Liquid Biopsy Tests from Avitia, FoundationOne, and Guardant360 — A Cost-Effective Shift in Cancer Diagnostics
Liquid Biopsy Tests from Avitia, FoundationOne, and Guardant360 — A Cost-Effective Shift in Cancer Diagnostics
Liquid biopsy tests transform cancer care by enabling genetic testing from a simple blood draw. These next-generation sequencing (NGS) liquid biopsy assays can detect tumor DNA in blood to guide treatment decisions without invasive tissue biopsies[1][2]. In 2020, the FDA approved two comprehensive liquid biopsy tests — Foundation Medicine’s FoundationOne and Guardant Health’s Guardant360 — as companion diagnostics for cancer therapy selection[3].
These traditional liquid biopsy solutions have proven the value of blood-based NGS tests — with FDA-approved panels like FoundationOne Liquid CDx and Guardant360 CDx guiding therapy for lung, breast, and other cancers. However, their high cost and centralized testing model limit widespread adoption[4].
Avitia represents a next-generation approach — delivering similar precision oncology insights on-site at a dramatically lower cost, roughly 60% times less expensive than current send-out tests[18]. For labs and oncology providers, partnering with Avitia means faster time to treatment, lower costs, and the ability to offer cutting-edge liquid biopsy tests in-house[21][25]. As liquid biopsy technology continues to advance into screening and monitoring applications, in-house models like Avitia’s are poised to drive better outcomes by making these innovations accessible to every patient, everywhere[22].
Avitia’s On-Site Liquid Biopsy Solution – Faster, Cost-Effective, and In-House
Avitia brings liquid biopsy testing directly to cancer centers. Rather than sending blood samples to an external lab, Avitia built a platform for hospitals’ own labs to run NGS liquid biopsy tests on-site[21]. This is a game-changer for clinical settings: any lab equipped with Avitia’s modular NGS platform can perform the genomic analysis in-house. By eliminating the need to ship samples out to third-party labs, Avitia dramatically reduces time to treatment and cost for comprehensive cancer mutation testing[21][19]. In fact, labs using Avitia have reported being able to deliver results much faster to oncologists, since they don’t lose days waiting for test kits and collection schedules, time in transit and queueing at external facilities, allowing patients to start treatment much sooner.
Cost-effectiveness is a major advantage of Avitia’s model. Avitia’s platform is roughly 60% less expensive than send-out tests, meaning the per-patient testing cost drops to a fraction of that of FoundationOne or Guardant360. This lower cost is achieved by cutting out the overhead of centralized processing and leveraging efficient automation. This distributed approach “bring[s] down the price of liquid biopsies” while also “speeding up turnaround times as samples don’t need to get shipped out”[22]. Importantly, doing the test locally also enhances data privacy — patient genomic data stays within the hospital’s own network rather than being sent to external labs[23]. For B2B clinical partners (labs, oncology centers), these benefits translate into saved budget, faster results for clinicians, and greater control over the testing process.
Avitia is able to provide these cancer diagnostics cost-effectively by leveraging advanced NGS and AI-driven bioinformatics to ensure high-fidelity mutation detection[24][25]. Avitia’s platform evolved from technology originally developed by Canexia Health — a pioneer in liquid biopsy and oncology NGS— and is designed to focus on the most actionable cancer gene mutations. This means community cancer centers can obtain guideline-recommended biomarker results similar to those from Foundation or Guardant panels, but now on their own equipment. By equipping labs with the know-how and tools to do testing in-house, Avitia is enabling even smaller hospitals to offer cutting-edge genomic profiling to their patients[26]. As a result, local oncologists can make timely, personalized treatment decisions without waiting for outside labs.
