ClearNote Health to Present New Multi-Cohort Validation Data for Avantect® Pancreatic Cancer Test at 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting
ClearNote Health, a company focused on advancing early detection technologies for some of the most lethal cancers, 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. The conference will be held in Chicago from May 29 to June 2, 2026.
The presentation marks a significant milestone for the company as it continues to advance its blood-based diagnostic platform aimed at identifying pancreatic cancer at earlier, more treatable stages, particularly among individuals at elevated risk.
Advancing Early Detection in Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most aggressive and deadly malignancies worldwide, primarily because it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage when treatment options are limited and outcomes are poor. Survival rates remain low, with early detection considered the most critical factor in improving patient prognosis.
ClearNote Health aims to address this urgent clinical need through its Avantect® Pancreatic Cancer Test, a non-invasive blood-based assay designed to detect cancer-associated biological signals in high-risk individuals before symptoms appear.
At the upcoming ASCO Annual Meeting, the company will present results from multiple validation cohorts evaluating the performance of the Avantect test across diverse at-risk populations.
Leadership Commentary on the Upcoming Presentation
We are excited to share new validation data at ASCO demonstrating the strong performance of our Avantect Pancreatic Cancer Test among individuals with elevated risk,” said Jeffrey Venstrom, MD, Chief Medical Officer of ClearNote Health.
Dr. Venstrom emphasized the clinical importance of improving early detection strategies for pancreatic cancer, noting that current diagnostic approaches often fail to identify disease at a stage where curative intervention is still possible.
“Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies because it is often diagnosed too late for curative intervention,” he said. “This test complements existing diagnostic and risk assessment strategies and provides clinically actionable insights when earlier detection can make the greatest difference.”
The presence of ClearNote Health’s newly appointed Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Officer at ASCO underscores the company’s commitment to scientific collaboration and clinical translation of its technology.
Expanded Clinical Validation Across Multiple Cohorts
During the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, ClearNote Health will present data derived from an independent validation cohort comprising 1,445 individuals. This population included participants with multiple established risk factors for pancreatic cancer, such as:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Family history of pancreatic cancer
- Genetic predisposition to the disease
In this large cohort, the Avantect Pancreatic Cancer Test demonstrated strong overall performance, achieving:
- 82.6% overall sensitivity
- 76.8% sensitivity for early-stage (Stage I–II) pancreatic cancer
- 97.5% specificity
These results highlight the test’s ability to identify both early and later-stage disease with high accuracy, while maintaining a low false-positive rate—an essential factor for screening tools used in high-risk populations.
In addition to the primary cohort, the company also evaluated two supplemental validation cohorts totaling 338 individuals. These groups were specifically enriched for patients with new-onset type 2 diabetes, a population increasingly recognized as being at elevated risk for pancreatic cancer.
Across these additional cohorts, the Avantect test demonstrated consistent and robust performance, further supporting its potential clinical utility in real-world risk-based screening settings.
Multi-Modal Technology Behind Avantect
ClearNote Health attributes the performance of its Avantect platform to its advanced multi-analyte approach. According to Chief Scientific Officer Samuel Levy, PhD, the test integrates multiple layers of biological information to improve detection accuracy.
“Our enhanced Avantect test combines a rich set of signals from epigenomic, fragmentomic, and genotyping sources in concert with glycan-specific measures into a multimodal cancer detection model,” said Dr. Levy. “The precision of cancer detection achieved with our Avantect test is reflected in these validation results.”
By combining multiple biological signals, the test is designed to capture subtle changes in blood that may indicate the presence of early cancer, even before clinical symptoms emerge. This integrated approach is increasingly seen as a promising direction in the development of next-generation liquid biopsy technologies.
