Avant Genomics has raised more than $3 million to advance its automated liquid biopsy sample preparation platform, Avant Source™, as the Charlottesville, Virginia-based company moves closer to commercial launch. The financing round included TitletownTech, Halyard Ventures, Virginia Venture Partners, CAV Angels, Global Impact Fund, and other angel investors and family offices. The company said the funding will support continued research and development, manufacturing scale-up, and new hiring as it prepares to bring its platform to market.
Funding Supports Automation in Liquid Biopsy Workflows
The announcement highlights growing investor interest in technologies that can improve the reliability and scalability of precision cancer diagnostics. Liquid biopsy testing depends heavily on the quality of sample preparation, a front-end laboratory process that can affect the recovery of tumor-derived cell-free DNA, or cfDNA. Avant Genomics is targeting this step with a fully integrated system designed to reduce variability and make testing workflows more consistent across laboratories.
Rachelle Turiello, PhD, CEO of Avant Genomics, said the company views preparation as a critical foundation for precision cancer care. She noted that liquid biopsy results are only as dependable as the sample preparation process behind them. By standardizing this workflow, Avant aims to support more consistent results and enable broader clinical adoption.
Avant Source™ Targets a Manual and Variable Process
Current liquid biopsy sample preparation is often manual, involving dozens of steps that can be time-consuming, costly, and difficult to reproduce consistently. According to the company, these inconsistencies can reduce cfDNA recovery and affect the reliability of downstream analysis. Avant Source™ is designed to address these limitations by automating and simplifying the process before samples move into testing.
The platform reduces manual handling from more than 50 steps to two, according to Avant Genomics. The company also reports that Avant Source™ can improve DNA yield by up to 70% compared with semi-automated tools and cut processing time in half. These performance claims position the system as a potential enabling technology for laboratories seeking more efficient and scalable liquid biopsy workflows.
Investors Point to Scalability and Clinical Need
TitletownTech Managing Partner Jill Enos said the firm invested in Avant because automation is becoming increasingly important to diagnostics and personalized medicine. She said laboratory capabilities are advancing quickly, but the workflows that support them have not always kept pace. Avant’s approach, she added, is intended to bring consistency and scalability to a part of the process that has historically constrained the field.
Virginia Venture Partners also emphasized the company’s technical foundation and regional roots. Alex Euler, Senior Investment Director at Virginia Venture Partners, described Avant as the type of company the program was created to support. He cited the team’s expertise, connection to Virginia’s research ecosystem, and focus on an urgent unmet need in liquid biopsy sample preparation.
University of Virginia Spin-Out Builds on Technical Expertise
Avant Genomics was founded as a spin-out from the University of Virginia by Turiello and COO Renna Nouwairi, PhD. The company’s work builds on their experience in microfluidics, nucleic acid detection, forensic DNA analysis, and diagnostic platform development. Avant says its broader team and advisors bring expertise in laboratory tools and company-building, including experience with businesses acquired by major healthcare and life sciences companies.
The company has also received earlier support through NSF SBIR Phase I funding and has gained recognition in startup and innovation programs. Avant was named a 2025 Startup World Cup Regional Finalist and received “Innovator of the Year” recognition from the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council. It has also presented through investor-focused programs including TitletownTech’s Startup Draft and the Accelerate Investor Conference.
With the new financing, Avant Genomics plans to accelerate development of Avant Source™ while expanding manufacturing and team capacity. The company is entering a diagnostics market where automation, reproducibility, and sample quality are increasingly important to clinical adoption. If Avant can deliver on its performance goals, its platform could help make liquid biopsy sample preparation faster, more reliable, and more accessible for precision cancer care.