Coherence Neuro, a startup developing brain implants to treat cancer, has secured $45 million in Series A funding co-led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and the OpenAI Startup Fund. The investment signals growing confidence in bioelectronic medicine as a novel approach to fighting cancer, particularly glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with few effective treatments. In a post, Coherence explained that the funds will enable its first chronic human trial of the implant for glioblastoma, a disease whose victims include Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John McCain.
The company's lead product, SOMA, is a button-sized implant that monitors electrical signals from cancerous cells and emits electrical signals to disrupt tumor development. It works with a removable wearable above the ear and an app that tracks symptoms and therapy history. Several consenting patients have had the device implanted during surgery to remove glioblastoma tumors, with initial tests focused on safety.
The funding will also support Coherence's pursuit of FDA breakthrough device designation and expansion into other conditions such as pancreatic cancer and other malignancies. If successful, the implant could change the grim prognosis for glioblastoma patients, offering a new way to arrest cancer development before it becomes advanced. The approach is based on research showing that tumors have unique electrical signals; by disrupting this activity, cancer growth could be halted.
Coherence's progress comes as other companies, such as CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP), are developing novel medications for brain cancers like glioblastoma, highlighting a broader push to find better treatments. The startup's multidisciplinary team of operators and builders will be expanded to achieve its objectives.
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