French company CarThera has raised €9 million in its Series B funding round to help it develop ultrasound-based medical devices to treat brain disorders and overcome the challenges of the blood-brain barrier. The funding, equivalent to $10.3 million, was raised with three institutional investors – Panakès Partners, Sham Innovation Santé (advised by Turenne Capital) and Supernova Invest via its fund Supernova 2, as well as Group Arnault and historical investors. The proceeds will be used to further advance the company’s SonoCloud technology and develop the clinical pipeline of the company. SonoCloud is an implantable ultrasound device that temporarily opens the blood-brain barrier in a controlled manner, in order to increase the penetration of therapeutic molecules in the brain and potentially improve the efficacy of treatments for patients with brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases.
The blood-brain barrier not only limits the efficacy of traditional chemotherapies but also of other agents like new immunotherapies. A multi-center study has already been launched in France and in the US to evaluate the SonoCloud-9 device, a new generation of the implant with nine ultrasound emitters, in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. The company also has an ongoing clinical study with the SonoCloud-1 device in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and one planned for patients with brain metastases.