Latest news with #GRAIL


Medscape
11-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
MCED Screening: What Patients Need to Know
With half a million people having already received multi-cancer early detection (MCED) screening, patients are and will continue to be asking about these blood tests during their visits, physicians say. During an Education Session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2025, several experts on these tests advised on how to approach these conversations with patients and described what they think is worth sharing about them. Front and center for the panelists of the session entitled, 'Multicancer Early Detection Testing: Are There Cures Without Costs?' Was that there are not yet any randomized clinical trial results showing that a positive MCED test result will actually decrease cancer mortality or even morbidity. 'We need to see trials that show something has changed for the better for the patient. Does it really move the needle for that patient, or are we just finding [the cancer] earlier?' said Jennifer Litton, MD, professor, vice president of clinical research, and interim chair of breast medical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. 'Are we improving survival, improving treatment, or improving toxicity?' she asked, during her presentation in the session. Beyond the physical toxicity of treatments, there is also financial toxicity to consider. Although there are several MCED tests in the pipeline, GRAIL's Galleri test is the only one currently on the market. Studies of Galleri and other MCED tests still in development have so far shown that these blood-based screenings can, indeed, detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients who are asymptomatic, often suggesting cancer long before regular screening tests confirm it. But, thus far, there is no evidence that earlier detection saves lives, or can allow for less aggressive treatment. While Carmen Estela Guerra, MD, the chair of the session, acknowledged that clinicians are not obligated to initiate discussions about MCEDs until more is known about their effectiveness, as guidance from the American Cancer Society states, she provided starting points and resources for discussing these tests with patients. 'It's really important…to understand that patients may hear about Galleri tests, as will primary care physicians that might consult with us. And so we have to consider…that once people approach us, patients, primary care clinicians, that we really take this opportunity…to make sure that patients are up to date with evidence-based cancer screenings, whatever cancer screenings are appropriate for their age, sex, family history, tobacco history, and other risk factors,' said Guerra at the meeting. She added that if patients inquire about MCEDs, clinicians first want to determine if they are even eligible for testing. Guerra, who is professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and a general internist and cancer equity researcher at the Abramson Cancer Center, both in Philadelphia, also provided answers to several other questions patients may ask about the Galleri and other MCED tests during her presentation. Who is Eligible to Receive the Galleri Test? According to the Galleri website, anyone older than 50 years is eligible to receive these tests. 'Some experts have said that perhaps other people who might be eligible are those with family histories or personal histories of cancer in the past. And then, perhaps, even people with known genetic mutations, who are at risk for multiple cancers, may be eligible individuals,' Guerra said. 'Again, this is expert opinion. And you may read about these potential eligibility [criteria]. But the truth is, we just don't know yet.' Who Can't Receive This Screening? 'Some people have proposed pediatric populations, pregnant individuals, and patients who have had a cancer diagnosis within the past 3 years are not eligible for MCED testing,' Guerra said. 'In fact, they were excluded from the [ongoing] NHS-Galleri study.' An MCED consortium was created, which was a private, public partnership between the MCED companies, the American Cancer Society, and many other experts. This provided a list of additional risk factors 'that, perhaps in the future, may also help us identify who is a potential candidate for MCED testing,' she continued. That list, which was published in an article in JCO Precision Oncology in November 2021, includes: Using alcohol Having been exposed to cancer-causing substances (eg, fire smoke, tobacco smoke, radiation, and sunlight) Being immunosuppressed Having been exposed to infectious agents (eg, viruses and parasites) Having Overweight/Obesity Using Tobacco How to Approach Discussions With Patients and Clinicians One of the approaches that's being adapted to clinicians discussing MCEDs with patients and other clinicians is the shared decision framework, Guerra explained. That shared decision framework emphasizes that MCEDs are not replacements for evidence-based cancer screening, but that they could be additive in some cases, she said. The shared decision model is a talk model approach. 