While traditional MRIs detect slow-changing effects of cancer therapy at the tissue level, which can take months to show up from the onset of treatment, 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.
Metabolic MRIs rely on polarisation, which is where NVision comes in. Based on a novel parahydrogen-induced polarisation (PHIP) technique, the NVision team uses quantum physics, chemistry, and engineering in its polariser.
$30M funding for MRI
The German-based developer of MRI polarisers and hyperpolarised imaging agents, has closed a $30 million Series A round, with an additional $19.5 million in funding from the German government. The round was led by Playground Global, which backed Farmwise and Owl Labs), with participation by return investors b-to-v and new participation from Pathena Investments, Entree Capital, Lauder Family, ES Kapital, and Sparkassenkapital Ulm. This brings the total funding raised by NVision Imaging to $35 million, not including government funds.
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 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.”
Cancer diagnosis and treatment made seamless
NVision was co-founded by a team of quantum physicists, engineers, and chemists, including Alex Retzker, Fedor Jelezko, Ilai Schwartz, Martin Plenio, and Sella Brosh in 2015 in Ulm, Germany. The company’s hyperpolarisation 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.
NVision’s quantum metabolic polarisers are currently planned for preclinical use in 2023. With a partnership already in place with Siemens Healthineers, a leading provider of MRI technology, the company 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.
