A Swiss firm believed to be committed to developing solutions that simplify and streamline the foundations of medical research – startup Alithea Genomics has just secured a fresh fund that’s in the region of €972k. The latest fund was led by the Novalis Biotech Acceleration fund, which also includes the participation of Swiss-based private investors.
Looking at the subject space, it’s evident tech is in no doubt at the forefront in driving new progress and solutions that cuts across the whole spectrum of healthcare and medical development. Alithea is a fast-growing biotech firm in the field of RNA sequencing and transcriptomics analysis and is practically contributing to the medical development of the future.
Based in Lausanne, Alithea is believed to have developed a proprietary technology called Bulk RNA Barcoding and sequencing (BRB-seq), which enables the preparation of hundreds of RNA samples significantly for sequencing in a single tube.
The RNA sequencing actually examines the quantity and sequences of RNA in a biological sample by deploying next-generation sequencing (NGS). The subject data specifies which of the genes encoded in DNA are turned on or off, indicating to what extent, for instance, in a diseased cell or in response to a drug. However, it should be borne in mind that the traditional preparation of samples for RNA sequencing is on the high side and time-consuming due to large amount of reagents, including manual operations that are required.
Startup Alithea Genomics, which was founded in 2020 is currently making the RNA process more streamlined and efficient with its innovative tech approach. Equally, the BRB-seq technology decreases the cost and time associated with library preparation for RNA sequencing. With this, it means that it has the potential to become an essential tool in already existing biomedical research sectors, including the new RNA-dependent application fields.
In view of this development, ‘Jan Van den Berghe’, co-founder and managing director of Novalis Biotech, and appointed board of directors made clear: “There is a significant need to run a large number of RNA sequencing experiments in an affordable and rapid manner that, up until now, has held back the applications of RNA sequencing”. Adding that: “Alithea’s BRB-seq based products have the potential to be adopted on a massive scale and expand into new and substantial sectors, such as drug screening and biobank functionalization. This capital boost and associated expertise of the new board members, combined with the progress already made by the founders, positions Alithea for great success in the near future”.
To enable effective RNA sequencing from blood samples, the company plans to deploy the new fund to scale up its new products – MERCURIUSTM BRB-seq and MERCURIUSTM Blood BRB-seq and expand the commercialization.
Equally, the CEO and co-founder of Alithea ‘Riccardo Dainese’, commented: “Following the successful initial launch of BRB-seq and associated kits, we are now ready to expand and scale-up commercialization. This seed financing will enable us to initiate and deliver on these ambitious plans. We are grateful to Novalis and our private investors, not only for their investment but also for the shared vision of a successful future for Alithea”.
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