NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – 23andMe today announced it has raised $115 million in a Series E financing round that will go toward expanding the company's operations and "maximize the potential of its direct-to-consumer product in the US and abroad."
Fidelity Management & Research led the financing and was joined by new investors Casdin Capital, WuXi Healthcare Ventures, and Xfund. Existing investors Illumina, New Enterprise Associates, MPM Capital, and Google Ventures also participated in the round.
23andMe said that it expects to launch a new user experience that will include carrier status reports in the US, along with enhanced tools and functionality for customers, by the end of the year. The financing will also be used for strategic infrastructure, such as new laboratory space for therapeutic research and a new next-generation sequencing laboratory, and other investments aimed at long-term growth.
"Our efforts to enable individuals to access, understand, and benefit from the human genome have achieved a level of scale that will enable us to further advance genetic research and drug discovery around the world," 23andMe President Andy Page said in a statement. "This round of funding will enable us to further our vision for long-term growth in our consumer and therapeutic businesses."
Earlier in the year, 23andMe received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market a test for Bloom syndrome directly to customers. The FDA had warned the company in 2013 to stop marketing health-related genetic test results directly to customers through its Personal Genome Service until it received the agency's regulatory clearance or approval.
The Mountain View, California-based personal genetics firm said in August that it had genotyped its 1 millionth customer. 23andMe previously raised $50 million in a Series D financing round in 2012, and this past July, the firm said that it had raised $79.1 million toward the Series E round.