# Viktor A. Adalsteinsson

Source: https://onco.cc/people/viktor-adalsteinsson/  
OnCo record `viktor-adalsteinsson` (Person). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Engineer who showed low-pass sequencing of blood can replace tumour biopsies and built ultra-sensitive MRD tests.

## Summary

Viktor Adalsteinsson led the work showing that ultra-low-pass whole-genome sequencing of cell-free DNA can screen for tumour fraction and that whole-exome sequencing of plasma faithfully reproduces the tumour's mutations, enabling biopsy-free genomic profiling. His group developed MAESTRO and other methods to detect residual disease at parts-per-million sensitivity, and he directs cancer diagnostics at the Broad Institute.

## Fields

- Kind: Person
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: ctdna; mrd; diagnostics
- Role: Director, Gerstner Center for Cancer Diagnostics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
- Specialisms: Liquid biopsy technology; Minimal residual disease detection; Cancer genomics; Diagnostics engineering

## Sources

- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Adalsteinsson%20VA%5BAuthor%5D%20cell-free%20DNA

## Connected records

- technologies: [Liquid biopsy (ctDNA)](https://onco.cc/technologies/liquid-biopsy/), [MRD / molecular residual disease testing](https://onco.cc/technologies/mrd-testing/)
- institutions: [Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard](https://onco.cc/institutions/broad-institute/)
- journals: [Nature Communications](https://onco.cc/journals/nature-communications/)

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