Nanopath Raises $25 Million Series B for 15-Minute Vaginitis Test

Nanopath has raised $25 million in Series B financing to advance a 15-minute molecular test for vaginitis and prepare its point-of-care diagnostics platform for potential commercialization. The round includes $2 million in nondilutive grant funding. Norwest and SV Health Investors' MedTech Convergence Fund co-led the investment.

The Labcorp Venture Fund participated. Elderberry Ventures, GingerBread Capital, Alumni Ventures and other investors joined the round as well. The deal lifts Nanopath's total funding above $46 million.

Two new observers joined the board in connection with the financing: Catherine Kiani of Elderberry Ventures and Mindy Nye of Labcorp Diagnostics.

How does the technology work?

Nanopath built an optical biosensing platform that performs molecular detection without the nucleic acid amplification that traditional PCR tests require. That distinction is the core of the company's pitch. Nanopath believes the approach can deliver laboratory-quality results faster, at the clinical point of care, by cutting out the amplification step that makes standard PCR slow and equipment-heavy.

The practical payoff sits in the exam room. Delivering results during a single patient visit would let clinicians select treatment using molecular information. Today, providers often rely on symptoms alone, or send samples to a centralized laboratory and wait.

Jeff Crowe, Senior Managing Partner at Norwest, framed the bet in expansive terms. He said: "Nanopath is developing truly transformative technology with the potential to reshape the molecular diagnostics industry and dramatically improve patient outcomes."

Where will the money go?

The funding has three stated uses:

• Manufacturing scale-up for the platform.
• Initiation of an FDA 510(k) clinical study for the vaginitis assay.
• Expansion of the company's clinical and commercial teams ahead of a potential product launch.

Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer Alison Burklund, PhD, said the financing marks a turning point for the company. She said: "We've spent years developing and pressure-testing a fundamentally new approach to molecular diagnostics for patients who have been overlooked for far too long. This funding brings us closer to the next and most important step—translating that innovation into meaningful clinical impact."

Her fellow Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Amogha Tadimety, PhD, credited the team. She said: "We're incredibly proud of the extraordinary team we've built at Nanopath and our shared commitment to transforming women's healthcare."

What are the regulatory hurdles?

The vaginitis test remains under development. It has not been cleared or approved by the FDA. Commercial availability depends on successful development, clinical testing and regulatory review. The 510(k) pathway, if the study supports it, would let Nanopath demonstrate substantial equivalence to existing diagnostic devices rather than run the longer de novo or premarket approval routes.

What comes after vaginitis?

Nanopath intends to expand the platform into tests for urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections. The broader objective is twofold: make sophisticated molecular diagnostics more accessible, and improve diagnostic accuracy in areas of women's health that have historically received limited investment.

The Series B buys Nanopath the runway to clear the next regulatory gate. Whether the company reaches commercial launch now rests on the outcome of its 510(k) clinical study and the FDA's review of a test designed to move molecular diagnosis from the central lab to the point of care.

By Daniel Okafor