FAQS

What drugs are tested on the panel?

Majority of drugs tested are FDA-approved while some are currently in Clinical Trials Phase II/III. Contact us to get a detailed list of the drugs tested.

How much sample material is required?

We typically require at least 1 gram of tissue sample for drug screening and 10ml of blood for whole exome sequencing. We understand that there may not be 1 gram of tissue from needle biopsies, but we encourage patients to proceed with the test, with as much tissue samples that are available.

What type of sample materials can be tested?

Patient’s tumor samples that are derived from surgical resections, fine needle biopsies, core needle biopsies or fluids such as pleural or ascites fluid can be tested.

How long will it take to obtain the AVATASENSE report?

Once we receive the samples in the lab, it will take approximately 4 weeks for sample processing, drug testing, data analysis and for the report to be sent to the oncologists and doctors.

What is the AVATASENSE PanCancer Test?

The AVATA PanCancer 60 test is a comprehensive precision cancer test. The test screens your tumour for drug sensitivities with AVATASCAN®, combined with next-generation sequencing (NGS) genetic analysis and immune profiling of your tumour, and provides you and your oncologist with a personalised actionable report to recommend the best treatment for you.

Who are we?

AVATAMED is a spinoff Company from a research collaboration, the PuRPOSE Programme, between Samsung Medical Center, National Cancer Center Singapore (NCCS), A*STAR Institue of Molecular & Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR Genome Institue of Singapore (GIS) and National University of Singapore (NUS).

What is AVATASCAN?

AVATASCAN is a proprietary high-throughput drug-screening platform on patient-derived cells, developed over 10 years by Samsung Medical Center.