Grandson of Jonas Salk raises cash to find ‘genetic needles in the haystack’

Seattle gene-sequencing startup TwinStrand Biosciences raised $50 million in a Series B round, bringing its total funding to $70 million.

The company, which spun out of the University of Washington in 2015, has developed technology to more accurately sequence and analyze DNA to better discover rare, anomalous genetic code that could point to larger issues. Some of its real-world uses include early and recurrent cancer detection, detection of cancer cells that survive treatments, and testing chemicals and medicines to see if they cause mutations in human cells.

TwinStrand currently has 50 employees and aims to more than double that number by the end of the year to fill out its soon-to-open clinical lab on Seattle’s waterfront.

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