Biotech company raises $360 million for cancer-detecting blood test

A California-based biotech company raised $360 million to fund a new early warning system that could detect cancer with a simple blood test. Guardant Health raised the funding for Guardant360, a blood test that measures genetic biomarkers for tumors, or a “liquid biopsy.” The blood would detect “circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA),” tiny bits of DNA a tumor releases in the blood stream at it grows. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, ctDNA tracking is a less-invasive and safer alternative to a tumor biopsy. The ctDNA can often be used to detect cancer as it’s growing, increasing the chances it’s caught early.…

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