NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Firefly BioWorks said in a document filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it has raised $775,000 toward a targeted amount of $1.5 million.
The names of the investors or how the funds would be used were not disclosed. A spokesperson for Cambridge, Mass.-based miRNA assay firm declined to comment.
Firefly's portfolio includes the multiplexed Firefly Cellular microRNA Assay, which allows up to 68 small RNA targets of interest to be analyzed simultaneously. The assay is based on hydrogel particles and can be completed in approximately four hours, according to Firefly's website.
In the fall, Firefly signed a deal with EMD Millipore, a division of Germany's Merck KGaA, for the global distribution of Firefly's SmartRNAplex miRNA profiling assay.
The firm also has been developing the Firefly Circulating microRNA Assay, which detects up to 68 miRNA targets per sample in a 96-well format. The assay combines particle-based multiplexing with single-step RT-PCR signal amplification using universal primers. According to Firefly, the assay will be launching this summer.