RE: Tasso Product video - Dental health13 Sep 2022 17:27
Goodbody Health’s Howells cheers ‘new era’ as cancer testing increasingly catches disease earlier.
Goodbody Health Ltd - Goodbody Health’s Howells cheers ‘new era’ as cancer testing increasingly catches disease earlier
Goodbody Health Ltd (AQSE:GDBY, OTCQB:GDBYF) chief executive Marc Howells has cheered a new era in which blood testing is increasingly detecting the presence of cancer cells early, allowing earlier diagnosis that can help save lives.
The UK-listed health, wellness and diagnostics firm is presently working to expand its businesses after a period in which COVID testing had dominated its operational attention and revenues during the pandemic years.
Goodbody in June announced to investors plans to launch new genetic tests to help people understand their risk of cancer and heart disease.
These testing products, known as polygenetic tests, are being delivered in conjunction with Goodbody’s partner Everything Genetic, and, add to the company’s portfolio of wellness tests that help customers “know more, live better”.
“We support the continual progression of blood testing, and a great example is shown with our hereditary cancer genetic tests which check your risk of developing the same cancer as your parents,” Howells said.
Howells comments come in the wake of a key breakthrough for what’s described as a potential game-changing blood test, known as the Galleri test, which looks for cancer DNA in the blood and has now been validated by a study of 6,600 adults aged over 50. According to reports, the study detected dozens of new cancer cases before the subjects had shown any symptoms of the disease.
It was the first result assessing the effectiveness of the Galleri test, before a much larger NHS study involving some 165,000 people report results in 2023.
Howell described the breakthrough of the Galleri test, developed by California health tech firm GRAIL, as “a great stop forward”.
“We are in a new era where blood tests are increasingly helping people identify multiple cancer types before they have developed symptoms with the hope that early detection can save more lives,” Howells said.
Goodbody Health in June told investors that its plan to roll-out genetic cancer testing services aims to help focus on prevention and early detection, whilst helping alleviate the pressures on the NHS in line with the NHS long term plan.
It highlighted, at that time, Cancer Research UK data which says that 38% of cancer cases are preventable and that 50% of people will survive cancer for 10 or more years.
Goodbody’s initially made available 4 tests, which test saliva samples and can provide results within around 4 weeks.
They comprise a ‘female polygenic risk score genetic cancer test’, a ‘male polygenic risk score genetic cancer test’, a ‘polygenic risk score test + full gene cancer genetic test.
Sign In
Follow the stocks
