BCAL Diagnostics (ASX: BDX) is significantly expanding the national accessibility of its Avantect early detection blood tests for pancreatic and ovarian cancers through new agreements with Sonic Healthcare (ASX: SHL) and Healius (ASX: HLS), accelerating its commercial rollout.
Avantect pancreatic and ovarian blood tests are now available through selected **Sonic **pathology collection centres in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
A new agreement with Healius Pathology Network further provides national access to Avantect tests across Australia.
Clinicians can now order tests using an established national collection network, following the initial launch in January 2026 through the Sydney Breast Clinic.
Expanding Sonic Healthcare Partnership
This rollout with Sonic Healthcare builds on and expands an existing collaboration between the companies.
This prior work included BCAL's BREASTEST plus blood-based cancer diagnostic.
Avantect is a cell-free DNA-based blood test designed for patients identified as being at elevated risk for pancreatic and ovarian cancers.
The latest-generation Avantect uses genomic and epigenomic analysis combined with machine learning to provide additional information to doctors and patients.
Funding and Cash Burn
Investors should note the company previously flagged a material uncertainty related to going concern in its Half Yearly Report (December 2025), indicating a need to raise additional funds.
To support working capital and commercial milestones, BCAL established a $10 million convertible note facility in October 2025, with $5 million in firm commitments.
However, the company's cash runway was estimated at 0.6 quarters in October 2025, with significant research and development and overhead spend.
Reimbursement and Execution
Previous updates highlighted ongoing reimbursement discussions with organisations such as the Pancare Foundation and Pankind.
Health economic evidence is being developed to support these reimbursement pathways.
The company faces execution risks in scaling its operations across multiple states and achieving sufficient market uptake for its diagnostic tests.
The Avantect pricing was previously noted at $1,495 per test or $1,995 for combined testing, generating a positive gross margin at current volumes, as per a Shareholder Update in February 2026.
