Karius, Inc., a Redwood City, CA-based leader in genomic diagnostics for infectious disease, raised $100m in Series C funding.
The round was co-led by Khosla Ventures and new investors 5AM Ventures and Gilde Healthcare. Also investing was new investor Seventure Partners, and existing investors Softbank Vision Fund 2, General Catalyst, HBM Healthcare Investments, Blue Water Life Sciences, Innovation Endeavors, Waycross Ventures, and others.
The company intends to use the funds to extend its reach beyond the 400 U.S. hospitals currently using the Karius Test®, an infectious disease diagnostic test that utilizes genomic analysis and artificial intelligence to detect over 1,000 pathogens from a single blood sample, to address demand from healthcare providers to expand access to the Karius Test beyond the hospital setting, and support research into the broader health implications of its microbial cell-free DNA technology beyond infectious diseases.
Led by Alec Ford, CEO, Karius is a global leader in liquid biopsy for infectious diseases, which leverages metagenomics, sequencing, and artificial intelligence (AI) to help enhance the precision and speed of pathogen diagnosis. The Karius Test®, used in over 400 healthcare institutions–including 90+ transplant centers and 40+ children’s hospitals across the United States–identifies more than 1,000 pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites from a single blood draw typically within a day of sample receipt.
Karius also announced the appointment of three new board members joining recent additions, Dr. Norman Sharpless M.D., former National Cancer Institute Head, and Elizabeth O’Farrell, former Eli Lilly executive:
- Alex Morgan, M.D., Ph.D., Partner at Khosla Ventures
- Joep Muijrers, Ph.D., General Partner at Gilde Healthcare
- Andrew Booth, Venture Advisor to 5AM Ventures, and CFO of AbCellera Biologics
FinSMEs
02/05/2024