Devices & Diagnostics, BioPharma

Opsonix raises $8M for device that filters pathogens from blood

Opsonix, a Cambridge spinout based on technology from Harvard University, just raised $8 million in a Series A for its device that filters a variety of pathogens from the bloodstream - preventing diseases like sepsis from becoming full-blown.

Cambridge startup Opsonix just announced an $8 million Series A for its device that can siphon infectious pathogens and toxins from circulating in the blood. The company’s approach could potentially help treat a range of blood-borne infectious disease, it says, such as sepsis.

The new round was led by Baxter Ventures, as well as private investor – and noted philanthropist – Hansjörg Wyss.

Opsonix has developed a set of proprietary recombinant proteins that it says latches on to a variety of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses and toxins. Working in a similar manner as dialysis, it’s meant to work in tandem with antibiotic treatments.

Notably, the device is agnostic – in that it can work before a diagnosis has been made, and the underlying pathogen causing the disease has been discovered. It’s in the midst of preclinical work on the device, and hasn’t said when it projects to enter human studies.

The company’s so-named because Opsonix’s proteins are engineered versions of human blood opsonins, it said – which are immune system molecules that help clear pathogens and toxins.

The work comes from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

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