SAN DIEGO, May 22, 2026
ClearNote Health announced that it will present new multi-cohort validation data for its Avantect® Pancreatic Cancer Test at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, highlighting strong performance in detecting early-stage pancreatic cancer among high-risk individuals. The company said the blood-based liquid biopsy test demonstrated 82.6% overall sensitivity, 76.8% sensitivity for Stage I–II pancreatic cancer, and 97.5% specificity in an independent validation cohort of 1,445 individuals with elevated pancreatic cancer risk factors, including new-onset type 2 diabetes, family history, and genetic predisposition. The findings further strengthen the clinical potential of Avantect as a noninvasive early detection tool for one of the deadliest cancers worldwide.
Avantect Demonstrates Strong Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer Detection
According to ClearNote Health, the featured ASCO presentation will showcase results from multiple independent validation cohorts evaluating the performance of the company’s next-generation multi-analyte liquid biopsy platform. The primary cohort included 1,445 individuals considered at elevated risk for pancreatic cancer, where Avantect achieved high sensitivity while maintaining strong specificity. Importantly, the test demonstrated robust detection capability in early-stage disease, a critical factor in pancreatic cancer where most patients are diagnosed too late for curative intervention. Two additional validation cohorts involving 338 individuals enriched for new-onset type 2 diabetes also showed consistently strong performance, supporting the test’s applicability in clinically relevant screening populations.
ClearNote stated that the Avantect platform combines multiple biological signals, including epigenomic, fragmentomic, genotyping, and glycan-specific biomarkers, into a multimodal artificial intelligence-driven cancer detection model. The company believes this integrated approach enhances precision and may improve identification of pancreatic tumors before symptoms emerge or metastasis occurs.
Blood-Based Liquid Biopsy Designed for High-Risk Populations
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The Avantect Pancreatic Cancer Test is designed as a simple blood test intended for individuals at elevated risk of pancreatic cancer, including patients with familial risk, inherited genetic predispositions, or adults over age 50 newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies globally due to delayed diagnosis and rapid disease progression. ClearNote Health emphasized that earlier detection could significantly improve treatment opportunities and survival outcomes.
Company executives noted that Avantect is already being incorporated into major international pancreatic cancer detection initiatives. The test is currently being evaluated in the SAFE-D study led by the UK National Health Service (NHS), one of the world’s largest programs focused on pancreatic cancer surveillance in patients with new-onset diabetes. Avantect has also been integrated into the international PRECEDE Consortium, a large global effort aimed at advancing risk-stratified pancreatic cancer screening and earlier diagnosis in genetically susceptible populations.
ASCO Presentation Highlights Commercial and Clinical Expansion
ClearNote Health said ASCO attendees will have the opportunity to meet with members of the company’s scientific and medical leadership team, including newly appointed Chief Medical Officer Jeffrey Venstrom, MD, and Chief Scientific Officer Samuel Levy, PhD, to discuss the latest clinical validation data and commercialization strategy. The company continues advancing its proprietary Virtuoso™ epigenomics platform, originally developed from research conducted in the laboratory of Stanford University scientist Stephen Quake.
The featured ASCO presentation titled “Multi-cohort validation of a multi-analyte liquid biopsy test for early-stage pancreatic cancer detection” will be presented during the Gastrointestinal Cancer session on May 30, 2026. ClearNote believes the growing body of validation data supports Avantect’s potential role as a clinically actionable early detection tool capable of complementing existing pancreatic cancer risk assessment and diagnostic approaches.
Source: ClearNote Health press release