Avitia’s is also able to improve upon cancer monitoring and recurrence detection. Because the test can be easily repeated on-site, clinicians can frequently monitor tumor DNA levels in blood to catch early signs of relapse or gauge treatment responses. In fact, Avitia’s technology has demonstrated impressive results in real-world studies: in a retrospective trial for endometrial cancer, Avitia’s liquid biopsy detected disease recurrence several months earlier than conventional imaging and biomarkers[27]. This early warning can be lifesaving, allowing oncologists to intervene sooner in aggressive cancers. By facilitating such close monitoring, Avitia opens the door for better longitudinal care of cancers like endometrial, ovarian[27], and others that historically haven’t had convenient blood-test tracking.
Foundation Medicine and FoundationOne CDx
Foundation Medicine has been a pioneer in next-generation sequencing (NGS) for oncology with its flagship FoundationOne® CDx tissue test set a standard for comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP). Building on that, FoundationOne Liquid CDx was FDA approved in 2020 as a pan-tumor liquid biopsy test for all solid tumors[5]. This blood-based CGP panel analyzes over 300 cancer-related genes and multiple genomic signatures to inform targeted therapy decisions[6]. Essentially, it provides an extensive genetic report from a simple blood draw, covering mutations, gene rearrangements, copy number changes, and biomarkers like microsatellite instability or tumor mutational burden[7]. FoundationOne Liquid CDx also carries companion diagnostic claims – for example, it’s approved to identify patients with certain lung and prostate cancer mutations who could benefit from specific targeted drugs[8].
As one of the first FDA-approved liquid biopsy offerings, FoundationOne Liquid CDx is a comprehensive genomic test that gives oncologists a detailed molecular profile of a patient’s cancer. However, accessing this test typically means sending blood samples to Foundation Medicine’s centralized laboratories in the U.S. This send-out model comes with a higher price tag and longer turnaround. While exact pricing isn’t always published, such tests run in the thousands of dollars, and insurers like Medicare could reimburse up to US$3,500 for broad panels[9][10]. For overseas or community clinics (for instance, in Canada), shipping samples abroad can add time and complexity. In short, FoundationOne Liquid CDx offers broad genomic insights but at a high cost and primarily through specialized labs[4].
Guardant Health and Guardant360 CDx
Guardant Health is another leader among the top liquid biopsy companies, known for its rapid, blood-based cancer assays. Guardant360® CDx was the first FDA-approved comprehensive liquid biopsy panel[11], approved in August 2020 alongside FoundationOne’s test. Guardant360 CDx scans for mutations in over 70 genes relevant to advanced cancers[12]. The panel focuses on clinically actionable biomarkers – for example, it detects EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to guide EGFR inhibitor therapy. In fact, Guardant360 CDx was initially approved as a companion diagnostic for an EGFR-targeted drug (osimertinib) in lung cancer[13]. Since then, its FDA indications have expanded; notably, it became the first blood test approved to detect ESR1 mutations in metastatic breast cancer, guiding the use of an endocrine therapy (elacestrant)[14]. This highlights how liquid biopsies are now impacting both lung cancer and breast cancer care.
Guardant’s test requires only two tubes of blood and has broad insurance coverage in the U.S.[16][17]. However, like FoundationOne, Guardant360 CDx is run at the company’s central lab. For hospitals and labs, this means relying on shipping samples out and waiting for reports. The Guardant360 cost also reflects its high-tech nature: the price is up to US$5,000 per test if paying out-of-pocket[18]. Even though many patients get coverage or financial assistance, this steep cost per liquid biopsy can strain budgets, especially in settings outside large U.S. centers. As a result, the use of such tests remains somewhat limited in community oncology clinics due to cost and access barriers[4].
The Cost and Access Challenge in Liquid Biopsy Testing
Both FoundationOne and Guardant360 exemplify the power of NGS liquid biopsy for cancer genomics — yet they also highlight a problem: accessibility. Currently, “the current use [of liquid biopsy] is limited to a handful of commercial offerings that are mostly available in the U.S. They are still expensive and not widely used in community care settings where the majority of patients are treated”[4]. In other words, these state-of-the-art tests largely operate through centralized labs and come with high price points. For many oncology practices – especially those in smaller cities or outside the U.S. – sending samples to a top reference lab is costly and time-consuming[19]. Patients in regions like Canada often face longer waits or may not even be offered comprehensive liquid biopsy profiling due to these hurdles.
