NEW YORK – Blood collection device manufacturer Boston Microfluidics said today that it has closed a $17.5 million Series A financing round to support its R&D initiatives and continue improving its existing product line.
Working with partners, the firm offers collection devices that can be used at home, "making it easier for people to gain access to tests so that they can proactively monitor their health," the firm's CEO Brandon Johnson said in a statement.
Venture capital firm Anzu Partners led the financing round with participation by Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings.
Trained personnel do most blood collection for medical testing with devices not intended for use by consumers. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Boston Microfluidics "simplifies this process and brings healthcare to the consumer for an expanding menu of tests that can be done on these self-collected specimens," Johnson said.
Using its device, consumers can prick a finger, place a few drops of blood into the device, close it, and then drop it in the mail to the lab. The approach requires about 5 percent of the volume of blood taken during a venipuncture, the firm said.
LabCorp markets Boston Microfluidics' flagship product, the Neotainer, through Pixel by LabCorp, a consumer-initiated wellness testing platform. Pixel by LabCorp also markets certain laboratory tests that consumers can purchase and collect at LabCorp's patient service centers.