Company attributes
Other attributes
Molecular Stethoscope is a molecular diagnostics company developing novel blood-based early detection and disease monitoring tests intended to obtain genetic information. The company's disease monitoring tests analyze circulating cell-free messenger RNA (cf-mRNA) in blood samples to monitor organ damage, providing early detection of hard-to-detect diseases.
mRNA is responsible for directing protein synthesis within the body. Most mRNA is located within cells, cf-mRNA refers to the small amounts found circulating in the bloodstream. The cf-mRNA found in blood reflects baseline organ function and differs for patients with active disease. Molecular Stethoscope believe this largely unexploited biomarker has great potential for:
- Early disease detection - eliminating the need for invasive diagnostic procedures and guide early interventions.
- Monitor specific drug pathways - facilitate personalized therapies.
This "liquid biopsy" approach is significantly less invasive compared to tissue biopsies and allows repeat assessment of a patient’s disease state over time.
Molecular Stethoscope has developed new techniques for the isolation, quantification, identification, and separation of rare fragments of cf-mRNA. These techniques are combined with novel machine learning algorithms for processing and interpreting big data sets to enable the formation of the Molecular Stethoscope's proprietary database
Molecular Stethoscope is based in San Diego, California and was founded in 2015 by Stephen Quake and Eric Topol. Quake is a Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University and co-president at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, he developed the first non-invasive prenatal test for Down Syndrome and other aneuploidies. Topol is the Executive Vice President of the Scripps Research Institute and the Founder and Director of Scripps Translational Science Institute, La Jolla, California.
Molecular Stethoscope raised a total of $8.2M in Seed round funding completed in January 2017. Investors taking part in the round include Pfizer, Data Collective DCVC, and Index Ventures.