To put it in perspective, a liquid biopsy test cost can rival or exceed traditional tissue genomic tests. For example, Guardant360’s cash price up to ~US$5,000[18], and similar broad panels often have list prices in that range. While insurance may cover some, not all patients or health systems can absorb these costs. Moreover, turnaround time can stretch to 1–2 weeks when factoring in sample shipment and high-volume lab processing. In fast-moving cancers like lung cancer, waiting weeks for results can delay critical treatment decisions[20]. Clearly, there is a need for more cost-effective and readily accessible approaches to liquid biopsy.
That’s why Avitia is focusing on in-house solutions to address these gaps. Around the world (including in Canada), attention is turning to distributed testing models where local labs can perform NGS-based liquid biopsies on site. This would bypass international shipping, reduce costs, and speed up results. One of the top liquid biopsy companies in Canada leading this shift is Avitia, which offers a new take on how liquid biopsy is delivered.
Expanding Applications: Screening and Monitoring the Future
The rise of these liquid biopsy platforms is not only changing treatment selection in advanced cancers; it’s also paving the way for earlier detection and ongoing monitoring in oncology. Over the next few years, experts predict liquid biopsies will play a larger role in minimal residual disease (MRD) detection (spotting microscopic cancer traces after treatment) and even cancer screening in at-risk populations[28]. Already, multiple companies are researching blood tests that could screen for cancers like lung or breast cancer at earlier stages, which could dramatically improve outcomes. Likewise, MRD tests are emerging to surveil patients in remission, ie: detecting if a breast or colon cancer is coming back before it’s visible on scans.
. Community clinics could utilize Avitia’s in-house platform to run periodic blood tests for lung cancer survivors or high-risk individuals, catching relapse or new mutations quickly. Because the platform is more affordable and local, it could be deployed in health systems that serve diverse or remote populations, improving health equity. In fact, Avitia’s mission is explicitly to expand access to advanced testing regardless of geography or income[29]. By cutting costs and logistical barriers, solutions like Avitia ensure that the benefits of liquid biopsy — whether for early cancer screening, real-time monitoring, or therapy selection — are not confined to elite cancer centers. Instead, these benefits can reach patients in community hospitals and clinics around the world.
Sources:
- Guardant Health – Pricing information (cash pay rate ~$5,000)[18]
- Avitia (Press Release) – On-site testing reduces turnaround time and cost[21]
- Avitia (Press Release) – Early cancer recurrence detection in endometrial cancer[27]
- BetaKit News – Avitia’s platform eliminates costly send-out testing for labs[19]
[1] [2] [4] [20] [22] [23] [26] [28] Avitia | Discover how liquid biopsies promise to improve health equity in lung cancer.
https://www.avitia.bio/blog/how-liquid-biopsies-promise-to-improve-health-equity-in-lung-cancer
[3] [12] [13] FDA Approves Blood Tests That Can Help Guide Cancer Treatment - NCI
[5] [6] [7] [8] [30] Roche announces FDA approval of FoundationOne Liquid CDx, a comprehensive pan-tumour liquid biopsy test
https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2020-08-28
[9] [10] Genetic Tests: Medicare Expands Coverage of Molecular Cancer ...
[11] [14] [16] [17] Guardant360® CDx: Fastest FDA-Approved Liquid CGP Panel
https://www.guardantcomplete.com/hcp/solutions/guardant360-cdx/
[15] [18] Guardant Complete® for Early and Advanced Stage Cancer - Guardant Health
https://guardanthealth.com/products/tests-for-patients-with-early-and-advanced-stage-cancer/
[19] [29] Avitia launches AI-powered cancer diagnostics platform with assets from defunct Imagia Canexia | BetaKit
[21] [24] [25] [27] Avitia Launches AI-Powered Platform for Rapid & Point-of-Care Cancer Testing
Gardez une longueur d'avance sur le cancer dès aujourd'hui
