Guardant Health Secures $100 Million Series D Funding to Advance Blood-Based Cancer Genomic Testing Platform Guardant360

U.S. startup Guardant Health has officially confirmed the completion of its Series D financing round, raising approximately $100 million. The round was led by OrbiMed, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Sequoia Capital. This latest round brings the company’s total funding to $200 million.

Guardant intends to invest these funds in the development of its tumor sequencing assay technology, Guardant360, which analyzes cancer gene sequences using blood samples rather than tissue biopsies.

As is well known, biopsies are extremely expensive and risky. Many cancer patients undergo only one or two biopsies during an entire course of treatment, typically when clinically indicated for therapeutic decision-making. This limitation makes it difficult for oncologists to understand how an individual patient’s tumor evolves over time and to tailor treatment accordingly.

“For patients with advanced cancer, avoiding unnecessary and painful surgeries is a welcome development,” said AmirAli Talasaz, CEO of Guardant Health.

According to VCBeat, Guardant has built this technology on decades of biomedical research. Researchers discovered in the 1990s that the blood of cancer patients carries gene fragments from dying cancer cells. However, isolating these low-concentration cancer gene fragments has posed a significant challenge for researchers.

In recent years, with the development of high-resolution camera technology, research laboratories and companies have made significant progress in studying genetic fragments of cancer cells. Guardant was the first company to introduce this technology, which is also referred to by hospitals as "liquid biopsy." The company states that Guardant360 has currently been used by more than 20,000 cancer patients.

However, experts emphasize that “liquid biopsy” is still in its early stages. “It remains to be seen whether the genomic profiles detected in blood reflect those identified in tissue biopsies,” noted Jonathan Hirsch, founder of the cancer genomics company Syapse. “Nevertheless, blood tests may also detect genetic alterations not captured by tissue biopsies, thereby pointing to new therapeutic approaches.”

Although this technology is still in the exploratory stage, scientists remain highly optimistic about “liquid biopsy.” “This technology will truly become remarkable in the future,” said Hirsch. “It is only a matter of time.”