FYR Bio announced the completion of an $8 million funding round to advance its blood-based biomarker platform across oncology and neuroscience applications. The Sontag Innovation Fund and the Yuvaan Tiwari Foundation joined existing investor Two Bear Capital in supporting the biotechnology company's expansion into neuro-oncology and neurodegeneration research.
The Montana-based company leverages extracellular vesicles (EVs) to develop precision medicine tools through its proprietary EV-Omics (EVO) platform. The funding will accelerate FYR's continued expansion in oncology while adding emphasis in neuroscience applications, including neuro-oncology and neurodegeneration.
Clinical Performance in Brain Cancer Detection
FYR has demonstrated significant progress in brain cancer biomarker development over the past year. The company reported data showing their blood-based, AI-enabled technology can distinguish adult malignant gliomas from healthy controls with 100% specificity and 89% sensitivity, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.99. These results were obtained using a panel of proteins measured from brain-derived EVs and presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO).
"FYR's ability to enrich tumor and brain-derived EV signals from a simple blood draw and translate those signals into clinically actionable biomarkers is strongly aligned with our mission," said Scott Davis, PhD, Managing Director of The Sontag Innovation Fund. "We're especially excited to support their continued growth in neuroscience and neuro-oncology."
Platform Technology and Applications
The EVO platform utilizes FYR's proprietary SPARCs technology to enrich extracellular vesicles from diseased cells, enabling assessment of cellular proteins and nucleic acids from peripheral blood samples. The platform combines chemistry innovations with advanced AI analytics to transform complex biological signals into clinically actionable data.
"This financing enables us to scale what our partners value most: high-quality, blood-based insights that guide decisions in hard-to-access diseases," said Chris Booth, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of FYR. "We are expanding our neuro-oncology and neurodegeneration programs while actively growing our general oncology portfolio with existing and new partners."
Neurodegeneration Research Programs
Beyond oncology applications, FYR is advancing biomarker programs in neurodegeneration, particularly focusing on Parkinson's disease. The company is developing biomarkers aimed at patient stratification and objective pharmacodynamic readouts in longitudinal samples. This work addresses the challenge of capturing clean, noninvasive signals in central nervous system applications where such measurements are notoriously difficult to obtain.
"FYR has combined chemistry innovations with advanced AI analytics to turn complex biology into reliable, usable data," said Avery Sonnenberg, PhD, Principal at Two Bear Capital. "Their platform is scaling across solid tumors and also unlocks CNS applications where clean, noninvasive signals are notoriously hard to capture."
Investor Commitment to Brain Cancer Research
The funding round reflects strong investor commitment to advancing brain cancer research and treatment. The Sontag Innovation Fund, a venture subsidiary of The Sontag Foundation, represents one of the largest private funders of brain cancer research in the United States. The Yuvaan Tiwari Foundation was established in 2021 to accelerate research for diffuse midline gliomas and other fatal pediatric brain cancers.
"For children with aggressive brain tumors, progress has been far too slow," said Parvati Tiwari, President and Co-Founder of the Yuvaan Tiwari Foundation. "FYR's EVO platform provides a non-invasive way to gain early insights and better guide treatment decisions—ultimately leading to improved outcomes for patients."
The company's multiomic approach aims to transform personalized patient care across the continuum from screening through therapy selection and monitoring, addressing critical unmet needs in both oncology and neuroscience applications.
