Whole-body scan startup Prenuvo announces $120M raise
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Los Angeles body scan company Prenuvo today disclosed a $120 million Series B secured last year and received FDA clearance to advertise a new test.
Why it matters: Alongside the funding, Prenuvo announced three new tests as debate mounts over the benefit of such scans to patients and the health care ecosystem.
Reality check: Prenuvo's tests have not secured FDA approval. Rather, the FDA's letter to Prenuvo clears the company to sell and advertise the test.
Follow the money: The 2024 Series B was co-led by Forerunner Ventures, Left Lane Capital and existing investor Felicis, per a release.
How it works: The fat and muscle scan is one of three new tests Prenuvo announced today.
- Per the company, the scan assesses visceral fat (which accumulates around and within internal organs), subcutaneous fat (stored just beneath the skin), liver fat, muscle volume and abdominal organ volume.
- Its other tests include a brain health scan, which the company says "uses neurological sequences that Prenuvo developed in-house to assess blood flow." It also offers a blood bio-marker assessment for metabolic, cardiovascular, hormonal and immune factors.
Yes, but: There are existing methods to measure visceral fat that don't require a scan — like a wrapping a tape measure around the waist above the hip bones, per the Cleveland Clinic.
- And while CNBC reported that the Prenuvo-developed brain assessments are FDA "approved," a Prenuvo spokesperson tells Axios the tools "were put through regulatory clearance by our manufacturer partners, not Prenuvo."
Friction point: While whole-body scan companies purport to offer the latest in preventive care, several medical organizations have significant questions.
- Entities like the American College of Preventive Medicine have advised against them, noting they could lead to benign findings in otherwise healthy people who might pursue unnecessary and costly follow-up care.
By the numbers: Prenuvo's body scans cost between $1,000 and $2,500.
- Torso scans cost $1,000.
- Head and torso scans are $1,800.
- Whole-body scans are $2,500.
State of play: Regardless of the ongoing debate over their benefit, venture investors are flocking to body scan companies including Prenuvo.
- Full-body MRI startup Ezra announced a $21 million raise last February.
