Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), on Monday launched the world’s largest trial of a revolutionary new “quick and simple” blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear.

The Galleri test, pioneered by healthcare company GRAIL, checks for the earliest signs of cancer in the blood. The NHS-Galleri trial aims to recruit 140,000 volunteers in eight areas of England to see how well the test works in the NHS. “The Galleri test can not only detect a wide range of cancer types but can also predict where the cancer is in the body with a high degree of accuracy,” said Sir Harpal Kumar, the Indian-origin President of GRAIL Europe and one of the UK’s leading cancer researchers. “The test is particularly strong at detecting deadly cancers and has a very low rate of false positives. We’re delighted to partner with the NHS to support the NHS Long Term Plan for earlier cancer diagnosis,” he said.