2021 may mark the beginning of a new phase in treatment of depression. While genetic matching of depression therapies to patients has been touted for a decade, meta-analyses have not supported claims of improved response rates with studies often finding that any improvements seen likely came from switching patients to guideline-recommended therapies rather than any insight from genetics.
Color Health Inc. followed its rainbow to another pot of gold, collecting $100 million in a series E financing round led by Kindred Ventures and funds advised by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. Returning funding round participants also included General Catalyst, the company’s long-time lead investor, Viking Global Investors and Emerson Collective. With the latest cash infusion, the company’s total funds raised to date reached $378 million and its valuation of $4.6 billion propelled it into the top dozen health care unicorns. Founded in 2017 as Color Genomics, the Burlingame, Calif.-based company has raised more than two-thirds of its total funding this year with today’s series E following the close of a $167 million series D round in January.
Oncology genomic testing company Berry Oncology Corp.’s latest research results showed promising data for its Hifi platform-based technology, its CEO Jun Zhou said during the first International Biopharma Industry Week held in Shanghai. With the Hifi liquid biopsy test, users can receive early screening of six cancers, including liver cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, and pancreatic cancer, with an overall sensitivity of 87.6%, specificity of 99.1%, and overall tissue of origin precision in 82% of positive cancers.
Precision medicine company My Next Health Inc. (MNH) has guaranteed a $150 million equity capital commitment from Global Emerging Market (GEM), a $3.4 billion Luxembourg-based private investment group. MNH was formed in May 2020 due to a merger between functional genomics company The DNA Company and digital therapeutics platform My Pain Sensei. The New York-based company is developing genomics-based health management applications that offer patients personalized genetic insights.
Berry Oncology Corp. raised $99.15 million in a series B1 financing round to expand in the early cancer screening industry as it is seeing a growing demand in the sector. This brings the total capital raised to what it says is “the highest level in China’s early cancer screening industry.” The round was led by China Merchants Capital Management Co. Ltd., along with existing investors Qiming Venture Partners and Legend Capital.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health had its hands full with the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program as the COVID-19 pandemic unwound, but the agency’s other work on diagnostics is bearing fruit. NIH said Aug. 31 that its collaboration with an academic research institute has led to development of a test that predicts which patients suffering from neurofibromatosis will develop cancers with metastatic potential.
Genome Medical Holding Co. put its competitors on notice with two big moves designed to position the company as a leader in genetic testing and virtual genomic care. The company acquired Genematters LLC, a provider of telegenetics counseling, and closed a $60 million series C fundraising round. Together, the moves stand to significantly expand Genome Medical’s digital infrastructure and clinical expertise in genetics services.
PERTH, Australia – Bioinformatic and cell technology company Genieus Genomics Ltd. is using the power of the human genome to build a platform for neurodegenerative diseases to develop diagnostic tests for personalized medicines.
10x Genomics Inc. launched its latest platform for single-cell analysis, the Chromium X Series, to cost-effectively "enable massively large-scale experiments," according to the company. The system cuts the cost of single-cell analysis 83%, from 12 cents to 2 cents per cell, a significant step toward reducing the costs low enough to make genomic sequencing widely available.
GE Healthcare and Sophia Genetics SA partnered to develop new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analytics and workflow solutions to improve patient matching with cancer therapies.