Overcoming Theranos Aftermath... Can the Dream of 'Blood Test Cancer Diagnosis' Succeed? [Im Ju-hyung's Tech Talk]

Liquid Biopsy Diagnosing Cancer from a Drop of Blood
Grail in the US Plans World's First Large-Scale Clinical Trial
Suspicion Grows After 'Theranos Scandal'
Must Overcome Technical Challenges and Prove Usefulness

The 'liquid biopsy' technology, which can develop dozens of types of cancer at once with just a few drops of blood, is gaining attention. / Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The most certain and practical way to overcome cancer is to detect and treat it at an early stage. However, current cancer screening tests are complex and sometimes involve painful procedures, which can be a significant burden for patients.

What if a technology emerged that could detect dozens of types of cancer at once with just a few drops of blood? Patients could undergo cancer screening more frequently, naturally increasing cancer treatment and survival rates. For this reason, cancer diagnosis through blood tests has long been regarded as the "Holy Grail" of life sciences.

However, many barriers remain before this technology can be commercialized. Not only must technical challenges be overcome, but the industry must also move past the so-called "Theranos scandal," which once dampened investor sentiment in this field.

◆Can cancer be detected with just a few drops of blood?

Cancer refers to a condition where abnormal cells grow uncontrollably. Unchecked cancer cells destroy the functions of normal cells and organs, making it extremely fatal to the human body.

There are well over 100 types of cancer, which can occur in various organs such as the stomach, liver, and lungs. Consequently, the testing methods vary by location and can sometimes be very painful for patients.

The key to overcoming cancer lies in early detection and treatment. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News

If a simple cancer testing method is developed, it could save countless lives. Early detection before cancer metastasizes to a fatal level increases the chances of successful treatment. This is why "blood test cancer diagnosis" has long been treated as the "Holy Grail" in the fight against cancer.

◆U.S. company Grail plans large-scale clinical trial with 140,000 participants

The American biotechnology company Grail has gained attention for developing multi-cancer early detection technology. As the company name "Grail" suggests, it has been researching blood test technology to win the war against cancer over several years.

Despite being a startup founded in 2015, Grail has attracted attention from Silicon Valley billionaires. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s investment foundation, Bezos Expeditions, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates are among its early investors.

American biotechnology company Grail claims that its 'Galileo' liquid biopsy diagnostic test can detect 50 types of cancer early from blood samples. / Photo by Grail official website capture

Recently, Grail entered the world’s first large-scale clinical trial for blood test cancer diagnosis technology. Grail plans to test its "Galleri" diagnostic method on 140,000 adults in the UK in collaboration with the National Health Service (NHS).

Galleri is an early cancer detection test developed by Grail, which the company claims can detect as many as 50 types of cancer at an early stage. Among these 50 cancers are rare cancers that cannot be detected by currently common cancer diagnostic technologies.

◆Focus on the potential of liquid biopsy... once stigmatized as a 'scam' due to the Theranos scandal

Grail is notable not only because it has entered a large-scale clinical trial but also because its Galleri test is based on a technology called "liquid biopsy."

This technology is an advanced diagnostic method that can detect cancer at an early stage from blood. Various DNA fragments circulate in our bloodstream, and in cancer patients, a small amount of DNA from cancer cells is included. Liquid biopsy captures, detects, and analyzes this cancer cell DNA.

Previously, accurate cancer diagnosis required extracting tissue from the actual cancerous area, which was time-consuming and complex. However, liquid biopsy can quickly determine the presence of cancer tumors with just a few drops of blood, offering a strong advantage by providing more patients with opportunities for cancer screening.

Despite these strengths, liquid biopsy faced skepticism from investors for a time due to the "Theranos scandal." Grail is one of the few companies that have succeeded in overcoming the widespread doubts in Silicon Valley.

Theranos was a company founded in 2003 by venture entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, who was once called the "second Steve Jobs" in the U.S. Like Grail, it claimed to be able to detect as many as 240 types of cancer at once through liquid biopsy technology.

Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, who was selected as the cover model for the U.S. financial magazine Forbes in 2014 / Photo by Forbes

Theranos attracted global investors’ high expectations and increased its corporate value. However, a whistleblower revealed that "this technology is close to a scam," and soon after, the U.S. financial media outlet The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) exposed Holmes’s fraudulent activities, causing the company’s image to plummet.

Holmes is currently on trial facing a total of 12 charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. For a time, liquid biopsy, once believed to save humanity from cancer, had to endure investors’ cold stares while bearing the stigma of being a "scam."

◆Must prove usefulness and overcome high costs

Liquid biopsy is a technology that diagnoses cancer by detecting DNA contained in the blood. Both normal and cancer cells have DNA inside their nuclei, and when cells die, this DNA is released into the bloodstream. Unlike normal cells, the DNA structure of cancer cells is damaged, allowing differentiation.

Liquid biopsy technology still faces many challenges before its usefulness can be proven. / Photo by Yonhap News

However, liquid biopsy technology is by no means perfect. The key to cancer diagnosis is early detection, but in stages 1 and 2 of cancer, the amount of DNA found in the blood is very minimal, presenting clear limitations.

Even Grail, which is currently highly anticipated, must first prove high predictive accuracy in this large-scale clinical trial conducted by the NHS.

Even if its usefulness is proven, it will be difficult for ordinary patients to use liquid biopsy without financial burden in the near future. Grail’s Galleri test is expected to be sold at $949 (about 1.13 million KRW) per test. Although prices are expected to gradually decrease over time, it will likely take several years.

Despite facing the unprecedented turmoil of the "Theranos scandal," the industry’s belief that dozens of cancers can be detected early with a single blood test does not seem to have faded. This is why companies developing liquid biopsy technologies, including Grail, continue to relentlessly pursue their challenges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.