OCA Venture Partners LP
10/01/2026 | Press release | Archived content
CANCER FUND Invests in Amplified Sciences to Advance Ultrasensitive Diagnostic Platform for Pancreatic Cyst Risk Stratification
How OCA Ventures' CANCER FUND is Revolutionizing Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis with Amplified Sciences Investment
October 1, 2026
CANCER FUND
Phoenix, AZ - October 1, 2026 - CANCER FUND Impact Investments® today announced an investment in Amplified Sciences, an early-stage clinical diagnostics company developing an ultrasensitive optical reporter platform designed to detect and stratify pancreatic cystic lesions which could also be leveraged in additional high-risk oncology indications.
Amplified's lead assay, PanCystPro, is a laboratory developed test (LDT) offered through Amplified's CLIA-CAP accredited laboratory. The assay is designed to measure three complementary markers - gastricsin enzyme activity, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and glucose - in pancreatic cyst fluid - designed to distinguish potentially cancerous mucinous cysts from benign non-mucinous cysts. In a multi-site IRB-approved study of approximately 140 pathologically confirmed cyst samples, PanCystPro showed accuracy in the low-to-high 90 percent range with high sensitivity, specificity, and very strong negative predictive value for ruling out mucinous lesions.
Amplified's underlying BioMatra platform is designed to measure analytes at a limit of detection up to ten thousand times lower than comparable technologies in bench testing, enabling up to a 300-fold reduction in sample volume relative to competing tests. The platform is analyte-agnostic and extensible across proteins, enzymes, metabolites, and nucleic acids, supporting multiplex assays and sample reuse - a design particularly important when cyst fluid samples are limited.
"Pancreatic cancer's mortality is driven in part by late detection, and by the difficulty of distinguishing potentially cancerous cysts from benign cysts on imaging alone," said Anthony Bajoras, Managing Director of CANCER FUND. "Amplified's approach aims to give clinicians a more reliable and accurate tool to identify high-risk patients earlier - and, hopefully, to reduce the surgical and surveillance burden on those whose cysts do not warrant intervention."
The investment aligns with Cancer Fund I's impact investing strategy of supporting early-stage oncology innovations advancing toward defined clinical and regulatory milestones. Amplified's milestones to date include completion of analytical and clinical validation, earning CLIA-CAP accreditation for the clinical lab, and securing a new Medicare PLA code. Future development roadmap includes completion of a multi-site clinical utility study, offering PanCystPro in an Early Access commercial program, and solidifying Medicare coverage and reimbursement rate.
"After a deeply vetted, community-driven diligence process, we're grateful to welcome CANCER FUND Impact Investments as a strategic investor," said Diana Caldwell, MBA, CEO and Co-Founder of Amplified Sciences. "As an impact investor backed by oncology experts, their long-term commitment to advancing cancer innovations provides powerful validation of what we're building at Amplified Sciences."
About CANCER FUND
CANCER FUND Impact Investments® is a growing community of more than 10,000 people that includes oncologists, scientists, patients, survivors, caregivers, and investors who recognize that cancer isn't just a science problem - it's also a capital problem. Promising oncology innovations stall not because the science fails, but because the capital to advance them isn't there when it's needed.
CANCER FUND exists to help change that and is currently investing out of Cancer Fund I, LLC, deploying capital into therapies, diagnostics, and enabling technologies.
About Amplified Sciences
Amplified Sciences is a life science diagnostics company focused on providing innovative diagnostic tests that enable earlier detection, risk stratification, and monitoring of serious diseases. BioMatra, the company's ultrasensitive optical reporter platform, leverages technology licensed from Purdue University. Its headquarters are in West Lafayette, Indiana, and its CLIA-CAP-accredited clinical lab is located in Irvine, California.
For Media Contact:
CANCER FUND Impact Investments®
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 833-311-3863
Amplified Sciences
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 765-203-1043
OCA Venture Partners LP published this content on October 01, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 07, 2026 at 17:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]