Technology

Avant Source™ automates the step that ensures sample reliability.

A single enclosed cartridge and benchtop instrument are optimized specifically for liquid biopsy without trading away automation, replacing dozens of manual pipetting steps with one closed, automated workflow.

The cartridge

Up to twelve cartridges, run in parallel.

The instrument runs up to 12 cartridges at a time, one sample per cartridge, for meaningfully higher throughput per run without adding manual steps. Each cartridge accepts either EDTA or Streck tube samples.

Cartridges arrive pre-loaded with all necessary reagents and capture all process waste internally, making each one a fully self-contained, disposable consumable.

Each cartridge performs size-selective cfDNA enrichment and purification in a single enclosed, cartridge-based format, concentrating the tumor-derived fraction before it ever reaches sequencing.

Inside the cartridge

Circulating tumor DNA is rare. Avant Source finds it.

At any given time, a blood sample contains DNA from three sources. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) circulates naturally in the bloodstream after being released from healthy cells. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a small subset of cfDNA shed by cancer cells that can provide valuable insights into disease. Genomic DNA (gDNA), released when blood cells are damaged, can contaminate the sample and overwhelm the much smaller cfDNA population, reducing sensitivity. Because ctDNA often represents less than 1% of total cfDNA, recovering as much cfDNA as possible while minimizing gDNA contamination is critical for accurate liquid biopsy testing. Avant Source performs automated cfDNA isolation and purification within a fully enclosed cartridge, maximizing recovery while minimizing variability and hands-on time.

65%+
More DNA captured
70%
Lower cost per sample
5 min
Hands-on time
Avant Source cartridge, exploded view

Every cartridge is fully self-contained: sealed reagents, integrated fluidics, and engineered surfaces designed to minimize cfDNA loss, with all process waste captured internally.

The workflow

Five stages, one closed cartridge: engineered to close every gap in conventional prep.

Conventional manual and semi-automated workflows lose signal at every step. Avant Source integrates enrichment, purification, and elution into one automated run. No manual handling. No open tubes.

cfDNA recovery: Avant Source™ vs. conventional prep

Percent of available cfDNA recovered from plasma

Avant Source ~82%
Conventional prep ~40%
Minimum recovery needed for reliable detection (~60%)

Avant Source clears the detection threshold; conventional prep falls short.

Enriched signal

Long genomic DNA competes with cfDNA in conventional prep. Avant Source's purification stage uses concentration and size-selective enrichment to selectively capture more cfDNA.

Reduced transfer loss

Multiple manual transfer steps cause loss and variability. Integrated fluidics move the sample between wash and transfer stages in an engineered cartridge, minimizing handling.

Engineered cartridge surfaces

cfDNA binds to standard plastic surfaces. From isolation onward, engineered cartridge surfaces minimize cfDNA loss, with no manual pipetting into ordinary labware.

Closed system

Open workflows carry greater risk of contamination. Cartridge design keeps every stage protected from contamination, delivering a sequencing-ready sample with no open-tube handling.