Plus Subsidiary CNSide Signs Agreement With Elevance For CNSide Assay Test For CNS Metastasis
(RTTNews) - Plus Therapeutics Inc. (PSTV), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, on Thursday announced that its wholly owned subsidiary CNSide Diagnostics LLC has signed a national agreement with Elevance Health Inc. (ELV), a health benefits company, for the CNSide cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tumor cell enumeration (TCE) assay. The contract became effective from May 1, 2026.
The CNSide CSF Assay platform is used to determine leptomeningeal metastases in patients with carcinomas and melanomas. The test utilizes quantitative analyses to detect malignant cell residues, thus establishing a diagnosis of metastasis to the central nervous system (CNS).
The test was evaluated and proven effective in the FORESEE clinical trial, and through subsequent real-world results. Since 2020, more than 11,000 CNSide tests have been performed across 120 U.S. cancer institutions, showing a 92% sensitivity and 95% specificity.
The test is available exclusively through CNSide Diagnostics LLC, and through the contract with Elevance, is anticipated to add 45.5 million users to reach a total coverage of 126 million people across the U.S.
PSTV closed Thursday at $4.26, up 7.58%. In the pre-market, shares are trading at $4.28, up 0.60%.
ELV closed Thursday at $387.32, up 0.86%. In the pre-market, the stock is trading at $385.77, down 0.49%.
