US-based cancer drug developer Epic Sciences closed a $30m series C round yesterday featuring investors including the corporate venturing arms of pharmaceutical companies Roche and Pfizer.
Roche Venture Fund and Pfizer Venture Investments were joined by venture capital firm Domain Associates, new investors RusnanoMedInvest and Arcus Ventures, as well as additional undisclosed private investors.
The funding will be used to support commercialisation of Epic’s cell analysis platform and the development of products based around its technology to detect circulating tumour cells (CTC) in cancer patients.
Murali Prahalad, CEO of Epic Sciences, said: “With our partners, we have shown that Epic’s CTC technology is sensitive, specific, and clinically relevant. We believe diagnostic tests developed with Epic technology will provide essential, real-time information to support a comprehensive view of a patient’s cancer for better therapy matching and drug resistance monitoring.”
Epic previously secured $13m from Roche, Pfizer and Domain in a 2012 series B round.