MENLO PARK, CA, May 3, 2022 — We’re honored to be named on Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards list, which focuses on organizations pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet. GRAIL, a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured, received honorable mention for the Galleri® multi-cancer early detection test.
Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards are selected by a panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters who selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more.
“We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society’s most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges,” says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution.”
The overall survival rate for cancer is four times higher when cancer is found before it spreads, but unfortunately most cancers are found too late when they become symptomatic. That’s because there are currently only five currently recommended individual cancer screening tests, while approximately 70% of cancer deaths result from cancers we do not routinely screen for today. At GRAIL, we believe multi-cancer early detection tests are needed to help bend the curve in the war against cancer by finding more cancers early.
The Galleri test, which was introduced in the U.S. in June 2021, leverages genomic and machine learning technologies to look for a common cancer signal in the blood. In clinical studies, the test demonstrated the ability to detect more than 50 types of cancers and predict with accuracy where the cancer signal originated in the body, with a low false-positive rate of less than 1%. Results from one of GRAIL’s clinical study programs, PATHFINDER, were presented at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting and showed support for Galleri’s performance in real-world, clinical settings. This ability to find cancer early is one of the most significant opportunities to reduce the burden of cancer.
About the World Changing Ideas Awards
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
About Galleri®
The earlier that cancer is detected, the higher the chance of successful outcomes. The Galleri multi-cancer early detection test can detect cancer signals across more than 50 types of cancer, as defined by the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual, through a routine blood draw. When a cancer signal is detected, the Galleri test predicts the cancer signal origin, or where the cancer is located in the body, with high accuracy to help guide the next steps to diagnosis. The Galleri test requires a prescription from a licensed health care provider and should be used in addition to recommended cancer screenings such as mammography, colonoscopy, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, or cervical cancer screening. It is intended for use in people with an elevated risk of cancer, such as those aged 50 or older.
For more information about Galleri, visit galleri.com.
Important Galleri Safety Information
The Galleri test is recommended for use in adults with an elevated risk for cancer, such as those aged 50 or older. The Galleri test may not detect a cancer signal across all cancers and should be used in addition to routine cancer screening tests recommended by a healthcare provider. Galleri is intended to detect cancer signals and predict where in the body the cancer signal is located. Use of Galleri is not recommended in individuals who are pregnant, 21 years old or younger, or undergoing active cancer treatment.
Results should be interpreted by a healthcare provider in the context of medical history, clinical signs and symptoms. A test result of “Cancer Signal Not Detected” does not rule out cancer. A test result of “Cancer Signal Detected” requires confirmatory diagnostic evaluation by medically established procedures (e.g. imaging) to confirm cancer.
If cancer is not confirmed with further testing, it could mean that cancer is not present or testing was insufficient to detect cancer, including due to the cancer being located in a different part of the body. False-positive (a cancer signal detected when cancer is not present) and false-negative (a cancer signal not detected when cancer is present) test results do occur. Rx only.
Laboratory/Test Information
GRAIL’s clinical laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) and accredited by the College of American Pathologists. The Galleri test was developed, and its performance characteristics were determined by GRAIL. The Galleri test has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. GRAIL’s clinical laboratory is regulated under CLIA to perform high-complexity testing. The Galleri test is intended for clinical purposes.