Pangea Biomed Ltd. picked up $7 million in seed financing to fast-track development of its multicancer, multitherapy response predictor Enlight. The platform combines machine learning and RNA sequencing to map tumor molecular signatures and predict how different cancer types will respond to oncology drugs. Pangea said instead of using transcriptomic data, it is utilizing ‘unsupervised’ AI techniques that harvest information about gene interactions.
Software Machines and Adaptive Implants in Orthopedics (SMAIO) SA raised $10 million on the Paris Euronext Growth market. The offer price was set at $6.66 a share. “Thanks to this IPO, we will now be able to ramp commercial development of our I-Kontrol arthrodesis platform in Europe and secure a foothold in the United States,” Philippe Roussouly, CEO of SMAIO SA, told BioWorld.
Valuations in the med-tech space lately call into question the old medical adage: “If you hear hoofbeats, think horses.” These days, you would be wise to consider unicorns in the differential diagnosis. Two new companies achieved the formerly rare status just this week. Viz.ai Inc.’s closing today of a $100 million series D financing propelled it into the stratosphere with a $1.2 billion valuation, joining Bostongene LLC which completed its own $150 million round Wednesday.
Biopharma financings for the first quarter of 2022 are at a five-year low, with 65.8% less money and 53% fewer transactions than a year ago. The industry raised $13.1 billion through 249 financings, compared with $38.3 billion from 529 transactions in 2021.