Molecular Detection Inc. raised $1.4 million in equity to develop a series of tests for infectious diseases.
The company says its Detect-Ready technology offers a quicker and more accurate means of diagnosing diseases. Its first product tests nasal samples for MRSA, a staph infection that’s become resistant to the antibiotics typically used to treat such infections.
The company has scored a couple wins in recent months, signing two deals with European distributors for its MRSA test. In October, it landed a (pdf) $3.3 million Series C round and hired a new CEO, Todd Wallach.
Molecular Detection characterized the $1.4 million fund-raise as “part of a follow-on” to the Series C round. The company is looking to bring the amount up to $2.5 million, according to the regulatory document.
The company will use the new funding to develop new tests using its Detect-Ready technology, Wallach said.
Molecular Detection is also developing a test for C. difficile, a type of bacteria that can cause diarrhea and colon inflammation and another for MRSA in the blood.
The financing was led by Philadelphia-based MentorTech Ventures and included Robin Hood Ventures, Elm Spring Holdings and the Mid-AtlanticAngel Group Fund–all existing investors in Molecular Detection.
Founded in 2007, 18-employee Molecular Detection has raised at least $7 million to date, Wallach said.
Wallach hopes to have the MRSA test on the U.S. market sometime in the first half of 2011. A clinical trial at multiple sites is already underway, he said.
The nasal-swab MRSA test received European regulatory approval in the fourth quarter of last year. The test is available in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and Austria.
