How TEPScan works.

TEPScan turns a routine 6 ml blood draw into an early cancer result in about 2.5 hours. It uses platelet RNA, an 11-gene panel and AI, and runs on the qPCR machines labs already own.

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TEPScan in one paragraph

TEPScan is a qRT-PCR liquid biopsy that detects cancer from the RNA inside blood platelets. A lab separates platelets from 6 ml of blood, extracts their RNA and measures 11 genes that change when a tumour is present. Care Onco’s AI model, trained to work across different labs and machines, interprets the result. The whole workflow takes about 2.5 hours and costs about $150 per test.

Five steps. About 2.5 hours.

Five steps from a routine blood draw to an AI result in about 2.5 hours, on equipment most labs already own.

  • Step 01: Blood collected

    Blood collected

    6 ml of blood in EDTA tubes (three vials), instead of the 15 ml many liquid biopsies need.

  • Step 02: Platelet separation

    Platelet separation

    Platelets are fractionated from whole blood using Care Onco’s proprietary chemistry.

  • Step 03: RNA extraction

    RNA extraction

    Proprietary chemistry extracts enough platelet RNA from just 6 ml of blood.

  • Step 04: Gene measurement

    Gene measurement

    cDNA synthesis and qRT-PCR of the patent-pending 11-gene TEP panel.

  • Step 05: AI prediction

    AI prediction

    A batch-agnostic, proprietary ensemble learner with data augmentation returns the result.

Designed for the labs that already exist.

~2.5-hour turnaround

From sample to AI result in a basic molecular biology lab. Most multi-cancer tests take 7–14 days.

Open and closed qPCR

Works with open-source platforms such as Bio-Rad and closed platforms such as Thermo Fisher QuantStudio. No sequencer is needed.

Defensible technology

Proprietary platelet chemistry, a patent-pending 11-gene TEP panel and a proprietary, batch-agnostic AI ensemble.

Inside each step

1. Blood collection

A phlebotomist collects 6 ml of blood into three standard EDTA tubes, the same tubes used for a routine blood count. Many sequencing-based liquid biopsies need around 15 ml.

2. Platelet separation

Platelets are fractionated from whole blood using Care Onco’s proprietary chemistry, which keeps the workflow simple enough for a standard lab bench.

3. RNA extraction

Platelets contain little RNA, so extraction efficiency matters. Care Onco’s proprietary chemistry recovers enough platelet RNA from just 6 ml of blood for reliable measurement.

4. Gene measurement by qRT-PCR

The RNA is converted to cDNA and the 11 genes of the TEP panel are measured by quantitative real-time PCR. qRT-PCR is fast, inexpensive and familiar to every lab that ran COVID-19 tests.

5. AI prediction

Labs upload the gene measurements to Care Onco’s AI cloud. A proprietary ensemble learner, built with data augmentation so it stays accurate across batches, labs and machines, returns a same-day report. The reporting fee is included in the kit price.

Want the biology behind the panel? Read the science and evidence, or see which cancer types TEPScan covers.

TEPScan at a glance.

Key figures from Care Onco’s validation and the peer-reviewed 11-gene study.

Samples validated, India and Norway1
400
Average accuracy (AUC)1
~91%
Of validated samples at Stage I or II1
47%
Genes in the platelet panel2
11
Earliest stage detected1
Stage I
Cancer types in the programme3
10+
  1. Care Onco validation across 400 samples from India and Norway; accuracy is the average area under the curve (AUC).
  2. Goswami et al., BMC Genomics 21:744 (2020).
  3. Care Onco targets; may change as validation and regulatory work progress.

No test today is early, accurate and affordable.

Every screening method in use forces a trade-off: cost, invasiveness, accuracy or timing. TEPScan is designed to remove it.

  • Imaging

    PET-CT, X-ray, mammography

    Expensive and infrastructure-heavy.

  • Tissue biopsy

    Biopsy, endoscopy

    Invasive and unsuitable for screening.

  • Protein markers

    CA, CEA, PSA

    Affordable, but inaccurate.

  • DNA sequencing

    NGS panels

    Expensive; covers hereditary cancers only (5–10%).

  • ctDNA and CTCs

    Liquid biopsy

    Costly; CTCs appear only late in disease.

How multi-cancer early detection tests compare
CriterionGalleriCancerSEEKLunar 2TEPScan
Detect early Yes Yes Yes Yes
Accurate Yes Yes Yes Yes
Affordable No No No Yes
Accessible No Yes No Yes
Multi-cancer Yes No Yes Yes
Relapse detectionUnclearUnclearUnclear Yes
On the market Yes No NoCDSCO work started

Swipe the table sideways to compare all tests.

Comparison based on publicly available information about each test, compiled by Care Onco Biotech in 2026.

Bring TEPScan to your lab.

If your lab runs RT-PCR, it can run TEPScan. Let’s talk.

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