ULM, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NVision Imaging, a developer of MRI polarizers and hyperpolarized imaging agents, announced today that they have closed a $30M Series A round, with an additional $19.5M in funding from the German government. The company will use the funds to advance the development and deployment of the NVision Polarizer and usher in a new era of metabolic MRI capabilities and ultimately, adaptive cancer treatment. The round was led by Playground Global, with participation by return investors b-to-v and new participation from Pathena Investments, Entree Capital, Lauder Family, ES Kapital, and Sparkassenkapital Ulm, bringing their total funding to $35M, not including the government funds.
Traditional MRIs detect slow-changing effects of a cancer therapy at the tissue level, which can take months to show up from the onset of treatment. Conversely, metabolic MRIs are able to detect early changes of key metabolic pathways at the cellular level, which can show up within days from starting treatment. The challenge is that these metabolic MRIs rely on polarization, which enables the measurement of natural metabolites.
Unlike traditional polarizers that are slow, cumbersome to use, and complicated to operate in the MRI setting, NVision’s Polarizer is fast, robust, and easy-to-use. Based on a novel parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) technique, the NVision team is applying breakthroughs in quantum physics, chemistry, and engineering to revolutionize metabolic MRIs.
The ability to diagnose earlier, assess treatment response faster, and non-invasively understand tumor aggressiveness is the foundation for a new era of adaptive cancer treatment. Clinicians and patients will no longer have to spend months unsure about the efficacy of their cancer treatment plan.
“The impact that this technology will have on medicine is monumental,” said Dr. Sella Brosh, CEO of NVision. “With more accessibility to this kind of technology and giving doctors more time to choose the right therapy for treatment, we can significantly improve a patient’s chance of recovery while not subjecting them to toxic treatments that hurt more than they help. Certainty will become the cornerstone of a new, life-altering era of adaptive cancer treatment that gives patients and their loved ones peace of mind.”
With a partnership already in place with Siemens Healthineers, a leading provider of MRI technology, plans to deploy systems at over 50 of the world’s top cancer centers by 2025, and a signed collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering, NVision is poised for market disruption.
NVision’s quantum metabolic polarizers are currently planned for preclinical use in 2023, and will use the funding to deploy their technology for human care in the coming years.
NVision was founded by a team of leading quantum physicists, engineers, and chemists, and is located in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg.
To learn more their breakthrough technology, visit NVision at nvision-imaging.com
About NVision
NVision is a developer of MRI polarizers and hyperpolarized imaging agents.
The company’s hyperpolarization technology permits the assessment of human and animal metabolism by standard MRI, enabling advanced preclinical and clinical applications, including novel cancer diagnosis and monitoring of response to therapy.