A Redwood City, Calif.-based life sciences company raised $50 million in Series A funding to improve its test for infectious disease diagnosis.
Karius uses machine learning, genomics algorithms and next-generation sequencing to detect more than 1,250 pathogens from a standard blood draw. The test, which costs $2,000, is meant for hard-to-diagnose, critically ill patients, reports CNBC.
Traditional methods of infectious disease testing can only detect a narrow range of pathogens and may require invasive biopsies, while Karius says its cell-free DNA method returns results within one business day.
With the Series A funding, Karius plans to support its clinical trials, scale its laboratory capacity and advance commercialization of its blood test.
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