NEW HAVEN — Genomics startup MiraDx Inc. has attracted $4 million in public and private investment as part of a Series A financing round. That sum includes $1 million from Connecticut Innovations Inc. (CII), the state’s quasi-public technology investment arm. The remainder was raised from individual investors.
MiraDx is applying microRNA (miRNA) discoveries licensed from Yale University to develop gene-based laboratory tests that will provide individualized information on the likelihood of disease occurrence and response to certain types of therapy. MiRNAs are small genetic regulators that control cell development, cell cycle, cell differentiation and cell death; they have also been linked to certain cancers and other disease states.
Based at 300 George Street, MiraDx’s state mission is to provide information that can help clinicians better understand cancer, leading to earlier diagnoses, better management and ultimately to higher cure rates. MiraDx has established its own CLIA-certified lab and will conduct diagnostic testing on behalf of its clients, which will include physicians, hospitals and medical centers.
Initially, the company will launch the PreOvar test, a test that will screen a woman for the KRAS-variant, a genetic marker associated with ovarian cancer risk. Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S.
“There is a real need for tools that can help women who have a family history of ovarian cancer to better understand their risk,” said Stephen Miller, president of MiraDx. “We are pleased to launch the PreOvar test, which can now be ordered by gynecologic oncologists and other clinicians.”
MiraDx’s founders are pioneers in the field of miRNAs: Frank J. Slack, a professor in Yale’s Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; and Joanne B. Weidhaas, MD, associate professor in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale, chief of the Breast Cancer Radiation Service at Yale Cancer Center, and section chief of Breast Cancer at the Yale Cancer Center.
Dave Wurzer, CII’s managing director of investments, will represent CII on MiraDx’s board of directors.
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