GRAIL
GRAIL was founded in 2016 by Jeffrey Huber, a former Google executive, as a spin-off from Illumina. The company started with the goal of detecting cancer early using blood-based genomic testing. It raised over $100 million in initial investment from Illumina, ARCH Venture Partners, and others. In 2021, Illumina bought the company back in a $7.1 billion deal, though the merger faced some antitrust issues. GRAIL’s main product is Galleri, a multi-cancer early detection test that uses next-generation sequencing to find cell-free DNA signals from more than 50 types of cancer through a simple blood sample. GRAIL is expected to bring in over $200 million in revenue in 2024. Cancer is usually found at a late stage when treatment is harder and survival rates are lower. GRAIL’s test aims to catch cancer before symptoms appear, when it is easier to treat. It is not meant to replace standard screenings like mammograms or colonoscopies, but it helps with cancers that currently have no early detection tests. As sequencing gets cheaper and better, GRAIL could play a big role in changing cancer care from waiting until symptoms show up to catching disease early. With big clinical trials happening now and more hospitals starting to use it, GRAIL may help change how we find and treat cancer in the future.