Prana Thoracic
2450 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 77021, United States
Overview
Prana Thoracic develops the Prana System, an image-guided, minimally invasive platform designed to enable precision surgical solutions that conserve healthy tissue and support personalized treatment plans for lung cancer. The company targets earlier interventions for patients and says the system can be applied across a range of conditions including lung cancer. Prana is also exploring use of the technology in other soft tissues and investigating integration with ablation and robotic systems. Its team includes surgeons, engineers, and entrepreneurs and is led by CEO and co-founder Joanna Nathan. Financially, the company has raised $9 million to date—an initial $3M, a $3M non-dilutive grant, and a $3M Series A extension that was oversubscribed by 30%. The new funding will be used to accelerate product development and advance clinical and regulatory plans. Prana Thoracic is developing the ThoraCore System, a minimally invasive, lung-sparing tool designed to target hard-to-reach pulmonary nodules and enable definitive diagnosis earlier in the lung cancer care pathway. The company’s technology was developed on the Texas Medical Center campus in collaboration with Precision Thoracic Corporation and inventor Edward M. Boyle, MD. Prana is led by CEO and co-founder Joanna Nathan. The company announced the closing of a $3.0 million founding Series A financing and previously received a $3.0 million award from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas. Proceeds from the Series A and the CPRIT award will be used for product development and to support first-in-human clinical studies. Prana positions the ThoraCore System to improve diagnostic access for patients with challenging lung nodules and accelerate earlier intervention. Prana Thoracic is developing a minimally invasive, tissue-sparing lung tissue excision tool intended to provide definitive diagnosis of suspicious pulmonary nodules earlier in the patient journey. The company says the device targets nodules that are challenging to sample, filling a gap between needle biopsy and open chest procedures. Prana Thoracic aims to commercialize the technology through first-in-human studies supported by the award. The company notes that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and that screening rates are low despite large eligible populations. Prana Thoracic partnered with the Johnson & Johnson MedTech Center for Device Innovation for design and early testing. Joanna Nathan is CEO and founder, and Dr. Edward Boyle is a founder and one of the inventors of the technology.
- Total raised
- $9M
- Funding rounds
- 3
- Latest round
- Series A
- Latest activity
- Aug 2024
Industries
- Health Care
- Medical
- Medical Device
Recent funding
Series A
Aug 2024
$3M
Series A
Mar 2023
$3M
Grant
Aug 2022
$3M