Illumina, an American biotechnology company, says detecting cancer in just a single blood test can be made possible in a few years. With $100 million in funding, Illumina launched a new startup named Grail which will be based in San Francisco. The testing concept being pursued called “liquid biopsy” will use high speed DNA sequencing machines to scour a person’s blood for fragments of DNA released by cancer cells
Flatley says that the idea for GRAIL was hatched eighteen months ago when Illumina researchers were trying the company’s DNA sequencers out on blood. They found that as the company’s sequencers became increasingly powerful, they were able to detect trace amounts of DNA in those samples. Illumina CEO Jay Flatley hopes the tests could be a “turning point in the war on cancer”.
Other investors include Sutter Hill Ventures, ARCH Ventures, Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expedition and Bill Gates. Illumina still holds the majority of shares.
