Molecular diagnostics company GNA Biosolutions, Munich, will use a $13.5 million round of financing to secure CE marking of the company’s first point-of-care molecular diagnostic platform.
GNA’s next-generation pulse-controlled amplification (PCA) technology amplifies nucleic acids captured directly from complex samples such as nasal swabs, sputum, and whole blood within minutes. No additional sample preparation is needed, and the platform minimizes hands-on time.

“We are excited to work with the GNA team and look forward to supporting this stage of the company. Rapid molecular diagnostics are key to patient care across an increasingly broad range of therapeutic areas, particularly infectious diseases,” says Tom Miller, partner at GreyBird Ventures, the lead investor for the round. “We believe PCA technology will resolve many limitations of existing molecular diagnostics, enabling fast therapeutic decisions that improve patient care.” Miller will serve as chairman of GNA’s board of directors, effective immediately.

“This Series C funding will help us execute our regulatory strategy and bring PCA to the clinic,” says Federico Buersgens, cofounder and managing director of GNA Biosolutions, which plans to launch its POC platform first in the EU, followed by the United States. “We believe having this unique combination of European and US investors on board gives GNA an edge. We have assembled a great consortium, which will provide us not only with a tremendous depth of experience but also visibility and access to decisionmakers across our key launch markets.”

GNA’s PCA technology allows the development of cost-effective and simple-to-perform molecular diagnostic tests. The prototype platform has been used in more than 30 assays, including tests for hospital-acquired infections, tuberculosis, and biothreats such as Ebola virus. PCA technology has not been cleared or approved by European or US regulatory agencies and is currently available for research use only.

For more information, visit GNA Biosolutions.