Debiopharm led the round, which also included existing investors as well as a private U.S. investor group.
Spinomix could be worth watching over time because of its technology pedigree and what it is trying to accomplish. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne spun off the company in November 2004, according to its website. And Spinomix's main platform--dubbed MagPhase--involves the use of magnetic nanoparticles for microfluidics to create a "lab-on-a-chip" that can both automate and miniaturize in vitro diagnostics technologies. Another technology, FibroTrap, is designed to also help improve the diagnostic process by separating targeted cells and molecules within sample collection tubes.
The company bills its tech as a "high-quality, low-cost" way to help prepare biological samples for diagnostic purposes, and also establish more cost-effective and more precise diagnostic tools for patients. Others, such as MIT, are researching the use of nanoparticles to help make cancer biomarkers more visible for diagnostics purposes. And the use of nanotech for diagnostic tools will certainly add to those efforts.
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