Veracyte, a South San Francisco, Calif.-based molecular diagnostic company pioneering the field of molecular cytology, and GE, focused on software, advanced manufacturing, energy and healthcare, have formed a research collaboration to develop new solutions that can improve disease diagnosis. Financial and other terms have not been disclosed.

Bonnie H. Anderson, Veracyte's president and CEO, said, "This research opportunity is uniquely enabled by our vast database of clinical, imaging and genomic data, which we have assembled through the rigorous prospective, multicenter clinical trials used to develop and validate our genomic tests."

Veracyte will collaborate with GE Ventures, GE Healthcare and the GE Global Research Center to explore the feasibility of combining Veracyte's genomic technology with GE Healthcare's digital imaging technology. Veracyte and GE aim to identify features from raw imaging data that, when combined with genomic information, have the potential to elucidate useful, new information to further address unmet clinical needs.