Natera, a diagnostics company most known for its prenatal testing segment, just raised $55.5 million to expand its salesforce and marketing reach, and invest in R&D that pivots toward the field of precision medicine. The dollars will go toward expanding its global sales and marketing force, as well as expanding its R&D for existing tests and new products.
The Bay Area startup’s current focus is on DNA-based screening of inherited conditions like cystic fibrosis, prenatal testing for Down Syndrome, and preimplantation genetic testing for IVF. One focus of the funding will be to expand research test into developing noninvasive, cell-free DNA-based tests meant to detect cancer early and aid with therapeutic monitoring.
The round was led by Sofinnova Ventures; other investors include Capital Research and Management, Franklin Templeton Investments, Jennison Associates, RA Capital Management, Healthcor Partners and OrbiMed Advisors.
“This investment is a significant endorsement of our cloud-based bioinformatics and molecular technologies, and our deep R&D pipeline,” Natera CEO Matthew Rabinowitz said in a statement. “We are proud to continue working with the leading healthcare and life sciences investors in the world, including Sofinnova, and together to pursue our vision of delivering accurate and timely genetic information to patients and physicians worldwide.”
