Karius, a startup developing liquid biopsy tests for infectious diseases, tested in ongoing clinical trials with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Duke Clinical Research Institute and more, closed a $165 million Series B funding on Feb. 24.
The new round of financing will be used to "help more patients faster, fuel the next wave of clinical studies and accelerate technology innovation," Karius CEO Mickey Kertesz said in a news release, adding, "We are humbled to be part of the team that delivered the first clinical applications of microbial cell-free DNA and are excited about what's ahead for Karius."
The startup's artificial intelligence- and genomics-powered Karius Test is currently used in more than 100 U.S. hospitals and health systems, according to the release. The test claims to identify and measure more than 1,000 bacteria, fungi, DNA viruses, parasites and other infectious disease-causing pathogens from a single blood draw. Recent published research concluded that the test was able to detect these infections several days before symptoms appeared.
More articles on health IT:
Former Cerner, Allscripts exec joins patient monitoring startup
Novant Health launches virtual heart health campaign
ONC tackles barriers to electronic health data use in clinical research