SAN DIEGO, Jan. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Molecular
Stethoscope, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel
blood-based early detection and disease monitoring tests, announced
today that it has completed an $8.2
million seed financing. Investors include DCVC (Data
Collective), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), Index Ventures, one of the
top five U.S. research universities, and several prominent
individual investors. The funding will enable Molecular Stethoscope
to continue development of its proprietary first-in-class liquid
biopsy tests for its initial applications in cardiometabolic and
neurodegenerative diseases and to accelerate discovery in
additional markets.
In addition, Molecular Stethoscope has signed a two-year
research collaboration agreement with Pfizer to develop a
blood-based assay that can help identify those subjects at critical
stages of disease progression in key cardiometabolic
conditions.
"We are delighted to close our financing with such top-tier
venture capital and corporate investors; it is truly a testament to
the transformational potential of this platform technology," said
Tina S. Nova, Ph.D., the Company's
President and CEO. "We have made significant progress over the past
year and have demonstrated proof-of-concept in several important
diagnostic areas. We look forward to working with Pfizer to further
demonstrate the value of our technology in helping to aid research,
particularly in areas of high unmet medical need."
Since being founded in 2015, Molecular Stethoscope has developed
proprietary technology that utilizes circulating cell-free RNA in
blood to monitor organ damage and disease. This unique
approach provides a real-time "snapshot" of organ health using RNA
to represent a patient's actual and immediate phenotype (physical
and biochemical characteristics), allowing for a more dynamic
assessment of healthy versus diseased states. The Company's
rapid, accurate and non-invasive tests could potentially
revolutionize diagnosis and drug development for a variety of
diseases that have thus far resisted management.
About Molecular Stethoscope, Inc.
Molecular Stethoscope is taking groundbreaking insights and
applying them to patient health. The Company has developed
technology originating in the laboratories of Dr. Stephen Quake, co-president of Chan
Zuckerberg Biohub and professor of Bioengineering and
Applied Physics at Stanford University,
and Dr. Eric Topol, Director,
Scripps Translational Science Institute, and professor of Genomics
at the Scripps Research Institute, that
will provide early detection and disease monitoring in critical and
often hard-to-detect areas. Molecular Stethoscope spans a
multibillion dollar market opportunity that can ultimately lower
healthcare costs by allowing earlier intervention in disease.
For more information, please visit
www.molecularstethoscope.com.
Media/Partnerships Contact:
info@molecularstethoscope.com
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SOURCE Molecular Stethoscope, Inc.