Teal Health secures US$8.8m to tackle cervical cancer

The US healthcare company Teal Health has raised US$8.8m in seed funding to build a platform for tackling cervical cancer.

The company’s at-home cervical cancer screening includes a novel self-collection device that aims to make it simple for women to collect cervical cancer screening samples from home.

According to the developers, the platform is designed to increase women’s confidence and adherence to screen for primary HPV and Pap cytology triage and enable conversation and engagement with medical professionals.

If caught early, 93 per cent of cervical cancers are preventable. Following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cervical cancer screening in the US dropped by 94 per cent and remained 35 per cent below pre-pandemic levels even after stay-at-home restrictions were lifted.

New research has shown that late-stage cervical cancers are on the rise in American women.

In contrast to more than 90 per cent of cervical cancers being preventable when caught early, a late-stage diagnosis has an approximate five-year survival rate of only 18 per cent.

“The current cervical cancer screening, a critical piece of women’s health, is notoriously unpleasant and uses a speculum. Despite medical and technological advancements, including adding the primary HPV test to the screening guidelines, the screening experience hasn’t been updated since the 1940s,” said Kara Egan, Teal Health CEO.

“At Teal we are working to increase access to this important screening by coupling at-home self-collection with a health-tech platform that ensures women are encouraged, supported, and understood in the process.”

The US$8.8m seed round was supported by investors, including Emerson Collective, Serena Ventures, Metrodora Ventures, and Felicis Ventures.

The funding will allow the company to expedite product development, clinical testing, and FDA approval, facilitating access to the 88 million women within recommended screening age and reversing the rise of late-stage cervical cancer.

Serena Williams, managing partner at Serena Ventures, said: “For far too long women have been disenfranchised by their current healthcare experiences, with women of underrepresented communities feeling an increased strain on their access and options surrounding healthcare.

“We’re excited to partner with Teal to increase equity and access to this life-saving screening by removing the barriers such as awareness, time, and fear while also empowering women to reconnect and take control of their health.”

Chelsea Clinton, managing partner at Metrodora Ventures, said: “Solving massive and critical health issues, including adherence to a national cancer screening, requires innovative solutions with expertise across the entire healthcare landscape.

“Teal understands this complexity and is well positioned to take on the challenge through its dynamic team and strategic partner base, which spans health policy, cancer research, technology, consumer brands, and more.”

Teal’s clinical study is underway and early data found that 89 per cent of women said that if at-home collection were available, they would get screened on time.

The findings have also shown that self-collection option is preferred by 91 per cent of study participants when compared to a clinical collection with a speculum.