'It starts with the option or choice talk. And that's about basic education about MCEDs, what they detect, who is eligible, which tests are available, and how much does it cost,' she said. The option talk involves addressing what the potential benefits and harms are, the likelihood of harm, interpretation of the tests, test uncertainties, and the option of not testing at all, Guerra continued. Finally, to follow this model, clinicians help patients decide whether to have the testing. Part of this includes recognizing that 'some patients, after hearing all this, may not want to have the test. And that's OK, too,' she said. Guerrera also pointed out that other option- and decision-related talk points for approaching these conversations were published in April in the American Society of Clinical Oncology Education Book . She and her colleagues coauthored this article. One example of a 'decision talk' point in the article aimed at answering how to decide whether to have these tests is that 'MCED tests are not a recommended part of your routine cancer screening at this time.' Another is: 'If you are unsure about getting tested, it may be best to wait. We can always revisit your decisions as more information becomes available.' What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Tests? During her presentation, Guerra also described some of the advantages and disadvantages to MCED screening that clinicians could speak about with their patients. 'The advantages are, obviously, that screening can occur for multiple cancers at the same time, and that MCEDs can detect cancers [for which we currently don't have a modality], and that MCEDs have increased positive predictive value compared to single cancer screening tests,' she said. 'But you can see there's a lot of potential disadvantages, at the moment. Much of this is because we don't have information to inform our patients, including that patients should know that MCEDs are not currently covered by insurance,' Guerra continued. 'In addition, there's no consensus or guidelines for who should be tested and what the best testing pathway is for a positive MCED. That even if they have a 'no cancer signal' detected, it does not rule out future cancer diagnoses.' With these tests, 'consequential cancers could be found early, but the patient may not live longer because of overdiagnosis,' she said. More potential disadvantages to these tests, which Guerra included in a slide for her presentation, included: Possible harm from unnecessary diagnostic procedures due to false positives or missed diagnoses due to false negatives Overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that would have otherwise never bothered a patient Increased inequities if tests are not widely available, affordable, and acceptable to minority groups What's Missing and What to Offer Patients Who Want an MCED Test? 'One of the things that's really missing to guide clinicians right now is what to do with those positive cancer signals. And there is no document that has some guidance for any of us, or even our oncologists because many clinicians, primary care clinicians, will refer those patients to oncologists,' Guerra said. 'Given the uncertainties about MCEDs, one of the options that we might offer our patients that want to have an MCED is a recommendation to enroll [in one of the MCED studies], where they will be tracked as part of the clinical trial, and where outcomes will be evaluated and inform future practice.' Among these trials is the Vanguard study, a National Cancer Institute study that is being designed across nine geographical areas, that will enroll 24,000 participants in the US. The first two tests that will be used in this trial are Shield and Avantect, and others may be used as well, according to Guerra. The objective of the Vanguard study is to determine if patients will be willing to even be randomized to this study and determine adherence and feasibility questions about the study, that will later inform a larger study, she said. Another trial patients can enroll in is the REACH initiative, which is a collaboration between Grail and Medicare that will prospectively look at 50,000 Medicare beneficiaries to compare patients receiving usual care with those receiving the Galleri test. The investigators for this study 'will try to answer questions about whether there are reduced diagnoses of late stage, stage IV, and the safety and healthcare utilization,' Guerra said. This is a 3-year study across 50 sites that was initiated about 2 years ago. More Information About Galleri The Galleri test has a list price of $949 and is available only by prescription. It's designed to flag the possibility of up to 50 different cancers by detecting ctDNA in a blood sample. Because Galleri is not approved by the FDA, most insurance would not cover it or any follow-ups prompted by a positive result, according to the American Cancer Society. GRAIL has applied for Breakthrough Device Designation and Pre-Market Approval for Galleri. The company is currently authorized to perform the test at its laboratory, which is certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. Litton disclosed financial relationships with UpToDate, Physicans' Education Resource, Merck, Pfizer, and Certis. Guerra reported financial relationships with BEAM Therapeutics, Crispr Therapeutics, Editas Medicine, Intellia Therapeutics, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, GlaxoSmithKline, Guardant Health, Impulse, Natera, Roche, Janssen, and Genentech. Kate Johnson contributed to this report.


