The annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference includes presentations from many major medtech companies outlining their growth strategies and expectations for 2021. Here are some of the highlights from the third day of the meeting.

EY’s M&A Firepower report predicts very active M&A activity for medtechs in 2021, driven by diagnostics and digital health, but with some headwinds remaining.

The emergence of multi-cancer blood tests for early detection is captivating investors and driving multi-billion-dollar acquisitions. Companies such as GRAIL, Thrive Earlier Detection and Guardant are predicting revolutionary change in the way cancer is diagnosed and treated. The biggest hurdle, however, may be coaxing health care systems and health insurers to join the revolution.

Medtechs took a long look at themselves as they rose to the challenges of COVID-19. How they responded, repurposed and regrouped to tackle the coronavirus was both sobering and uplifting. The lessons of 2020 must be integrated into the digitally-enabled health care systems of 2021 and beyond.