GRAIL , a medical start - up that developed as an offshoot of genome engineering giant Illumina , has closed a series B funding round of $ 900 ##m . The company uses liquid biopsies and blood samples to develop early disease detection technology while using current Illumina technology . “This cadre of world-class investors is a testament to their shared belief in our goal to reduce global cancer mortality through early detection,” GRAIL executive Ken Drazan said. GRAIL had already raised $ 100 million and the start - up is still aiming for a total of at least $ 1bn , with reports of a $ 1.8bn target . The initial investment has come from several significant sources , including Arch Venture Partners and Johnson and Johnson , while Illumina has already announced plans to give the company more independence .
GRAIL , a medical start - up that developed as an offshoot of genome engineering giant Illumina , has closed a series B funding round of $ 900 ##m . The company uses liquid biopsies and blood samples to develop early disease detection technology while using current Illumina technology . GRAIL had already raised $ 100 million and the start - up is still aiming for a total of at least $ 1bn , with reports of a $ 1.8bn target . The initial investment has come from several significant sources , including Arch Venture Partners and Johnson and Johnson , while Illumina has already announced plans to give the company more independence .