Prenatal Screener Natera Grabs $55M, Considers most cancers take a look at
within the an increasing number of lively genetic testing area, Natera is making an attempt to guide the percent by way of harnessing its testing capabilities. And it has plenty of cash to take action, after announcing a $ 55.5 million spherical of funding led these days through Sofinnova Ventures and a bunch of crossover traders, including Capital analysis and administration, Franklin Templeton Investments, Jennison friends, RA Capital management, Healthcor partners, and OrbiMed Advisors.
Natera, which ultimate raised a $ fifty four.6 million spherical in could 2013, is using the cash each for analysis and to add to its marketing and gross sales reach international. That research is essential, because Natera’s priorities may lend a hand the corporate increase past its current take a look at, a screening for chromosomal abnormalities known as Panorama.
The San Carlos, CA-based company, based in 2004, says it wants to improve noninvasive, cell free DNA-based totally exams to detect and screen cancer in the mom. the opportunity of doing so turned into clearer after researchers reported a girl who used to be recognized with metastatic illness after a prenatal test in 2013.
These assessments use a mom’s blood, not an invasive needle, to check for chromosomal abnormalities together with Down Syndrome. Natera says its tests usually are not cleared or licensed with the aid of the FDA.
Sequenom (NASDAQ:SQNM), a San Diego-primarily based firm with a prenatal detection test of its own, stated 40 instances in which the genetic profile of the mummy who took its take a look at prompt she had cancer, which BuzzFeed news first mentioned in March. Of the 40 ladies, 26 cancer circumstances had been verified, BuzzFeed says.
Two different U.S.-based totally companies have prenatal checks of their own, including Ariosa Diagnostics, which had planned an initial public offering sooner than it used to be acquired by Roche in December. phrases weren’t disclosed for the buyout of the San Jose, CA-based totally firm, though it had planned to promote 3.5 million shares in the $ 16 to $ 18 range, for a possible market price of $ 323 million, as Xconomy mentioned in December.
whether a public offering is in Natera’s future is still to be considered, although the addition of any other late stage providing with significant crossover buyers gives cause to observe the business carefully. Natera can be the usage of the funding to work on its present products, including Panorama, and on medical trials.
“This investment is a big endorsement of our cloud-based totally bioinformatics and molecular technologies, and our deep R&D pipeline,” Matthew Rabinowitz, CEO of Natera, stated in a commentary.
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