These operational barriers are addressable. Sano has introduced a broader set of testing capabilities designed to reduce the logistical overhead of adding new assays to decentralized studies, without requiring sponsors to build separate workflows for each one.
Our expanded options now include:
- At-home antibody testing: Fast, decentralized eligibility checks using small blood samples collected without a clinic visit (currently available for research use only).
- Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS): Pre-screening tools that enable smarter, more targeted recruitment based on genetic predispositions.
- Repeat expansion sequencing: Specialized testing for various conditions, seamlessly combined with other assays in a single protocol.
This article outlines how expanded testing capabilities — including at-home blood collection, polygenic risk scoring, and repeat expansion sequencing — can reduce operational friction and support more comprehensive data collection across decentralized studies.
Key Takeaways
- Expanded Testing Capabilities: Sano now supports at-home antibody testing, Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS), and repeat expansion sequencing.
- Reduced Participant Burden: Partnership with Tasso enables self-collection of blood samples, eliminating the need for clinic visits.
- Faster Recruitment: Advanced pre-screening tools like PRS and at-home eligibility checks shorten trial timelines.
- Specialized Disease Support: New workflows support complex research for Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
- Unified Logistics: All testing is managed through the KitLink platform for end-to-end tracking and reporting.
Minimize participant barriers
Decentralized, at-home sample collection has been central to Sano's platform from the start. Until recently, this focused on genetic testing via saliva and buccal swab kits. Now, we’re going further, adding new technologies and workflows that make it possible to collect a wider range of samples from the comfort of home, without compromising quality or compliance.
One example is our partnership with Tasso, which enables participants to collect a small blood sample themselves, removing the need for a clinic visit and reducing unnecessary labor for healthcare professionals. This makes it possible to conduct antibody testing entirely at home, without a clinic visit. At present, this testing has not been clinically validated and is available only for research use.
This allows sponsors to:
- Detect trial eligibility without coordinating site appointments.
- Screen larger, more diverse populations at lower cost.
- Reduce the risk of delays from missed site visits or participant scheduling issues.
For participants, at-home sampling removes the need to travel or take time off work. This lowers the financial and logistical burden of participation, which is particularly important for reaching individuals in geographically dispersed or underserved populations who might otherwise be excluded from research.
Compared with traditional approaches that require scheduling a phlebotomist appointment, the Tasso device offers a simpler alternative. With a press of a button on an upper-arm patch, blood is collected quickly and with minimal discomfort, reducing a common source of hesitation for prospective participants.
By reducing the procedural and logistical friction associated with sample collection, sponsors can expect fewer drop-offs at the testing stage, broader geographic reach, and a more representative participant pool, without compromising data quality.
Screen and identify eligible participants faster
Early, accurate screening is essential for recruitment success. In decentralized and hybrid trial models, where recruitment and eligibility confirmation increasingly happen outside traditional sites, the ability to screen remotely becomes a structural advantage rather than a convenience.
Antibody testing from at-home blood samples makes it possible to confirm eligibility or measure immune response without requiring an in-clinic visit. Integrating Polygenic Risk Scores further strengthens this approach by incorporating a broader set of genetic factors, enabling more accurate pre-screening for predispositions. This allows sponsors to target recruitment with greater precision and enrich study populations in ways that single-variant testing alone cannot achieve.
The downstream effect is a shorter path from engagement to eligibility confirmation, with fewer ineligible participants advancing to costly later stages.
Expand into neurological and rare disease research
Many neurological and rare diseases require specialized testing. Our expanded capabilities include:
- Repeat expansion sequencing: Essential for research into Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
- Multi-assay protocols: Combine repeat expansions with Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in a single workflow.
- Operational efficiency: Eliminate separate tracks for complex genetic testing.
By removing these operational barriers, we’re enabling more comprehensive disease profiling and making it possible to run complex, multi-assay studies in a single streamlined process.
Align result reporting to your study context
We understand that not all studies require the same level of reporting of participant results. Accordingly, we now offer a flexible framework that supports both clinical and research contexts and allows for better alignment with budgets.
We collaborate with partners to support clinical-grade testing for medically actionable results, delivered in partnership with accredited labs and supported by genetic counseling networks. For exploratory or early-stage studies where speed and agility are the priority, we recommend research-use-only testing.
In both cases, participant data confidentiality is maintained throughout the reporting process. This is particularly important in decentralized settings, where genetic results are returned outside traditional clinical environments and participants need clarity on how their data is handled and protected.
This means you can meet scientific and regulatory needs without having to choose between speed and compliance.
Everything connected in one platform
All of these new capabilities are powered by the same infrastructure that powers our biomarker testing and logistics, which provides the following features:
- Multiple sample types and tests supported within a single study.
- Full tracking from order to results through KitLink, our end-to-end biomarker testing coordination and logistics tool.
- Integrated lab and logistics network or the option to bring your own.
- Participant-friendly reporting for every result type.
This means sponsors can expand their study without building new systems or creating operational silos. Equally important, a unified platform maintains coordinated communication across participants, third-party labs, and investigator teams, a requirement that becomes increasingly difficult to manage when testing workflows are distributed across disconnected vendors.
Focus on meaningful insights
These capabilities are designed to reduce the operational load that testing complexity creates, so sponsors can allocate attention to study design, data interpretation, and program-level decisions rather than coordination. We make it easier to keep participants engaged and motivated throughout the study, so you can reduce barriers to recruitment for participants excluded by location, mobility, or time constraints, and deliver results with confidence.
Whether the goal is exploring new biomarkers, adding targeted follow-up testing, or entering a new therapeutic area, Sano's expanded testing capabilities are designed to scale without introducing new operational complexity.
To discuss how these capabilities apply to your study design, book an introductory call with our team.