When testing for the possibility of certain types of cancer, doctors often do surgery to retrieve biopsies for genetic analysis. But when a patient has already had cancer, and is testing for a possibility of recurrence, Helmy Eltoukhy, the co-founder of medical tech startup Guardant Health, believes that a blood test could replace a biopsy and avoid surgery.
A startup has developed new technology that it claims can open a new front in the war on cancer. Guardant Health has developed a non-invasive screening tool that relies on a blood sample rather than tissue. The test, dubbed the “Guardant 360,” is designed to help patients avoid risky and expensive biopsies. Biopsies can cost up to $10,000 for people not covered by insurance. By contrast, Guardant expects its test to be available for a few hundred dollars. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company announced this week that it will begin selling its genetic screening tool to some 100,000 patients in a handful of cancer clinics. Guardant also disclosed that it has raised $10 million in capital fromSequoia Capital, a venture firm that is increasingly investing in the personalized medicine trend. Sequoia’s health investor, Warren Hogarth, has joined the company’s board.
