PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vitara Biomedical, a privately held company developing breakthrough technology intended to transform neonatal care, today announced the closing of a $50M funding round. The company’s technology was initially developed at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), one of the leading centers in the world for clinical and scientific innovation in neonatology.

费城--（商业新闻短讯）--Vitara Biomedical是一家私营公司，开发突破性技术，旨在改变新生儿护理，今天宣布结束一轮5000万美元的融资。该公司的技术最初是在费城儿童医院（CHOP）开发的，该医院是世界上新生儿临床和科学创新的领先中心之一。

Sands Capital led the Series B financing with participation from Google Ventures (GV), First Spark Ventures, Flerie and Khosla Ventures. The funding will be used to further advance the company’s efforts leading to a first in human clinical study of their technology..

金沙资本（Sands Capital）在谷歌风险投资（GV）、First Spark Ventures、Flerie和科斯拉风险投资（Khosla Ventures）的参与下领导了B轮融资。这笔资金将用于进一步推动该公司的努力，从而对其技术进行首次人体临床研究。。

The company also announced the appointment of Kim Rodriguez, an experienced global healthcare and medical device industry professional, as Chief Executive Officer. She has 25 years of experience, spanning multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, cardiology, and women’s health, most recently as CEO of BrainCheck, a digital health company supporting early identification of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

该公司还宣布任命经验丰富的全球医疗保健和医疗器械行业专业人士金·罗德里格斯（KimRodriguez）为首席执行官。她拥有25年的经验，跨越多个治疗领域，包括神经病学，心脏病学和女性健康，最近担任BrainCheck的首席执行官，BrainCheck是一家支持早期识别痴呆症和阿尔茨海默病的数字健康公司。

Prior to BrainCheck, Ms. Rodriguez was a Venture Partner at S3 Ventures, where she supported the firm’s healthcare investments. Previously she served as CEO & Co-Founder of Acessa Health (acquired By Hologic), CEO at Halt Medical, led the largest business unit at Spectranetics (acquired by Royal Philips) and Johnson & Johnson.

在BrainCheck之前，罗德里格斯女士是S3 Ventures的风险合伙人，她支持该公司的医疗保健投资。此前，她曾担任Acessa Health（被Hologic收购）的首席执行官兼联合创始人，Halt Medical的首席执行官，领导Spectranetics（被皇家飞利浦收购）和强生（Johnson＆Johnson）最大的业务部门。

She also held senior leadership positions Blockade Medical, Concentric Medical, Guidant Corporation, and Microvena/ev3 prior to each company’s acquisition by major medical device companies. Ms. Rodriguez received her Executive MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and bachelor’s degree in management from Pepperdine University..

在两家公司被主要医疗器械公司收购之前，她还担任过BlockMedical，Concentric Medical，Guidant Corporation和Microvena/ev3的高级领导职位。罗德里格斯女士获得了南加州大学马歇尔商学院的行政工商管理硕士学位和佩珀丁大学的管理学士学位。。

“I am delighted to be working with Kim again to develop an innovative healthcare technology that has the potential to change clinical practice for the treatment of extremely premature infants,” said Ian W. Ratcliffe, Executive Managing Director of Sands Capital and Vitara Board Director.

Sands Capital执行董事总经理兼Vitara董事会董事伊恩·拉特克利夫（IanW.Ratcliffe）表示：“我很高兴再次与Kim合作，开发一种创新的医疗保健技术，该技术有可能改变治疗极早产儿的临床实践。”。

“It is a great privilege to join the Vitara team and to have the opportunity to work alongside the talented and passionate professionals who are developing technology I believe has the potential to save and improve lives of a vulnerable population in dire need of innovation,” said Ms. Rodriguez. “The strong backing of our investors, and the invaluable resources they bring, are essential to achieving the key milestones in the ongoing evolution of our groundbreaking neonatal technology.”.

罗德里格斯女士说：“很荣幸能加入维塔拉团队，有机会与那些正在开发技术的才华横溢、充满激情的专业人士一起工作，我相信这些专业人士有潜力挽救和改善急需创新的弱势群体的生活。”。“投资者的大力支持以及他们带来的宝贵资源，对于实现我们开创性的新生儿技术不断发展的关键里程碑至关重要。”。

Approximately 15 million babies are born preterm annually worldwide, indicating a global preterm birth rate of about 11%. This results in an estimated cost of $26 billion in economic burden in the United States alone. Extreme prematurity remains a major cause of neonatal mortality and severe long-term morbidity.

。仅在美国，这就造成了260亿美元的经济负担。极端早产仍然是新生儿死亡率和严重长期发病率的主要原因。

Current neonatal care is associated with significant morbidity due to iatrogenic injury and developmental immaturity of extreme premature infants..

目前的新生儿护理与医源性损伤和极端早产儿发育不成熟导致的严重发病率有关。。

“As one of the most active investors in women's health, GV has had the privilege of supporting companies going after ambitious, complex problems in healthcare with the potential to revolutionize the current standard of care,' said GV Executive Venture Partner and Vitara Board Observer Cathy Friedman.

“作为女性健康领域最活跃的投资者之一，GV有幸支持企业解决医疗保健领域雄心勃勃、复杂的问题，并有可能彻底改变当前的护理标准，”GV执行风险合伙人兼Vitara董事会观察员凯西·弗里德曼（CathyFriedman）说。

'Vitara stands out with its innovative approach to neonatal intensive care delivery, built on a decade of foundational research. The Board is confident in Kim Rodriguez’s vision to lead Vitara through the next stage of development, and we’re excited about the potential to drive a transformative shift for newborns and families.”.

“Vitara在十年的基础研究基础上，以其创新的新生儿重症监护分娩方法脱颖而出。董事会对金·罗德里格斯（KimRodriguez）领导维塔拉（Vitara）进入下一个发展阶段的愿景充满信心，我们对推动新生儿和家庭变革的潜力感到兴奋。”。

About Vitara Biomedical

关于Vitara Biomedical

Vitara Biomedical has a vision to offer preterm newborns and their families a lifetime of possibilities. The company is developing a special life support system designed to improve outcomes for babies born prematurely. The Vitara System creates a fluid environment that mimics what a baby experiences in the mother’s womb and is designed to help support healthy growth and development of organs for babies born prematurely.

Vitara Biomedical的愿景是为早产儿及其家人提供一生的可能性。。Vitara系统创造了一个流体环境，模仿婴儿在母亲子宫内的经历，旨在帮助早产儿支持器官的健康生长和发育。

Studies to date with fetal lambs have demonstrated that both mid-and late term gestation can be supported in the system for 10 to 28 days without harm with continued development of organ systems. The company is pursuing a first in human clinical study of the Vitara System..

迄今为止，对胎儿羔羊的研究表明，系统可以支持中期和晚期妊娠10至28天，而不会损害器官系统的持续发育。该公司正在进行Vitara系统的首次人体临床研究。。

For more information, visit www.vitara.com