Britain on Monday began the world’s biggest trial of Grail Inc’s (GRAL.O) flagship Galleri blood test that can be used to detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear.

Britain’s state-run National Health Service said the Galleri test looks at the DNA in a patient’s blood to determine if any come from cancer cells stating that earlier diagnosis of cancers leads to dramatically increased survival rates.

The NHS said it wanted to recruit 140,000 volunteers in England to see how well the test worked as part of a randomised control trial.

Half of the participants would have their blood samples screened with the Galleri test right away.

Peter Sasieni, professor of cancer prevention at King’s College London, said, “We need to study the Galleri test carefully to find out whether it can significantly reduce the number of cancers diagnosed at a late stage.

“The test could be a game-changer for early cancer detection, and we are excited to be leading this important research.’’

Lung cancer is by far the most common cause of cancer death in the United Kingdom, accounting for around a fifth of all cancer deaths.

The NHS said Lung, bowel, prostate, and breast cancers account for 45 per cent of the United Kingdom’s cancer deaths.

In August, U.S. life sciences company Illumina Inc (ILMN.O) said it had completed its $7.1 billion acquisition of Grail.

Illumina is saying it would operate Grail separately from its existing business.

(Reuters/NAN)