Yomiuri Shimbun
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Gravity Study Shows Why the Moon's Two Sides Look So Different
NASA / JPL-Caltech / Handout via Reuters The moon's near side, at left, and far side are seen in a combination of undated images from observations made by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — An exhaustive examination of lunar gravity using data obtained by two NASA robotic spacecraft is offering new clues about why the two sides of the moon — the one perpetually facing Earth and the other always facing away — look so different. The data from the U.S. space agency's GRAIL, or Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, mission indicates that the moon's deep interior has an asymmetrical structure, apparently caused by intense volcanism on its nearside billions of years ago that helped shape its surface features. The researchers discovered that the lunar nearside flexes slightly more than the farside during its elliptical orbit around Earth thanks to our planet's gravitational influence — a process called tidal deformation. This indicates differences in the two sides of the lunar interior, they said, specifically in the geological layer called the mantle. 'Our study shows that the moon's interior is not uniform: the side facing Earth — the nearside — is warmer and more geologically active deep down than the farside,' said Ryan Park, supervisor of the Solar System Dynamics Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and lead author of the study published on May 14 in the journal Nature. The moon's nearside is covered by vast plains, called mare, formed from molten rock that cooled and solidified billions of years ago. Its farside has much more rugged terrain, with few plains. Some scientists have hypothesized that intense volcanism within the nearside that caused radioactive, heat-generating elements to accumulate on that side of the mantle drove the surface differences observed today. The new findings offer the strongest evidence yet to support this notion. The researchers estimated that the nearside mantle on average is about 100 C-200 C hotter than the farside, with the thermal difference perhaps sustained by radioactive decay of the elements thorium and titanium on the nearside. 'The moon's nearside and farside look very different, as shown by differences in topography, crustal thickness and the amount of heat-producing elements inside,' Park said. The moon's diameter of about 3,475 kilometers is a bit more than a quarter of Earth's diameter. The lunar mantle is the layer located beneath the crust and above the core, spanning a depth about 35 kilometers-1,400 kilometers under the surface. The mantle makes up roughly 80% of the moon's mass and volume and is composed mostly of the minerals olivine and pyroxene, similar to Earth's mantle. 'The fact that the detected asymmetry in the mantle matches the pattern of the surface geology — for instance, differences in the abundance of the approximately 3-4 billion-year-old mare basalts [volcanic rock] between the nearside and the farside — suggests that processes which drove ancient lunar volcanism are active today,' said Caltech computational planetary scientist and study coauthor Alex Berne, affiliated with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory working on the design of gravity sensors for missions to the outer solar system. The researchers spent years analyzing data from GRAIL's Ebb and Flow spacecraft, which orbited the moon from December 2011 to December 2012. 'Our study delivers the most detailed and accurate gravitational map of the moon to date,' Park said. 'This enhanced gravity map is a critical foundation for developing lunar Positioning, Navigation and Timing systems, which are essential for the success of future lunar exploration missions. By improving our understanding of the moon's gravity field, it contributes to establishing a precise lunar reference frame and time system, enabling safer and more reliable navigation for spacecraft and surface operations,' Park added. The same approach employed here using gravity data to assess the lunar interior, the researchers said, could be applied to other bodies in the solar system such as Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Ganymede, two worlds of interest in the search for potential life beyond Earth. In the meantime, the new findings add to the understanding of Earth's eternal companion. 'The moon plays a vital role in stabilizing Earth's rotation and generating ocean tides, which influence natural systems and daily rhythms,' Park said. 'Our knowledge of the moon has expanded through human and robotic missions that have revealed details about its surface and interior, yet many questions about its deep structure and history remain. As our closest neighbor, the moon continues to be an important focus of scientific discovery.'


Buzz Feed
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Just 33 Little Summer Impulse Buys
Sally Hansen's iconic Insta-Dri nail polish perfect for anyone who wants quick touch-ups on their fingers and toes but has ZERO time to spare. If you're looking for a reliable, long-lasting, fast-drying polish to save not just time, but big bucks at the salon, I cannot recommend these enough! A set of DEET-free handy mosquito-repelling bracelets for the ultimate in genius summer investments — these use essential oils, including citronella, to help stop those teensy vampires in their tracks. A set of limited edition Band-Aids with retro flower patterns so the next time you get a little ouch, you can be like, "wound care, but make it summer-y." Lancôme Juicy Tubes — that's right, the iconic lippies from the 2000s are BACK and juicier than ever!! Summer Fridays and Laneige better show some respect to their elders, because these are so high gloss, hydrating, long-lasting, and the *chef's kiss* perfect amount of sticky that they remain the reigning queens. