“We see tremendous promise in Syantra's breast cancer detecting blood test. It's truly a game-changer in women's health.”
Whether its disease detection or mobile health care delivery, Calgary startups are addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges through transformative technology. And when companies like TapLabs partner their innovations with others’, the sky becomes the limit.
TapLabs is like Uber for lab testing, but it puts the patient in the driver’s seat. By flipping the script on the traditional system and bringing the lab to the patient, TapLabs empowers people to take charge of their own health. And thanks to a partnership between TapLabs and Syantra, a local precision medicine company, Calgarians can get a blood test that detects the presence of breast cancer done in the comfort of their own home. Yes, you read that right.
Introducing Syantra Inc.
Syantra is a precision health care company that uses real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and custom software to analyze blood samples and detect the markers of breast cancer. The test is called Syantra DX | Breast Cancer, and clinical trials have shown up to 98.5% accuracy. Since launching the test in late 2021, scores of women have come forward to get theirs. Because, in Syantra’s words, “every woman deserves to be sure”.
Kelly Kuzel, CEO and Co-founder of TapLabs, immediately saw the potential of Syantra. In fact, she was one of their first commercial clients and continues to get the Syantra DX | Breast Cancer test annually. “We’ve been strong supporters of this ground-breaking test since we first learned about it,” Kelly says. “We're keen to help improve accessibility for women who are interested. And it’s such a great fit because that's exactly what we do. We offer flexible, on-demand mobile testing in the comfort and convenience of a person’s home.”
TapLabs and Syantra: Filling gaps in women’s health
For many women, for many reasons, breast cancer may not be detected through existing screening protocols at the early stages. About half of all women have dense or very dense breasts. Mammography sensitivity is decreased with higher breast density because both cancer and dense breast tissue appear white on mammograms, creating a camouflage effect. What’s more, physicians don’t routinely refer patients for a mammogram unless they’re over the age of 50, have a family history of breast cancer or have a symptom. But 18% of breast cancers are diagnosed in women under 50.
Syantra’s partnership with TapLabs means Calgarians with a physician's requisition can simply book their test online or through the TapLabs mobile app and a professional medical laboratory technician will come to them for sample collection, either the same day or the next day. No waitlists, no crowded labs.
“Historically women’s health has not been on equal footing in the Canadian health care system,” says Kelly. “Syantra is offering answers to a global issue for women, and we’re just a vehicle for them to get answers faster.”
The synergy between TapLabs’ innovative service platform and the Syantra DX | Breast Cancer test helps elevate healthcare for women by removing barriers to early breast cancer detection and giving women greater choice, control and continuity of care.
It's crucial that women have the tools to take charge of their own health.
That’s what the TapLabs and Syantra partnership delivers.
Interested in the Syantra DX | Breast Cancer blood test?
