Proceeds to support commercialization of GenomicsNext™ - a first-of-its-kind liquid biopsy platform bringing fast, reliable gene expression quantitation to cell-free DNA blood samples to provide deeper insight beyond DNA mutations
DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#GeneCentric--GeneCentric Therapeutics, a company making precision medicine more precise through gene expression, today announced the initial closing of an $8.0 million Series C financing. The proceeds will be used to launch and commercialize GeneCentric’s GenomicsNext™, the first integrated platform for comprehensive liquid biopsy testing that simultaneously provides thousands of gene expression measurements and high-fidelity DNA variant detection from circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in one sample. This novel gene expression platform will accelerate the growth of GeneCentric’s pipeline of predictive response signatures for oncology therapeutics development.
The funding round was led by Hatteras Venture Partners, with current participation from existing investors IAG Capital Partners, Alexandria Venture Investments, and Labcorp. The financing is expected to provide a cash runway for GeneCentric through 2026.
“While we see many new liquid biopsy companies seeking funding, GeneCentric has the most compelling opportunity we have identified,” said Clay Thorp, General Partner, Hatteras Ventures Partners. “GenomicsNext has the potential to become the ‘decoder ring’ for translating a broad array of tissue-based biomarkers into liquid biopsy formats. This could transform how patients are identified and how disease and treatments are monitored.”
“With a single blood sample from a cancer patient, our GenomicsNext liquid biopsy platform can determine the gene expression of drug target genes, molecular subtypes, and predictive gene signatures, in addition to mutations and fusions,” said Mike Milburn, PhD, President and CEO of GeneCentric Therapeutics. “We believe our unique fragmentomics technology will become the best-in-class application for yielding greater insights and biomarker coverage from liquid biopsies to better aid diagnosis and treatment selection for patients. We are grateful for the enthusiasm and support of our investors and expect to make the GenomicsNext platform commercially available as a powerful research tool for biopharmaceutical companies in 2025.”
About GenomicsNext
While liquid biopsy enables the diagnosis or analysis of tumors using a blood or fluid sample rather than a tissue biopsy, it currently focuses on measuring mutations in genes and not their expression. This narrow focus limits its utility, because important measures including molecular subtypes and common biomarkers for targeted therapy, such as HER2 or antibody-drug conjugates, are not measured by most assays, potentially delaying diagnosis and administration of life-saving oncology therapeutics.
Building on over a decade of expertise with gene expression, GeneCentric developed ExpressCT™, a breakthrough technology that measures gene expression using information embedded in ctDNA, to provide a more complete liquid biopsy solution for precision oncology. The company will apply this technology through GenomicsNext, its integrated platform for comprehensive liquid biopsy testing. Once launched, the platform will simultaneously provide high-fidelity DNA variants and gene expression information.
“We’ve known that gene expression is a powerful diagnostic adjunct to traditional DNA alterations, but unlike tumor tissue profiling today, gene expression measurement is largely missing from liquid biopsy assays,” said Kirk Beebe, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of GeneCentric. “The GenomicsNext platform delivers a dramatic step change in the diagnostic utility of ctDNA-based liquid biopsies by ushering in this dimension.”
About GeneCentric
GeneCentric Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in gene expression biomarkers and next-generation companion diagnostic development, is based in Durham, North Carolina. The company has developed a deep pipeline of gene signatures and related diagnostic tests by parsing the complexity of tumor biology using their RNA-based Tumor and Immune Micro-Environment (rT(I)ME) Explorer platform and proprietary AI-based technology to identify responder populations to oncology therapeutics. Along with its ExpressCT™ technology, these signatures can be applied to liquid biopsy through its GenomicsNext™ platform. GeneCentric commercializes its technology through strategic collaborations with biopharmaceutical and diagnostics companies in applications throughout preclinical testing, clinical drug development, and commercialization lifecycle phases. For more information, visit www.genecentric.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Contacts
MEDIA CONTACT:
Robin Fastenau
Robin.Fastenau@GeneCentric.com
