Christine Cournoyer, N-of-One CEO
More than three years after the launch of its molecular diagnostics clinical decision support business, much has changed at N-of-One. The company has expanded its hospital customer base, from hospitals taking a leading role in precision medicine to larger health systems such as Intermountain Healthcare in Utah and Spectrum Health based in Michigan, in addition to its commercial lab customers.
It closed a $7 million series B round this week, which will be used towards a sales push in China and Europe. It will also be allocated to research and development across its business, said Christine Cournoyer, N-of-One CEO, in a phone interview. Additionally, she said the fundraise will also go towards improving access to and enrollment in clinical trials through the roll out of a patient navigation tool.
Cournoyer said the Lexington, Massachusetts company has raised $14 million to date. Some of the angel investors that backed N-of-One’s $7 million series A round returned for the series B, in which it secured institutional investment from Providence Ventures and Excel Venture Management. Cournoyer declined to name its angel investors.
N-of-One’s approach reminds me a little of Flatiron Health and Eviti, although Cournoyer sees the company a bit differently from those businesses.
Its molecular diagnostics clinical decision support platform has grown so that it can integrate clinical data from electronic medical records. Its diagnostic analytics software is used to interpret data for 700 types of cancer from a wide range of diagnostics, including liquid biopsies from companies such as Guardant Health.
“We provide the most relevant treatment options for pathologists and physicians, Cournoyer said. “We’re very much a clinical decision support tool.”
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
She added, “We don’t just provide information on genes and variants.
We are looking at a full molecular profile.”
In response to questions, Cournoyer also said the company is expanding its platform to more aggressively support clinical trial recruitment and participation. “We are increasing visibility for physicians on relevant clinical trials,” she said. “In our reports to physicians listing appropriate clinical trials, we can also support
patients.”
After physicians and patients review these clinical trial options, and the patients make their decision, the idea is for physicians to provide those patients with a contact at N-of-One to begin the pre-enrollment process.
“We will offer this broadly to oncologists,” Cournoyer said.”We think this will address a need most health systems struggle with.”
Although it has partnered with WuXi NextCODE and another business to support its expansion into China and the rise of precision medicine there, Cournoyer noted that cancer patients in China are keen to take part in U.S.-based clinical trials.
