Pleasanton, CA's Spirometrix raised $8.6 million in funding for a sensor to detect and treat asthma and COPD, in a round led by Japan's NGK Spark Plugs, which gave $5 million.
That pushes the company's total haul to $12 million, MobiHealthNews reports.
One minute after the user breathes into the clinical-stage device for 10 seconds, it returns results based on the measurement of nitric oxide in the user's exhalation. The device's sensor can pick up as little as 5 parts of nitric oxide per billion, according to MobiHealthNews.
For NGK, the funding marks a move toward entering the med tech world.
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| Spirometrix CEO J. Dean Zikria |
"We are excited to have NGK as an investor, strategic partner, and member of our board of directors, given NGK's commitment to high-quality sensor design and manufacturing," Spirometrix CEO J. Dean Zikria said in a statement, according to MobiHealthNews. "This is a significant step in our strategy of creating a unique offering in the asthma space that includes sensors as well as a digital ecosystem allowing for insights leading to better clinical decision support."
Zikria was formerly employed by industry bigwigs like Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) and Pfizer ($PFE).
Other startups interested in respiratory devices, according to MobiHealthNews, are Poland's MySpiroo, Greece's Respi, and Mark Cuban-backed Breathometer. Unlike Spirometrix, their plans involve the use of a smartphone.
- read the article in MobiHealthNews