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SectionStar is a tissue sectioning and switch robotic designed to extend capability, reliability, and consistency. | Supply: Clarapath
Whereas robotics and automatic programs have been launched in healthcare settings as a strategy to alleviate workforce points and standardize practices, many of the progress has been geared toward surgical robots or bodily rehabilitation. Clarapath Inc. hopes to alter this.
Final week, the Hawthorne, N.Y.-based firm introduced that it has raised $36 million in Collection B-1 funding. Clarapath mentioned it goals to modernize and rework how pathology laboratories course of tissue. This newest spherical brings its whole funding to $75 million.
The corporate mentioned its SectionStar system combines robotics, synthetic intelligence, and automation to modernize how labs course of tissue samples. With the newest spherical of funding, Clarapath asserted that it’ll develop and deploy “a brand new class of healthcare robotics, machine imaginative and prescient, and digital automation instruments, elevating the usual of take care of hospitals and sufferers.”
Pathology can profit from automation
The self-discipline of pathology includes the microscopic examination of cells and tissue, Clarapath defined. This work underpins the analysis, prognosis, and remedy pathways of almost each illness sort, together with most cancers, autoimmune circumstances, degenerative ailments, and extra.
Greater than 12 million human and veterinary biopsies are carried out every year within the U.S., with thousands and thousands extra carried out for biopharmaceutical drug security. Laboratories face a multi-pronged disaster, together with extreme labor shortages; rising caseloads; and an antiquated, guide technique of getting ready tissue samples, in keeping with Clarapath.
“For too lengthy, pathology laboratories haven’t seen the extent of know-how innovation that different areas of drugs have seen,” mentioned Gregg Sossaman, M.D., chair of pathology and laboratory medication at investor Ochsner Well being and incoming president of the American Society for Medical Pathology. “Clarapath demonstrates the right combination of technical, robotic experience coupled with healthcare workflow expertise.”
Clarapath says SectionStar can enhance slide high quality, lower turnaround time, and cut back price. | Supply: Clarapath
Clarapath to commercialize SectionStar
Northwell Ventures led Clarapath’s Part B-1 spherical, which additionally included new strategic traders together with CU Healthcare Innovation Fund, Mayo Clinic, and Ochsner Ventures.
“Innovation is embedded in Northwell’s tradition and integral to the way in which we method funding in novel options which enhance affected person care and decrease price.” mentioned Wealthy Mulry, CEO of Northwell Holdings. “We recognized Clarapath seven years in the past as an organization with a daring imaginative and prescient to transform laboratory medication and are dedicated to continued help of their progressive journey which is able to rework medical diagnostics.”
With the brand new capital, Clarapath mentioned it plans to additional speed up the commercialization of SectionStar. It would additionally use the funds to increase its gross sales, companies, and precision manufacturing capabilities, in addition to to proceed analysis and growth.
“Our strategic traders share in our mission to considerably overhaul this important facet of affected person care that has lengthy been neglected,” said Eric Feinstein, CEO of Clarapath.
“As labs undertake digital pathology downstream, automation in prior steps is essential to ascertain constant outcomes and supply best-in-class samples for diagnostic evaluate,” he added. “Our automation and new digital instruments seize and mixture never-before-seen information, in the end benefiting sufferers with sooner outcomes and fewer subjectivity.”
