On May 31, 2022 GRAIL, LLC, a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, reported a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration, America’s largest integrated health care system, and the Veterans Health Foundation to provide Galleri, GRAIL’s groundbreaking multi-cancer early detection (MCED) blood test, to 10,000 veterans across approximately 10 participating VA sites over the next three years (Press release, Grail, MAY 31, 2022, View Source [SID1234615289]). The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is the first VA site that will be participating.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Through the collaboration, eligible U.S. military veterans will be able to receive the Galleri test and can enroll in GRAIL’s REFLECTION registry, an observational, multi-center, real-world evidence study. REFLECTION will assess Galleri’s performance, when combined with recommended cancer screenings, to find earlier cancer in the population, when there is a higher chance of successful and potentially curative treatment. REFLECTION will enroll 35,000 healthy volunteers and evaluate the performance of Galleri in diverse clinical settings as part of routine medical care.
"Cancer is a significant issue for U.S. veterans, many of whom are at high risk," said Dr. Charles Atwood, pulmonologist and lead researcher on the REFLECTION study at VA Pittsburgh. "GRAIL’s multi-cancer early detection test will be provided to veterans, in addition to current recommended screenings, with the aim of improving early diagnoses and outcomes."
The Galleri test is a first-of-its-kind MCED blood test. In a clinical study, the Galleri test demonstrated the ability to detect signals across more than 50 types of cancers, over 45 of which lack recommended screening tests today. Using advanced genomics and machine learning, the test also determines the origin of the cancer signal, which can then guide diagnostic workup. Early detection of cancer is known to improve cancer outcomes, yet today, the majority of cancers are detected in late stages because only five cancer types have recommended screenings – breast, cervical, colon, lung and prostate cancers.
"As the largest national integrated health system in the U.S., the VA delivers unparalleled care to our veterans, many of whom are at elevated risk of developing cancer. We are thrilled to collaborate with the VA, the Veterans Health Foundation and U.S. veterans for this important real-world evaluation of the Galleri test and its potential to transform early cancer detection," said Bob Ragusa, chief executive officer at GRAIL. "Together, we hope participation in the REFLECTION registry study and receiving a Galleri test will lead to more cancer diagnoses at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful."
Nationwide, 1.2 million veterans who have used VA health care since the beginning of fiscal year 2021 have received a cancer diagnosis. That number includes 14 percent of veterans treated at VA Pittsburgh in the same time frame.
About VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) is one of the largest and most progressive VA health care systems in the nation. More than 4,000 employees serve nearly 80,000 veterans every year, providing a range of services from complex transplant medicine to routine primary care. VAPHS is a leader in virtual care delivery through telehealth technology; a center of research and learning with 130 research investigators and $14.8 million in funding in fiscal year 2021; and a provider of state-of-the-art healthcare training to some 1,500 student trainees annually. VAPHS provides care at medical centers in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood and nearby O’Hara Township, both in Pennsylvania, and five outpatient clinics in Belmont County, Ohio, and Beaver, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania. An additional site of care is expected to open in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, in 2023. Veterans can call 412-360-6162 to check eligibility or enrollment. Stay up to date at pittsburgh.va.gov, Facebook and Twitter.