Helixis, a newly formed molecular diagnostics firm based in Carlsbad, Calif., announced this week that it has raised $10 million in a Series A round of funding.
The firm was co-founded by Alex Dickinson, a former CEO of Luxtera who serves as Helixis’ CEO; David Baltimore, president emeritus and Robert Andrews Millikan professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology; and Axel Scherer, professor of electrical engineering, applied physics and physics at Caltech.
Helixis’ intellectual property portfolio is exclusively licensed from Caltech and comprises more than 40 patents and patent filings.
“We’ve developed a new generation of molecular diagnostic technology that radically reduces cost, size, and power requirements without compromising efficacy,” Dickinson said in a statement.
The firm did not provide specifics on its technology or how it offers these advantages over current molecular diagnostic technologies.
The funding was led by venture capitalists Jim Blair of Domain Associates and Sharon Stevenson of Okapi Venture Capital.