Guardant Health Releases Major Upgrade to Liquid Biopsy Test

Precision oncology company Guardant Health launched a major upgrade to its Guardant360 liquid biopsy test.

The new test evaluates biomarkers in 739 total genes, 10 times more cancer biomarkers than the previous version of Guardant360. The test can also spot an array of emerging biomarkers to characterize cancer and quantify disease burden, at a much higher sensitivity according to the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company.

The expanded number of biomarkers in the test includes all guideline-recommended genomic biomarkers in advanced solid tumors. The test runs on Guardant’s Infinity smart liquid biopsy platform, which leverages novel genomic and epigenomic sequencing to quantify disease burden tumor fraction at 10 times lower levels than the prior Guardant360 version.

The test provides results in seven to 10 days, according to Guardant. It’s also covered for Medicare fee-for-service patients with advanced solid tumor cancers as a standalone service. The company said it’s also covered by all major insurers.

“Guardant360 is the leading liquid biopsy test for patients with advanced cancer, and this major upgrade through our Guardant Infinity smart liquid biopsy platform enables us to give oncologists a much more complete view of cancer,” said Helmy Eltoukhy, Guardant Health’s chairman and co-CEO. “Our updated test provides much broader gene panel coverage and analyzes both currently actionable and emerging biomarkers not available on any other liquid biopsy test. This upgrade will mark the beginning of a new chapter of tumor profiling that will be as profound as the original introduction of comprehensive profiling, informing cancer care teams about the optimal treatment strategy for their patients by giving them many more precision treatment options that can help improve their outcomes.”

Guardant360 tests have been used by over 15,000 oncologists and are widely accepted for blood-based comprehensive genomic profiling, with more than 500 peer-reviewed publications and over 500,000 tests performed to date.