Lunaphore Technologies SA, a Swiss life-sciences company, developing innovative next-generation equipment for cancer research and tissue diagnostics, announces the first closing of its Series C funding, amounting to CHF 23 million (approx €21 million).
The round was led by the Japanese strategic investor PHC Holdings Corporation, a global healthcare company that owns Epredia. Existing investors, including Redalpine Venture Partners, OCCIDENT, and Alpana Ventures, have also participated in this financing round.
The company is planning to invest the funding in market and product expansion, including US market entry, the ramp-up of activities in Europe, and the development of next-generation instruments.
For the uninitiated, Lunaphore was founded in 2014 with the vision of bringing –omics like approaches to tissue analytics and has been recognized as one of the most innovative companies nationally and internationally.
Ata Tuna Ciftlik, Lunaphore’s CEO, said:
The interest of global players in healthcare, like PHCHD, demonstrates the relevance and added value of Lunaphore’s technology and confirms its high potential to transform the field of tissue analytics. We’re one step closer to fulfilling our vision of enabling highly sophisticated new-generation tissue analytics tests with our unique automation capabilities.
Michael Kloss, President, and CEO of PHCHD said:
This investment is a strong strategic fit for PHCHD, as we look to invest further in our diagnostics business. Lunaphore’s tissue staining products complement the portfolio we currently have in Epredia, and we believe there is a strong opportunity for growth in their business.
James Post, President of Epredia, said:
We believe that their technology has the potential to help revolutionize tissue analytics and greatly improve the workflow for pathologists and immuno-oncology researchers. We look forward to working together with Lunaphore to further develop their highly innovative solutions and bring them to the market to help further enhance cancer research and diagnostics.
Main image credits: Lunaphore
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