GRAIL, UK government partner to roll out Galleri multi-cancer test in UK

GRAIL used next-generation sequencing, population-scale clinical studies, and advanced computer science and data science for Galleri

US-based healthcare firm GRAIL has partnered with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to offer its multi-cancer early detection blood test Galleri to UK patients starting from 2021.

The company leveraged next-generation sequencing, population-scale clinical studies, and advanced computer science and data science for its multi-cancer early detection test Galleri, to address the challenges in medicine.

Aimed at confirming the clinical and economic performance of Galleri in the NHS system as a precursor to its regular use by the NHS, the partnership programme will include around 165,000 people in the UK, in two groups.

The first group consists of 140,000 people, aged more than 50, not suspected of cancer, and the second includes 25,000 people aged 40 years and above, with signs or symptoms of cancer.

The company intends to expand the access to the test to nearly one million people through 2024 and 2025, based on data from the programme, and offer the test subsequently to a larger population.

UK Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “We are building a world-leading diagnostics industry in the UK — not just for coronavirus, but for other diseases too.

“This exciting and ground-breaking new blood test from GRAIL will give us another tool to give more people the very best chance of survival, demonstrating how the UK continues to lead the way in using the latest innovative treatments to help patients.

“Many of us know a loved one who has battled against cancer and have seen first-hand the impact of this deadly disease.”

Galleri detects more than 50 cancer types with less than 1% false positive rate
According to a clinical validation study conducted in the US, the earlier version of Galleri detected more than 50 types of cancers, with a reduced false positive rate of less than 1% using a single blood draw.

When added to existing standard of care, Galleri has the potential of decreasing nearly half of the cancer cases diagnosed at late stage, which could cut down the total number of cancer deaths in the UK.

GRAIL intends to commercialise Galleri in the US in 2021. The test is currently available under investigational use, and is being used in the first interventional study, dubbed PATHFINDER, to guide clinical care.

GRAIL chief executive officer Hans Bishop said: “The collaboration between GRAIL, NHS England, and the UK Government represents a novel approach to taking on one of the world’s biggest public health challenges.

“We are excited to partner with the UK Government to support the NHS Long Term Plan for earlier cancer diagnoses, and we are eager to bring our technology to patients in the UK, and potentially save many lives.” NSMedical