Sonire Therapeutics announced today that it raised $18 million in a Series A financing round to support its high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy system.
Santé Ventures led the financing round for the company, which was founded in Tokyo and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Fast Track Initiative (FTI), Nomura SPARX Investment and SBI Investment also participated alongside other Japanese investors.
The company expects to use proceeds to accelerate clinical development and support U.S. regulatory efforts for its HIFU technology. It already carries FDA breakthrough designation for the non-invasive cancer treatment. Next, it hopes to advance global commercialization efforts on the back of the financing.
Sonire Therapeutics’ HIFU system combines real-time guidance with patented technologies. Those include a noise-cancellation system, cavitation bubble visualization and a robot-assisted positioning platform. Other advanced capabilities include rapid multi-focus scanning to enable precise, effective thermal ablation of tumors.
The company says its system provides clear, real-time visualization of the treatment site, differing from conventional HIFU platforms. It also requires no anesthesia and can take place on an outpatient basis in approximately 20 minutes. The system also requires just one physician to administer treatment, lowering costs and hospital burden.
Other HIFU systems include the EDAP Focal One system that holds FDA clearance for treating prostate cancer. Another notable focused ultrasound technology developer is HistoSonics, which develops the Edison Histotripsy platform.
Tohru Satoh, Sonire Therapeutics president and CEO, said:
“We are grateful for the strong support from our investors, which validates the transformative potential of our sonic technology. This funding enables us to complete our landmark SUNRISE-I randomized controlled trial in Japan, which will be the world’s first of its kind for HIFU in pancreatic cancer, while preparing for U.S. clinical and regulatory milestones. Our goal is to deliver a new standard of care that gives patients more time and better quality of life, without the burdens of invasive procedures or anesthesia.”
