SOPHiA GENETICS, a company which specialises in data-driven medicine, has raised $30 million with the help of London-based Balderton Capital to advance its cancer-diagnosing AI.
The company was founded in 2011 by academics from Stanford University and Switzerland. SOPHiA provides software to analyse genomic profiles and diagnose patients to over 330 hospitals in more than 50 countries.
“Since inception, our vision has been to develop innovative technological solutions to help patients, equally wherever they live,” says Dr. Jurgi Camblong, CEO and Co-Founder of SOPHiA GENETICS. “SOPHiA acts as a real disruptor by breaking down the information silos in healthcare, meaning that the information from a patient in London or Paris can, for instance, help better diagnose and treat a patient in Lagos or Rio.”
Using AI to diagnose cancer
Among its recent advancements is an expansion into ‘liquid biopsies’ which uses an AI-powered app to help diagnose cancer. This is achieved by analysing DNA and tumour cells in urine, blood, cerebral spinal fluid, and other liquid samples.
“SOPHiA GENETICS is a company at the forefront of two rapidly changing technologies: genomic medicine and artificial intelligence,” explains James Wise, Partner at Balderton Capital. “By giving every healthcare professional a standardized, straightforward and fast way to analyze these complex data sets is an essential step to unlock the potential of data-driven Medicine.”
With a number of hospitals already onboard, and more joining, SOPHiA claims to have built the largest clinical genomics community. This enables the hundreds of institutions in the network to safely and anonymously share their findings and knowledge while ensuring patient data privacy.
SOPHiA envisions a near-future where each medical interaction starts with a genomic test. Corroborating this data with other patients’ health records will allow for earlier and more accurate diagnosis of issues while providing efficient personalised medicine.
The company was recognised by MIT Technology Review in its ’50 Smartest Companies’ who ranked it 30th. Existing investors include British tech star Mike Lynch’s Invoke Capital, and Alychlo, the investment firm of Belgian pharmaceutical entrepreneur Marc Coucke.
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