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Face Moisturizer with SPF 50 (!!) designed to deeply hydrate your skin, help repair its moisture barrier, *and* protect it from UV rays all at once. Reviewers also love that it's truly ~~invisible~~ and acts as a lovely primer for makeup (and is easy to reapply on top of it!). It's also sensitive-skin friendly, with reviewers on tretinoin swearing by it for extra protection. Did someone say ... HOLY GRAIL?? And Hawaiian Tropic's SPF 30 Mineral Powder Sunscreen Brush, aka your scalp's BFF this summer — reviewers don't just swear by this for face coverage and a protective setting powder, but for protecting their hairline without their hair getting goopy from sunscreen scalp sprays or regular sunscreen lotion. Bonus — this is a heck of a lot cheaper than its competitors, like the $35 Supergoop and $36 Brush On Block! A cult-favorite Creamy Coconut fragrance rollerball reviewers compare to the pricey Sol de Janeiro version. 👀☀️ This is from TikTok-famous small business brand Kuumba Made, known for its luxury scents at ridiculously affordable prices, so you know they're on their game — reviewers especially love how ~beachy~ and long-lasting this sweet but elevated fragrance feels and how nicely it plays with other scents! Spooky Summer, another beloved stress relief coloring book from Southern Lotus, a brand that's made itself famous on TikTok for its cozy, relaxing, easy-to-draw themes. This one is full of happy little spooks enjoying their favorite summer ~haunts~. Olay's Firming Body Lotion full of collagen peptides and a Vitamin B3 complex for *ultra* hydration designed to visibly plump, firm, and moisturize your skin — all at a fraction of the price of other firming lotions, like the internet's beloved $48 Elasti-Cream. A delightfully affordable instant foot peeling spray for anyone ready to go full YEEHAW!! on a pedicure, without the big salon price tag. This not only helps gently remove dead skin, but moisturizes dry and cracked heels, so you'll really get some refreshing bang for your buck. "Sussed," a cult-favorite, family-friendly "Would you rather?"-style game you will be *so* glad you picked up for long road trips and outdoor hangs this summer. The twist to the game is that after you choose your answer, everyone in the group has to guess what you picked, so the game keeps everyone on their toes! Moroccanoil's Mini Must-Haves Sampler, which is so affordable that I'm not not pinching myself to make sure I'm awake. Reviewers especially love these teensy versions for traveling in ~luxury~ on the cheap, and for trying these beloved splurge-worthy products without committing to the whole price first! Red Robin Original Blend Signature Seasoning, because you shouldn't have to make the trek all the way to that giant red bird's Mojo Dojo Casa House to enjoy the RIDICULOUS, semi-feral joy of his seasoning. This *chef's kiss* blend of garlic, onion, and tomato is one of the most aggressive "if you know you know" seasonings out there and owning it is about to make you the most popular person on your block. A set of the iconic Hue slouchy socks to instantly retro up all your summer looks and play up your best sneakers. Just because it's summer doesn't mean we can't be cozy about it! A tinted lip balm so close to the same magic as "Black Honey," TikTok's beloved $25 ~universal shade~ from Clinique, that it will genuinely startle you — especially when you see the price. This is a perfect, non-sticky "go-to" lippie that's just a step above the "no makeup makeup" look, giving the perfect subtly polished effect. Monday Haircare Dry Shampoo with all the oil-absorbing, refreshing power of its competitors, *plus* added keratin for protection against frizz and breakage. The subtle gardenia scent is just extra extra credit after all that. A four-pack of silicone straw soda can lids that are like, "Oh, you're obsessed with Diet Coke? Let me find you a reason to be even MORE obsessed." Reviewers love these not just for the ~thrill~ of a straw, but because the covers make the cans a whole lot more spill-proof, prevent your drink from going flat, and protect your can from bugs and debris during outdoor hangs. A truly talented cooling towel you can use to prevent yourself from overheating — all you have to do is wet this to make it deliciously chilly for your neck or head. Once it warms up, you can wet it again to instantly get back the chill! A set of espresso martini instant cocktail tea bags — all the sophistication of tea, the zing! of coffee, and the 😜 of a cheeky cocktail, without the exorbitant bar price tags. All you have to do is add three ounces of cold water, 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, and the tea sachet into a glass, and you'll have a delicious cocktail in one minute. A whisper-quiet WiFi-enabled smart air circulator fan you can control via app, Google Home, Alexa, or remote to keep yourself feeling easy breezy all summer long. Just ask the cast members of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which is how this luxe little gizmo got on some happy reviewers' radars! A three-pack of vintage-inspired polarized sunglasses for anyone who needs to stock up on a few "these look like Ray-Bans, but I won't cry into my Baja Blast if I accidentally leave them in the Taco Bell parking lot" pairs this year. These are especially handy because you can match the subtle prints to whatever 'fit you're wearing! A bag of FIRECRACKER! POPSICLE! FLAVORED!!! Liquid I.V. electrolyte drink mix, so you have extra incentive to hit your hydration goals on blazing hot trips *and* you can relive the glory of chasing down the ice cream truck as a kid. Reviewers are genuinely stunned by how much this tastes like the ~real thing~. Eos' Cashmere Skin Collection Shave Oil — yes, that's right, the astronomically TikTok-famous Eos "cashmere" body lotion now comes in shave oil form, just in time for potential spring shaving shenanigans. Reviewers are notably impressed by how close of a shave they can get with this, particularly in sensitive areas, helping spare you from razor burn and ingrown hairs. A waterproof, super lightweight JBL Go 3 speaker so you can impress your friends not just with your excellent playlist curation skills, but the ridiculous sound quality that comes out of this tiny gizmo. It's so