LightIntegra Secures $5.3M Series A Funding to Advance ThromboLUX Platelet Analyzer and Optimize Blood Inventory for Healthcare Institutions

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that on April 24 (local time), Canadian biotechnology company LightIntegra completed a $5.3 million Series A financing round. The funds from this round will be used to support the research and development of its platelet testing instrument, ThromboLUX, which helps ensure effective blood transfusions for cancer patients, improve treatment efficiency, and reduce medical costs for patients.

It is reported that this round of financing was led by Genome British Columbia and Boardwalk Ventures, with participation from Tower Beach Capital.

LightIntegra, a biotechnology company founded by CEO Bill Dubiel in 2009 and headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, has launched ThromboLUX, a rapid in vitro testing instrument designed to assess platelet activation status.

ThromboLUX is an optical instrument that operates similarly to a radar speed gun, measuring the velocity of observed particles. Researchers illuminate platelet samples with a laser, causing particles in suspension to move. As particle velocity and light frequency vary across different positions, researchers can calculate the particle size distribution within the platelets based on frequency shifts, thereby providing sample information to users. For platelets, a higher microparticle content indicates a greater degree of activation. LightIntegra helps healthcare institutions maintain effective blood reserves by analyzing platelet activity, with applications in oncology transfusion medicine.

Cancer patients often face the risk of blood loss during surgical treatment, making blood reserves indispensable. However, not all donated blood can be effectively utilized. Cancer patients require transfusions of high-activity blood that is compatible with their own to avoid rejection reactions. LightIntegra primarily assists medical teams in analyzing blood activity to better serve patients.

William Dubiel, President and CEO of LightIntegra, stated, “Blood centers may inform us that platelet transfusions are critically important in the treatment of cancer patients, but most people are unaware that the key to successful therapy lies in the activation status of the platelets. Through platelet activity analysis, we aim to help medical teams improve surgical efficiency, reduce healthcare costs for patients, and minimize the number of ineffective transfusions. We are grateful for the support from our new round of investors, as the company prepares to further expand its market scale and develop innovative medical products.”

Norm Francis, Partner at Boardwalk Ventures, stated, “We are highly enthusiastic about collaborating with LightIntegra to advance the research and development of ThromboLUX. Currently, there is a severe shortage of viable platelets. We aim to leverage this novel medical device to assist healthcare institutions and blood centers in managing and storing viable blood products, thereby alleviating the blood supply shortage.”

Genome British Columbia, established in 2000 and headquartered in British Columbia, Canada, is a non-profit research organization that focuses on investing in innovative enterprises in the medical technology sector. It has completed two investment rounds to date.

Boardwalk Ventures is a private equity firm focused on early-stage investments in biotech startups.

Tower Beach Capital is a newly established investment firm that has completed one investment to date.

(Compiled by Liu Yujing)