IT and network technology producer NEC Corporation provided $50m of series A funding for US-based medical analytics software provider BostonGene Corporation yesterday.
Founded in 2015, BostonGene produces biomedical software for use with cancer patients. It forms a molecular profile of each patient using genome sequencing technology and calculates the nature of their cancer and state of their immune system.
Once an individual profile has been established, medical professionals can access an artificial intelligence-equipped database of cancer research and prescribe a specific form of treatment, focusing on targeted drugs and immunotherapies.
The funding will go to recruitment and technology development, as the company also looks to expand its collaboration efforts. NEC has not disclosed whether it will work with BostonGene on technology, but it does provide healthcare-focused communications and IT products.
Osamu Fujikawa, head of NEC’s business innovation unit, said: “As demonstrated by its remarkable growth and early widespread adoption, BostonGene is leading the precision medicine market in the innovation and development of a mission-critical computing platform.
“NEC and BostonGene share a common vision of the immense potential of an AI-driven approach to cancer immunotherapy. Leveraging the strengths of both companies we will be able to improve the survival rate and quality of life for cancer patients.”
