On June 4th, Grail Inc., a portfolio company of West Fountain, presented the research results of the PATHFINDER project at the ASCO Annual Meeting 2021, and launched a pioneering blood test for early detection of multiple cancers called Galleri. Galleri's ability to detect more than 50 types of cancers with a single blood draw will revolutionize the early cancer detection process. West Fountain participated in GRAIL Series B+ financing in 2017, and Series D in 2020.

GRAIL, headquartered in Silicon Valley USA, is one of the world's top cancer early detection companies. On June 4th, it presented the first results from the interventional PATHFINDER study evaluating Galleri, a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) blood test. The results, presented at the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, support Galleri’s performance in clinical settings. The company also announced in the meeting that Galleri is now available in the U.S. by prescription only.

PATHFINDER was designed to assess the implementation and performance of Galleri in a clinical care setting. The study analyzed 6,629 individuals aged 50 years or older, an age group with an elevated risk for cancer, but with no suspicion of active cancer. In the interim analysis, an earlier version of Galleri accurately detected 29 cancers across 13 types of cancer: breast, colon or rectum, head and neck, liver and bile duct, lung, lymphoid leukemia, lymphoma, ovary, pancreas, plasma cell neoplasm, prostate, small intestine, and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. Of the new cancers detected, nearly 40% (9/23) were localized (stage I-II), and more than half (13/23) were detected before distant metastases (stage I-III). PATHFINDER participants will continue to be followed for 12 months, with final results expected in the first half of 2022.

As indicated, Galleri is now available in the U.S. by prescription only and is intended for use in those with an elevated risk of cancer, such as adults aged 50 or older, and as a complement to existing single cancer screening tests.

GRAIL also announced it will establish a real-world evidence study, REFLECTION, to understand the experience and clinical outcomes of 35,000 individuals in the U.S. who are prescribed the Galleri test from a healthcare provider.

GRAIL has chosen a difficult, but very important area for the advancement and cure of cancer. For the medical field and patients around the world, early cancer detection has always been an unknown area, and it has long-awaited a meaningful medical product to for early cancer detection. The official launch of Galleri will have a huge impact in the fields of healthcare and public health. West Fountain believes that with the persistence and efforts of GRAIL, the company will achieve more products, such as Galleri that will make a positive impact the medical world in the future and become a market leader in its field.