Foundation Medicine vs Tempus (2026)
Foundation Medicine and Tempus both sequence tumors in their own laboratories to guide cancer treatment, and what decides between them is the breadth of approved therapy matches against the breadth of what the sequencing comes paired with. FoundationOne CDx is an FDA approved test of 324 genes with microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden and more than 40 companion diagnostic indications, returned in a median of eight days with national Medicare coverage for qualifying patients. Liquid biopsy, hematologic, residual disease and germline tests sit beside it. HRDsig, a homologous recombination deficiency signature built with machine learning, is reported as a labeled professional service outside the approved assay. Tempus xT CDx is an FDA approved 648 gene tissue test. It sequences the tumor beside a matched blood or saliva sample to separate inherited findings from the tumor's own, and since May 2026 it can also run tumor only. Its companion diagnostic claims are in colorectal cancer. It can be ordered with xR whole transcriptome RNA sequencing, switches to the xF liquid biopsy when tissue runs short, and Tempus Next reads record data to find patients who missed guideline directed biomarker testing. A practice that wants the widest set of approved therapy matches on one test fits FoundationOne CDx. A cancer program that wants a larger panel with matched normal sequencing, RNA beside DNA and software that finds untested patients fits Tempus.
- Treatment decisions hinge on approved companion diagnostic claims across many cancers.
- Medicare patients need national coverage for the test.
- The care team wants liquid biopsy, hematologic, residual disease and germline testing from one laboratory.
- A median turnaround of eight days suits the clinic's timelines.
- Inherited findings should be separated from tumor findings with a matched normal sample.
- RNA sequencing should run alongside the DNA panel.
- A tissue shortfall should switch the order to liquid biopsy without a new request.
- The health system wants software that finds patients missing biomarker tests.
This comparison is published by AI Health Index, an independent research platform that compares healthcare AI vendors objectively. Foundation Medicine and Tempus are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials and the regulatory record, under the AI Health Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| Fact | Foundation Medicine | Tempus |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Diagnostics & Genomics | Clinical Decision Support |
| Founded | 2010 | Not recorded |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Chicago, Illinois |
| Website | foundationmedicine.com | tempus.com |
Side by Side
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Each vendor in one paragraph
Written to be quoted whole. Each paragraph opens the AI Health Index profile of the vendor: what the product is, who buys it and what it does.
Foundation Medicine, based in Boston and a member of the Roche Group, runs comprehensive genomic profiling for cancer in its own laboratories. FoundationOne CDx is an FDA approved sequencing test of 324 genes with microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden and more than 40 approved companion diagnostic indications, with a median turnaround of eight days and national Medicare coverage for qualifying patients.
Source: AI Health Index, October 2026
Tempus is a precision medicine company listed on NASDAQ as TEM and based in Chicago, whose core business is molecular laboratory testing. Next reads unstructured record data to find patients who have not received guideline directed care, starting with biomarker testing in oncology, and surfaces them to physicians and precision medicine teams; a prospective study of 662 lung cancer patients in six community health systems, presented at ASCO 2026, reported higher biomarker testing rates.
Source: AI Health Index, October 2026
Questions buyers ask
Is FoundationOne CDx or Tempus xT CDx better?
FoundationOne CDx suits a practice that wants the widest set of approved therapy matches on one test, with more than 40 companion diagnostic indications. Tempus xT CDx suits a cancer program that wants a larger 648 gene panel with matched normal sequencing, RNA beside DNA through xR, and Tempus Next to find patients who missed biomarker testing. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How many genes do FoundationOne CDx and Tempus xT CDx cover?
FoundationOne CDx tests 324 genes along with microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden. Tempus xT CDx covers 648 genes and sequences the tumor beside a matched blood or saliva sample, and since May 2026 it can also run tumor only. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How fast does FoundationOne CDx return results, and does Medicare cover it?
FoundationOne CDx returns results in a median of eight days and has national Medicare coverage for qualifying patients. Its companion diagnostic claims span more than 40 indications, where Tempus xT CDx's sit in colorectal cancer. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
What happens when there is not enough tissue?
Tempus switches an xT order to the xF liquid biopsy when tissue runs short, without a new request. Foundation Medicine offers liquid biopsy, hematologic, residual disease and germline tests beside FoundationOne CDx. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Who owns Foundation Medicine and Tempus?
Foundation Medicine, based in Boston, is a member of the Roche Group. Tempus is listed on NASDAQ as TEM and based in Chicago. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers.
Foundation Medicine, based in Boston, is a member of the Roche Group. Tempus is listed on NASDAQ as TEM and based in Chicago. Neither holds a SOC 2 report, HITRUST certification or ISO 27001 certificate for its clinical systems that a buyer can review, and both turn de identified patient results into data products sold to drug developers.