Key Proteo Raises $5 Million in Series A Financing to Advance Novel Immuno-SRM platform for Early Detection of Treatable Genetic Disorders
SEATTLE, WA – August 23, 2023 – Key Proteo, a pioneer in novel peptide screening for newborn babies to aid in the early detection of treatable genetic disorders, today announced it has closed a $5 million Series A financing round led by BRV Capital Management, Ignite Innovations and Mint Venture Partners. Proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate regulatory pathways for obtaining FDA clearance for the first four genetic disorders targeted on Key Proteo’s test menu, including Wilson’s disease, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, X-linked a-y-globulinemia and adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency.
The company’s novel Immuno-SRM platform and associated in vitro diagnostic test kits can perform targeted proteomic analysis of extremely low abundance peptide biomarkers from a few drops of blood. This proprietary technology expands the clinical utility of newborn screening programs through the early identification of treatable genetic conditions, enabling early intervention that can improve outcomes and quality of life for these patients. Clinical studies and validations conducted by Key Proteo have demonstrated the platform’s ability to identify previously undetectable genetic disorders in newborns with high accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency,
“By quantifying extremely low-abundance proteins, Key Proteo has the ability to identify previously undetectable genetic disorders via its first IVD test kit for newborn screening programs. Key Proteo brings novel diagnostic testing technology that is not commercially available for rare, treatable genetic diseases for newborns. We are excited to get these tests through the FDA approval process and launch them in early 2024,” said Mark Willig, newly appointed President and Chief Executive Officer.
Key Proteo is currently conducting a large-scale pilot study for validation. Data obtained from Key Proteo’s ongoing collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health’s newborn screening program have demonstrated promising performance for the Immuno-SRM platform identifying rare genetic disorders that may have otherwise gone undetected via current newborn screening methods.
Key Proteo presented the data as invited speakers at the Aarhus Wilson International meeting in Denmark in 2022 and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) annual conference in Tacoma, WA in 2022. Key Proteo will be presenting additional new data at the upcoming Society for Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (SSIEM) in Jerusalem, Israel in August 2023 and The Liver Meeting in Boston, MA in November 2023.
ABOUT KEY PROTEO
Key Proteo, a Seattle-based proteomic diagnostics company, is on a mission to expand newborn screening programs through the early identification of treatable genetic conditions, enabling early intervention that can improve outcomes and quality of life for these patients. Key Proteo’s patent-pending Immuno-SRM platform and associated diagnostic kits can perform targeted proteomic analysis of extremely low abundance peptide biomarkers from a few drops of blood. This proprietary technology expands the scope of detecting previously undetectable genetic disorders in newborns with high accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency, and has demonstrated faster turnaround times and lower costs when compared to next-generation sequencing (NGS).
CONTACT
Sean Sandin
Director, Business Development
(206) 339-7515
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