Mind you, there are many different things that set human beings apart from the rest, but if we are being honest, none do the job quite like our ability to grow on a consistent basis. You see; when someone can find a way to become better under each and every situation, they, more often than not, end up hitting upon some huge milestones. This is proven by all what we have achieved so far, including a certain idea called technology. Technology’s emergence was always a bit anomalous, and it wasn’t just because of its ingenious skill-set. Instead, a whole lot was also predicated upon how the creation used those skills to impact an entire spectrum. Now, while the beneficiaries were too many, the one in our healthcare sector needs to be talked about more. Technology linked up with healthcare at a time when the sphere was notably struggling against an outright obsolete structure. By instilling new and smarter ideas, however, it was successful in shaking up that glum picture. In fact, even after realizing such a monumental feat, the linkup will continue to make the right strides and a recent funding does a lot to reinforce that pattern.
Persephone Biosciences, a preclinical biotech focused on microbiome-based medicines, has successfully secured $15 million in seed financing. Co-led by First Bight Ventures and Propel Bio Partners, the funding will look to aid Persephone’s bid at advancing its trial for oncology therapeutics. Apart from it, the company will also dedicate a chunk of the funds towards developing its over-the-counter medicines to better protect infants’ health. Since starting out in 2017, Persephone has been all about furthering the world’s knowledge pool on oncology, with one significant piece of effort coming last year when it launched Argonaut, the largest study looking at gut microbiome of cancer patients ever launched in the U.S. Going by the available details, almost half of Argonaut’s participants will come from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. It will analyze stool and blood samples from 4,000 cancer patients — 1,000 patients who have colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, triple negative breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer. As for how the study will contribute to the grand scheme of things, it will use the collected data to develop microbiome medicines and identify cancer-specific biomarkers for informing therapeutic decisions.
“This financing is a significant milestone for Persephone and the culmination of years of thoughtful engagement with forward-thinking investors and individuals who are committed to the vast potential of our platform and technology,” said Stephanie Culler, CEO and Co-founder of Persephone Biosciences. “We plan to deploy this capital to further expand our research and clinical programs across a range of therapeutic areas, as well as pursue new collaborations. With our Argonaut study ramping up, it is an exciting time for us.”
