Diabetes: J&J and Seventure Partners launch investment
European venture capitalist Seventure Partners and Johnson & Johnson have invested US$12m in Israel-based DayTwo. Based on HbA1c, lifestyle factors and genetic analysis of the individual microbiome, the companys app analyses the individual microbiome to predict blood sugar responses to thousands of different foods.
Seventure Partners said it ran the investment through its Health for Life Capital investment vehicle, as part of a $12m series A fundraising.
DayTwo has exclusively licensed technology from Weizmann Institute to predict how a specific diet impacts the individual blood glucose level. After the companys app is fed with HbA1c results, lifestyle factors and sequence analyses of the individual microbiome, its machine-learning predictive algorithms provide personalised nutrition recommendations on a users smart device.
Seventure Partners announced its investment was made in syndication with Johnson & Johnson as well as historical investors. DayTwo wants to use the fresh capital to commercialise its product internationally beyond Israel and develop new products tailored for other user segments. According to DayTwo, currently, the app is marketed in Israel as a wellness product that targets highly-motivated consumers, giving them insight into how to manage the food choices that are best for them. The company is currently preparing the US market launch with the same purpose.
However, the companys ultimate goal is to additionally enter a higher-price market segment for its app: as a proven medical product that prevents or slows the development of diabetes. In February, DayTwo joined forces with J&J susidiary Janssen Biotech to develop personalised microbiome analysis for diabetes nutrition. The cooperation is designed to provide clinical data that will help DayTwo to submit the product for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and corresponding authorities in other countries.
According to Seventure Partners CEO Isabelle de Cremoux, DayTwo rounds out our microbiome portfolio. Current investments include French Enterome SA (microbiome modulator drugs, diagnostics and companion diagnostics), LNC (drug-probiotic and nutrition microbiome-modulator products), Maat Pharma (autologous microbiome transplant), TargEDys (bacteria for regulation of appetite) and Vedanta (drug-probiotic).
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