Body Vision Secures $20 Million Series C Funding to Advance LungVision 2.0 for Lung Cancer Diagnosis

On September 29, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that medical device company Body Vision Medical (Body Vision) announced the completion of a $20 million Series C financing round. The investors in this round were not disclosed.

Body Vision will use the funds from this round of financing to advance the commercialization of its lung cancer diagnostic system, LungVision 2.0.

It is reported that Body Vision completed an $8.5 million financing round in September 2018 to explore other potential application areas for the first-generation LungVision system, which received FDA approval for market launch in April 2018.

LungVision 2.0 received FDA approval for market launch in May 2019. The system is equipped with the disposable LungVision Tool, a lung catheter navigation device that guides endobronchial therapeutic accessories into small pulmonary nodules via standard bronchoscopy, thereby facilitating the diagnosis of lung cancer. Building upon the first-generation LungVision system, LungVision 2.0 incorporates artificial intelligence-based tomography, fused imaging, machine learning, and multi-modal image acquisition and processing capabilities, thereby enhancing diagnostic accuracy.

Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the fastest growing incidence and mortality rates, posing the greatest threat to human health. Over the past 50 years, many countries have reported high incidence and mortality rates for lung cancer. Currently, the etiology of this disease remains not fully understood. In September 2019, researchers in the United Kingdom combined blood tests with computed tomography (CT) imaging to develop a novel detection technology that enables earlier and more accurate screening for lung cancer, thereby helping to improve patient prognosis.

Body Vision, established in 2014 and headquartered in New York, USA, is a medical device and software development company. The company is dedicated to researching technologies such as artificial intelligence, fusion imaging, and autonomous intracorporeal navigation, developing advanced lung cancer diagnostic systems to meet patients' clinical needs.

Body Vision announced that it will showcase its LungVision 2.0 system at the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Annual Meeting in New Orleans, USA, in October 2019. Additionally, the company will present updates on research progress regarding the system and lung cancer diagnostic technologies.

At the CHEST Annual Meeting, Dr. Krish Bhadra from CHI Memorial Hospital in Georgia, USA, will present the novel LungVision Tool, an AI-powered 3D navigation system designed to enhance the accuracy of bronchoscopy and expand the scope of pulmonary examinations. Dr. Joe Cicenia from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation will discuss diagnostic approaches for peripheral pulmonary nodules based on real-time imaging technology.

Dorian Averbuch, Founder and CEO of Body Vision, stated, “Advanced diagnostic equipment is crucial for the detection of pulmonary nodules and lesion confirmation. The LungVision series is equipped with precise tomography tools that accurately and efficiently assist pulmonologists in early lung cancer screening. We are committed to developing advanced diagnostic and therapeutic devices to reduce healthcare costs and improve clinical outcomes for patients.”

(Compiled by Xu Xiaoxue)