NEW YORK (360Dx) – Confer Health announced today it has raised $9.5 million for the development of its home-based testing technology, which will be initially targeted at fertility testing.
Social Capital led the financing. Its Founder and CEO Chamath Palihapitiya has joined Confer's board, the Boston-based company said.
Confer is currently developing a small, easy-to-use device that allows the measurement of patient samples typically done in a hospital, such as blood, throat swabs, and urine, it said. The goal is to allow patients to perform at home various types of testing and receive clinical grade results in minutes.
The first product is a urine-based test for monitoring three hormones to help couples conceive. The device comprises a reusable analyzer, disposable cartridges that can test for biomarkers, and an app that displays test results and helps users interpret them.
The company said it is working with the US Food and Drug Administration to received clearance for the fertility product called Confer Conceive, which it plans to launch in 2019. Afterward, it anticipates launching disposable cartridges for detecting strep throat, using the same analyzer as for the conception test.
Further in the pipeline are Confer Diagnose tests for cold, flu, and other infectious diseases, and Confer Manage panels for diabetes and cardiac health.
Confer was founded in 2015 by researchers from Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Princeton. Â