Michigan-based startup HistoSonics raised $54 million in its Series C funding round to support the noninvasive Robotically Assisted Sonic Therapy (RAST) platform, an AI solution that combines advanced robotics and imaging to destroy unwanted tissue.
The idea behind RAST is to leverage new tech to reduce patient trauma and healthcare costs, according to the company. The platform produces individualized treatment plans and applies histotripsy and the mechanical properties of focused ultrasound to generate pressures strong enough to liquify and destroy targeted tissues at the subcellcular level.
Apart from its cost-saving benefits, HistoSonics said RAST allows treatment sites to recover and heal more quickly and provides physicians with the ability to monitor the destruction of tissue in real time, in a controlled environment. It also eliminates the need for incisions and needles.
The $54 million Series C round was led by Varian Medical Systems and included Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Lumira Ventures, Venture Investors, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board and existing investors. According to a release, robotics pioneer Fred Modd, MD, founder of Intuitive Surgical and former chairman and CEO of Auris Health, also participated in the round.
“We are very excited to be adding this group of experienced investment partners who share in our vision and mission,” HistoSonics President and CEO Mike Blue said in the release. “RAST will offer transformative change for both patients and physicians and will help overcome many of the major limitations and side effects of today’s cancer therapies. It has also shown great promise to work synergistically with other therapies and platforms, such as drug and immunotherapy, a big focus of our preclinical work, as well as with other surgical robotic platforms.
“We are confident that RAST will provide an entirely new experience for patients and physicians, as well as a more cost-effective alternative that better aligns with value-based healthcare initiatives.”
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.