For over a decade, Veracyte has advanced the science of thyroid nodule molecular diagnostics and has helped approximately 400,000 patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules avoid unnecessary surgery or experience more personalized treatment. The next step in thyroid molecular genomic analysis is to further personalize treatment for patients with molecularly suspicious nodules, which requires going beyond the presence or absence of molecular alterations, and generating robust research data that identifies and validates novel prognostic markers and signatures can help develop this personalized treatment.
Due to Afirma’s transcriptome-wide RNA sequencing platform, each FNA sample submitted to Veracyte has 21,000 genes and 425,000 probes examined across the transcriptome.1 This generates a tremendous amount of data on every nodule tested and creates the potential for novel research that may one day improve thyroid nodule management.
Afirma GRID
To facilitate this novel research, Veracyte established the Afirma GRID (Genomic Resource for Intelligent Discovery) research tool in 2023, a proprietary research-use-only database designed to support researchers and clinicians in uncovering new insights into thyroid nodule and thyroid cancer biology.
Over the past two years, the GRID research tool has contributed to a growing number of abstracts presented in collaboration with notable institutions from around the world. In 2025, there were several independent abstracts presented at annual meetings throughout the year and a significant increase in the number of abstracts made possible with the Afirma GRID tool, such as:
- Utility of Genomics Resource for Intelligent Discovery (GRID) Molecular Profiling to Predict Aggressive Pathologic Features in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer, an independent podium presentation from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation that received the Barabara Kinder Award for Best Paper at the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES) annual meeting
- Development of Novel mRNA Classifiers to Stratify Preoperative Thyroid Tumor Risk, a scientific oral presentation in collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis that received the “best of” designation at the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNSF) annual meeting
- Preoperative Thyroid Nodule mRNA Expression Signatures to Predict Postoperative Thyroid Histopathology, a collaboration with Tufts Medical Center that received the Outstanding Trainee Poster Award at the American Thyroid Association (ATA) annual meeting
As well as Validation of Molecular Profiling to Preoperatively Predict Aggressive Pathologic Features in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer by Bauzon et al., 2025, published in the journal Surgery by Cleveland Clinic, which evaluated the ability of GRID signatures to preoperatively differentiate high-risk tumors, and Cytologic and Molecular Assessment of Isthmus Thyroid Nodules and Carcinomas by Jasim et al., 2024, published in the journal Thyroid by Washington University in St. Louis, which assessed the molecular differences of isthmic differentiated cancer versus lobar differentiated cancer. This momentum has continued into 2026, with three independent Afirma GRID abstracts presented at the recent AAES Annual Meeting in April.
Expansion of GRID
Since the GRID tool’s launch, Veracyte has had the ability to add signatures and genomic data to its database. Now, Veracyte is expanding the Afirma GRID tool from the 36 data points initially available to now 50 total data points in an effort to accelerate scientific discoveries in thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
This includes the addition of five new thyroid-specific signatures to the Afirma GRID Research Use Only (RUO) report:
- Cancer Associated Fibroblast (CAF) signature
- Extracellular-Signal Related Kinase (ERK) signature
- Follicular Mesenchymal Transition (FMT) signature
- Thyroid Differentiation Score (TDS)
- BRAF-like RAS-like Score (BRS)
This data can be accessed in two settings: checking a box on the test requisition form (TRF) with patient consent provides access to the RUO report and its nine signatures, while the entire Afirma GRID database of 50 data points can be obtained by completing the research and data sharing paperwork provided by Veracyte and by obtaining an approved IRB protocol.
Participating institutions may be able to leverage the GRID tool to create compelling and novel research and expanding the GRID resource may empower researchers to further advance the understanding of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.
If you’re interested in conducting research of your own or would like to learn more about the GRID research tool, speak with your local Veracyte representative or complete the form at the following link to schedule a meeting with a member of the Veracyte medical affairs team: Contact Us