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

However, biosecurity researchers and public-health officials have raised concerns about the rapid development of AI capabilities in biology and the adequacy of existing safeguards.