Featured Presentation at ASCO 2026
ClearNote Health’s research will be featured in a scientific presentation at the ASCO Annual Meeting:
- Title: Multi-cohort validation of a multi-analyte liquid biopsy test for early-stage pancreatic cancer detection
- Abstract / Poster Number: 4139 / 122
- Presenter: Anna Bergamaschi, PhD, ClearNote Health
- Session: Gastrointestinal Cancer
- Location: Hall A – Posters and Exhibits
- Date and Time: Saturday, May 30, 2026, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT
The presentation will provide oncology researchers and clinicians with a detailed overview of the study design, analytical methods, and clinical performance of the Avantect test across multiple patient cohorts.
Designed for High-Risk Populations
The Avantect Pancreatic Cancer Test is designed as a simple blood test intended for individuals who are at increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. These include:
- Individuals with known genetic predispositions
- Individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer
- Adults aged 50 years or older who have been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
By focusing on these high-risk groups, ClearNote Health aims to improve the likelihood of detecting pancreatic cancer at earlier stages when treatment options are more effective and outcomes are significantly improved.
The test evaluates multiple cancer-associated biological signals simultaneously, allowing clinicians to interpret results in a broader biological context rather than relying on a single biomarker.
Integration Into Global Research Initiatives
ClearNote Health’s Avantect platform is already being incorporated into several major international research initiatives focused on improving early cancer detection.
One such initiative is the Surveillance of pAncreatic health aFter diabEtes Diagnosis (SAFE-D) study, led by the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. This study is one of the largest global efforts evaluating pancreatic cancer risk in individuals with new-onset diabetes.
In addition, the Avantect test is being included in the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium, a global multi-center collaboration focused on improving early diagnosis and implementing risk-stratified screening strategies for individuals with familial or genetic risk factors.
These collaborations highlight the growing international interest in structured early detection programs for pancreatic cancer and the potential role of blood-based testing technologies in such efforts.
Company Overview
ClearNote Health is a privately held biotechnology company dedicated to developing advanced solutions for early cancer detection and disease monitoring. The company’s technology was originally developed in the laboratory of Professor Stephen Quake at Stanford University and is based on a proprietary platform known as Virtuoso™ epigenomics.
The Virtuoso platform leverages advances in artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, and molecular biology to detect active biological differences between cancerous and healthy cells using a simple blood sample.
ClearNote Health’s flagship products include its Avantect® pancreatic and ovarian cancer tests, which are designed for use in high-risk populations. These tests aim to detect cancers earlier than conventional diagnostic methods, potentially improving patient outcomes through earlier intervention.
The company’s multi-cancer detection technology has also received recognition at the national level. It was recently selected as one of two blood-based technologies included in the National Cancer Institute’s Vanguard Study, a major initiative evaluating emerging cancer screening approaches.
ClearNote Health is headquartered in San Diego, California, where it operates a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory that is also approved by the New York State Department of Health.
The upcoming presentation of Avantect® Pancreatic Cancer Test validation data at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting represents a significant step forward for ClearNote Health in its mission to transform early cancer detection.
With strong performance demonstrated across multiple high-risk cohorts, integration into major international research programs, and continued advancement of its multi-analyte detection platform, the company is positioning itself at the forefront of next-generation liquid biopsy innovation.
As pancreatic cancer continues to pose one of the greatest challenges in oncology, advances such as the Avantect test may play an increasingly important role in identifying disease earlier and improving survival outcomes for at-risk populations worldwide.
About ClearNote Health
ClearNote Health is a privately held company dedicated to improving early detection and monitoring for some of the deadliest forms of cancer. Developed by scientists in the Stephen Quake laboratory at Stanford University, the company’s patented Virtuoso™ epigenomics platform builds on the latest advances in artificial intelligence and bioinformatics to measure active biological differences between cancer and healthy cells in a blood sample. The highly sensitive, noninvasive Avantect® pancreatic and ovarian tests may identify cancers in high-risk patient populations earlier than conventional approaches, when patients may be more likely to benefit from treatment. The company’s multi-cancer detection test was recently selected as one of two blood-based technologies for the National Cancer Institute’s Vanguard Study. ClearNote Health’s headquarters and CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited, and New York State Department of Health-approved laboratory are located in San Diego