portable that you can easily tuck it into a tote bag on your way to a park or pool hang, and so waterproof that reviewers even keep it in the shower! A pair of ruffled gingham shorts with the sweetest little retro vibe that will make you feel like you just fell out of Barbieland. And an oh-so-sweet ruffled skort so you can have all the daintiness of the tiered, flowing layers with all the security of comfy built-in shorts. TRY IT, wind!! I dare you! "The Malibu Set" from beloved razor brand Billie, a set of disposable travel-friendly razors designed to ~float~ over a skin for a seamless, oh-so-gentle, and super close shave. They even come cushioned with aloe shave soap for extra skin protection and easier glide. Jergens Natural Glow Firming Self Tanner Body Lotion to give you a gradual-building, vacation-worthy ~sunkissed glow~ over the course of just a few days. Not only is this easy peasy to apply compared to other finickier, streaking lotions, but it's formulated with collagen and elastin to help your skin appear firmer *and* glowier, and a HECK of a lot cheaper than its competitors. A set of satin pillowcases that not only have a cooling effect, but are soft on your skin and create less friction for your hair so it won't get as tangled while you sleep. Reviewers especially love these because they're an affordable alternative to ones that typically run $18 per case! An affordable, Lululemon-esque longline sports bra so comfy, supportive, and versatile that reviewers love it both for outdoor workouts, gym use, *and* errand running. This is designed to be supportive without being too compressive, with lightweight fabric that keeps you breezy in the heat. An adorable clear waterproof sunscreen bag to keep your various SPFs for easy access when you need to protect yourself from the sun's shenanigans, and to keep the rest of your stuff safe if one of your sunscreens bottles decides to go ~kaboom~. Dae's Hair Cactus Fruit 3-In-1 Styling Cream & Taming Wand, which is basically the brand's "holy grail," TikTok-famous styling cream in the form of a mascara wand. This versatile lil' tool helps you carefully target flyaways, style edges, and smooth frizz. A Lululemon-inspired mini wristlet wallet set that looks just like their $50 version, and also easily holds cash, cards, and lip balms, so you don't have to deal with the whole muss and fuss of a purse if you're going on a walk around the neighborhood. Plus, you know what they say — keep your friends close and your beloved lippies closer.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GRAIL Announces Inducement Grants Under NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)
MENLO PARK, Calif., May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAIL, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRAL), a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, today announced that it has granted equity awards in the form of restricted stock units ("RSUs") underlying an aggregate of 77,350 shares of GRAIL's common stock to 38 recently hired non-executive employees as an inducement material to their acceptance of employment with GRAIL. The employment inducement awards were granted under GRAIL's Inducement Equity Incentive Plan and related form of restricted stock award agreement in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The inducement plan is used exclusively for the grant of equity awards to individuals who were not previously employees of GRAIL, or following a bona fide period of non-employment, as an inducement material to such individuals entering into employment with GRAIL, pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The RSUs vest over an approximately four year period, with 25% of the award vesting May 31, 2026, and on each one year anniversary of those respective dates thereafter, subject to continued employment with GRAIL (or any successor to or subsidiary of the Company) through the vesting dates. About GRAILGRAIL is a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. GRAIL is focused on alleviating the global burden of cancer by using the power of next-generation sequencing, population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art machine learning, software, and automation to detect and identify multiple deadly cancer types in earlier stages. GRAIL's targeted methylation-based platform can support the continuum of care for screening and precision oncology, including multi-cancer early detection in symptomatic patients, risk stratification, minimal residual disease detection, biomarker subtyping, treatment and recurrence monitoring. GRAIL is headquartered in Menlo Park, CA with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE GRAIL, Inc.


The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Why do the two sides of the moon look different?
The earth's moon is tidally locked: one side always faces the earth and the other side always faces away. So when scientists got their first look of the moon's far side, they were surprised to find it looked very different from the near side. NASA's GRAIL mission recently reported small month-on-month changes in the moon's gravity caused by tides on the earth. When mission scientists processed the data, they found evidence that the moon's interior is not uniform: the near side seemed to be warmer, softer, and slightly molten. The researchers predicted a temperature difference of 100-200° C between the hemispheres. Because warmer rock melts more easily, their models suggested there is still a partly molten layer of rock 800-1,250 km beneath the near side surface. Long ago, this layer could have risen to the surface and erupted to form dark lava plains that dominate the near side. As the interior slowly cooled, the eruptions would have faded 3-4 billion years ago. The moon's far side crust is thicker, so the magma may never have made it to the surface there. The findings join others — like meteorites being shielded by the earth on the near side, an uneven distribution of radioactive materials, and quirks in the moon's ancient formation event — to understand why the earth's closest cosmic companion is also Janus-faced.