Summary
Vitestro raised $70 million in Series B financing to advance its Aletta robotic phlebotomy device. The funding will support product development, manufacturing, clinical expansion, and commercial readiness for the Aletta, which uses imaging, robotics, and AI for blood collection.
Vitestro raises financing to advance Aletta robotic phlebotomy device
April 2026—Vitestro reported in March that it raised $70 million in oversubscribed Series B financing to advance autonomous robotic phlebotomy.
Vitestro’s Aletta device is designed to autonomously perform diagnostic blood collection (see CAP TODAY, https://bit.ly/CT_0725-arpd). The system combines multimodal imaging, advanced robotics, and artificial intelligence to identify suitable veins, guide needle insertion, and collect blood samples. It’s intended as a support for phlebotomy departments.
The financing supports continued product advancement, manufacturing scale-up, clinical expansion, and commercial readiness as Vitestro prepares for broader market adoption in Europe, followed by the U.S. subject to Food and Drug Administration authorization.
The round includes new strategic investment from Labcorp Venture Fund, Mayo Clinic, and Sutter Health, as well as from financial investors InterVest, MGFO, PGGM, Puma Venture Capital, and ROM Utrecht. It also includes continued support from existing investors Invest-NL (supported by InvestEU), EIC Fund, Fred Moll, NYBC Ventures, and Sonder Capital.
Vitestro said in its March 10 announcement that the proceeds will be used to advance the next-generation Aletta, “enabling deeper integration into high-volume clinical workflows.” It will also support its U.S. FDA de novo regulatory pathway.
Moderate complexity for Ionify steroid assays
The Food and Drug Administration has categorized Roche’s Ionify steroid assays for mass spectrometry as CLIA moderate complexity, expanding access to the advanced diagnostic testing.
The Ionify steroid assays include estradiol, DHEA, DHEA-S, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and androstenedione, which run on Roche’s Cobas i 601 analyzer as part of the Cobas Mass Spec solution. By combining the sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry with a standardized, easy-to-use workflow, Roche says its Mass Spec solution streamlines complex testing and helps reduce variability across laboratories.
The Ionify steroid assays join Roche’s vitamin D total test as the latest mass spectrometry tests to receive moderate-complexity classification.
Illumina and Labcorp expand collaboration
Illumina and Labcorp report they have expanded their collaboration to advance precision oncology through innovative applications of next-generation sequencing solutions.
Their projects are expected to include promoting equitable access to cancer biomarker testing by bringing it closer to patients through new distributed test offerings, generating evidence to facilitate payer coverage, and developing new tests to address areas of unmet need.
New test development is expected to span advanced oncology research and in vitro diagnostic tests for comprehensive genomic profiling and whole genome sequencing.
As part of the collaboration, the companies will explore co-commercializing Labcorp’s FDA-authorized liquid biopsy assay PGDx Elio Plasma Focus Dx alongside Illumina’s FDA-approved TruSight Oncology Comprehensive for solid tumor profiling.
Agilent to acquire Biocare Medical
Agilent Technologies entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Biocare Medical, from an investor group led by Excellere Partners and GHO Capital Partners LLP, in an all-cash transaction valued at $950 million.
Agilent says the addition of Biocare’s complementary IHC antibody, reagent, and instrument portfolio to its own pathology portfolio enhances Agilent’s immunohistochemistry offering and expands its ability to serve a broad range of pathology labs across clinical and research settings.
The transaction is expected to close by no later than Agilent’s fourth fiscal quarter of this year. Upon close, Biocare will become part of the Agilent Life Sciences and Diagnostics Markets Group.
Biocare Medical acquired Empire Genomics, which specializes in FISH probes, in 2022. John Steel, Empire senior VP and general manager, said the Agilent transaction provides the opportunity to scale further the impact of Empire’s global platform.