CDx Diagnostics Secures Over $11 Million in New Funding to Expand WATS3D Platform for Esophageal Precancer Detection

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned from foreign media that U.S. biopharmaceutical company CDx Diagnostics recently completed a new funding round of over $11 million. The round involved six investors, with the specific closing date and names of the investors not disclosed.

CDx Diagnostics is a healthcare services company headquartered in New York, USA, dedicated to providing WATS3D, a precise diagnostic platform for the detection of esophageal precancerous cells. Currently, CDx Diagnostics is a global leader in enhancing the detection of precancerous cells to prevent esophageal cancer.

WATS3D is a diagnostic platform that integrates advanced sampling techniques with cutting-edge 3D imaging technology. Upon receipt of laboratory specimens, WATS3D performs staining and examination of the samples through a computerized image analysis system, leveraging intelligent analytics that combine computational imaging, artificial intelligence, molecular biology, and 3D cytopathology. The platform conducts multiple assessments of every cell in the specimen and rescans specific cells meeting predefined criteria at high resolution to generate detailed views, thereby flagging approximately 200 “most suspicious” cells for final evaluation by pathologists.

During the WATS3D testing process, painless sampling is employed for specimen collection. The company states that, unlike standard cytology instruments, their device can obtain comprehensive tissue samples, aiming to provide high-quality services to patients while enhancing the accuracy of diagnostic results.

Upon completion of this funding round, CDx Diagnostic will continue to use the proceeds to promote its WATS3D platform for the diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma precursor cells, with the aim of reducing cancer incidence.

Esophageal cancer is one of the fastest-growing cancers in the United States and one of the leading causes of the most rapid increase in cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Edmundowicz, President of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, stated, “Advances in endoscopy and specialized examinations can prevent cancer.” Gastroenterologists can detect these cellular changes and treat or remove them even when they are currently harmless, thereby preventing their progression to actual cancer.

CDx Diagnostics announced in September 2019 that ASDE had incorporated WATS3D into its Professional Standards Committee guidelines for the screening and monitoring of Barrett’s esophagus (BE), a known precursor condition to esophageal cancer.

(Compiled by Yang Xiaohui)