CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--E25Bio, enabling faster and more accurate healthcare access through its rapid, point-of-care, diagnostic technology, today announced it has raised $2.3 million in seed funding. Led by The Engine, which was launched by MIT to invest in early-stage Tough Tech companies, the investment includes participation from Alumni Ventures Group and angel investor Alejandro Chavez.
While typical detection processes for dangerous mosquito-borne illnesses can take days at minimum, E25Bio has developed a rapid diagnostic test technology that can do so in minutes. The first product is a simple, over-the-counter test for patients appearing with fever. This fever panel is the first of its kind to be able to screen for active viruses and enables a more rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases in time to receive potentially life-saving treatment.
“Until now, no rapid diagnostic test has been able to simultaneously detect and differentiate dangerous infectious diseases from each other in their active state in enough time to enable clinical intervention,” said Jeff Takle, CEO of E25Bio. “There are outbreaks today in the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Brazil. All over the world, children and the elderly are at serious risk; we can help.”
Thriving in high humid conditions, Aedes mosquitoes are endemic in regions that are home to more than one third of the world’s population. Aedes-transmitted viruses, such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, are responsible for acute febrile illnesses that affect nearly 700 million people each year worldwide. In severe cases, complications can range from often fatal bleeding disorders to musculoskeletal and neurological syndromes.
“We share E25Bio’s mission to build a globally-impactful infection detection system that allows physicians, nurses and caregivers to restore patient health faster,” said Ann DeWitt, general partner at The Engine. “By being able to detect dangerous infectious diseases more rapidly, accurately, accessibly and affordably, E25Bio is transforming possibilities for health for hundreds of millions of people worldwide.”
E25Bio has completed clinical studies and has initiated regulatory submission in its first target geographies.
About E25Bio, Inc.
Founded in 2018 based on technology developed by Drs. Irene Bosch and Lee Gehrke and licensed from MIT, E25Bio is developing rapid diagnostic test technology for at-home-use that can detect dangerous infectious diseases — such as the acute febrile illnesses that affect more than 700 million people each year — in minutes instead of days. The first of its kind to be able to screen for active viruses, E25Bio’s technology enables a more rapid and accurate diagnosis of dangerous infectious diseases in time to receive potentially life-saving treatment. www.e25bio.com