52North receives 6 million US dollars

With new funding, 52North develops solutions to support cancer patients outside of hospital

Cambridge, UK, December 3, 2024 - Med startup 52North has closed a $6 million funding round. The round was led by KHP Ventures (London) and Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Co. (Los Angeles). In addition to these two main investors, OKG Capital, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Cancer Research Horizons, Macmillan Cancer Support and selected business angels participated.

This round brings the total funding of the company, which has links to the University of Cambridge, to USD 10 million. An additional grant of 1.5 million US dollars comes from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in the UK.

Focus on innovative solutions for oncology

52North develops products to improve acute oncology care. At its heart is the Neutrocheck®, a point-of-care medical device that enables cancer patients to monitor their risk of neutropenic sepsis outside of hospital. This potentially life-threatening complication often occurs in chemotherapy patients.

The company also plans to further develop its ACORN™ platform, which uses AI to facilitate data-based decisions in acute cancer care. The funding round will also be used to further develop the company's proprietary Aster™ platform, which aims to provide cost-effective cell measurements.

International collaboration between UK and US investors

The funding round represents the first collaboration between leading hospital VCs from the UK and the US. This underlines the growing focus on cross-border partnerships to drive innovation in the healthcare sector.

Working with Cedars-Sinai enables us to support companies that have the potential to improve healthcare globally

Tim Irish, Chair of KHP Ventures

Nirdesh Gupta, Managing Partner at Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Co., also emphasized the importance of this partnership: "52North's technologies have the potential to make patient care more efficient and safer."

Support from other partners

In addition to the main investors, well-known institutions such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research Horizons have also become involved. These partnerships will help drive the development and launch of products such as Neutrocheck®.

Neutrocheck® addresses an important clinical problem and provides a solution that supports both patients and the healthcare system

Tanya Humphreys, Head of Impact Investments at Macmillan

Expanding the product range and market presence

The startup plans to use the new funds to scale its technologies, expand strategic partnerships and improve its product pipeline. "We want to facilitate access to advanced technologies in oncology worldwide," said Umaima Ahmad, CEO of 52North. The company's products are currently in development and not yet approved for sale. 52North will continue to work closely with industry and research partners to bring its solutions to market.