A company developing a cancer test that’s designed to be integrated into routine medical care is launching Thursday with the largest funding round for a venture licensing technology from Johns Hopkins.
Thrive Earlier Detection Corp., which was founded out of JHU’s Bert Vogelstein Laboratory, raised $110 million in a Series A round.
The company is commercializing a test called CancerSEEK, which was developed by noted cancer researchers and scientific cofounders Drs.Bert Vogelstein, Kenneth Kinzler and Nickolas Papadopoulos. The blood test takes measurements of a specific set of DNA and proteins to detect multiple types of cancer. The test would be part of routine screenings, allowing for earlier detection of cancer, according to the company. Over time, the company will also integrate data and machine learning to improve and expand the test.
“We envision a future where routine preventive care includes a blood test for cancer, just as patients are now routinely tested for early stages of heart disease,” Vogelstein said in a statement. “Such testing does not have to be a scary, expensive, or complicated process. We know that if cancer is caught early enough, it often can be cured.”
