Clinical trials continue to be the biggest bottleneck to advances in healthcare. To ensure patients’ safety, medical treatments must undergo rigorous testing through clinical trials, run by contract research organizations (CROs), which are notorious for running trials over-time and over-budget.
We are excited to continue supporting Lindus Health, an anti-CRO running radically faster, more reliable clinical trials for life science pioneers.
Founded by Michael Young, Meri Beckwith, and Nik Haldimann, whom we first backed in 2021, the London and New York startup is on a mission to create monumental change in the way clinical research is conducted. Combining a new commercial model that aligns incentives (fixed-priced quotes per study, with milestone-based payments), a world-class clinical operations team, and access to over 40 million Electronic Health Records, Lindus is unlocking the potential for groundbreaking treatments to reach patients more efficiently, setting the stage for better healthcare for all.
Lindus Health is disrupting the $112B CRO industry with its tech-first “anti-CRO” approach. The company has leaned heavily into the power of AI and automation through their proprietary clinical trial software platform, Citrus™. Furthermore, it has built sophisticated methods for central patient recruitment and enabling new trial designs. The results speak for themselves: clinical trials are up to three times faster and produce demonstrably better quality trial data, setting the stage for greater scientific innovation and lower healthcare costs.
Lindus Health has operated a total of 42 end-to-end clinical trials, making an impact across psychiatry, diagnostics, and respiratory health. The company has enrolled over 36,000 patients in their trials across North America and Europe, including collaborations with Aktiia on a 7,500-patient device study and Pharmanovia on a Phase IV trial for insomnia.
“The antiquated CRO model is failing the industry and failing patients, with inefficiencies and misaligned incentives propelling costs and causing researchers to stumble before their breakthroughs can reach patients,” said Meri Beckwith, co-founder of Lindus Health. “Lindus breaks the cycle by completely reinventing the way clinical trials operate, allowing life science companies to iterate faster.”
“The last 20 years have seen huge breakthroughs in fundamental scientific research, but this isn’t impacting the general population because of the artificial bottleneck that clinical trials create,” added Michael Young, co-founder of Lindus Health. “We’re fixing that with a new paradigm for running trials underpinned by technology. That doesn’t just lead to faster trials, it changes the way companies can think about drug development going from waterfall big bets to agile research.”
Lindus Health’s pioneering use of machine learning (ML) to predict clinical trial outcomes from historical trial data and optimize study design has earned recognition in Nature. The company also facilitated foundational research into perceptions on clinical trial participation across various demographic groups, conducted alongside Oxford University, highlighting its commitment to turning patient insights into actionable steps that improve trial outcomes.
Lindus Health announced its $55 million Series B round led by Balderton Capital, with Seedcamp’s continued support alongside Visionaries Club, Creandum, and Firstminute. The company’s strategic advisory board includes Robert S. Langer, founder of Moderna and over 40 other biotechnology companies, and Tim Garnett, former CMO of Eli Lilly, amongst others.
On our journey with Lindus Health, our Partner Tom Wilson comments:
“We’re thrilled to continue supporting Lindus and their vision for redefining the CRO model. This funding round is a testament to the exceptional execution by Meri, Michael, Nik, and the entire team since we first backed them in their initial round. Their revenue growth has been outstanding, and it feels like they’re only scratching the surface of what the Lindus suite of products can achieve. We firmly believe this is Biology’s century, and advancements in AI technology have the potential not only to help Lindus become a market leader but also to drive meaningful improvements in global health outcomes.”
The new funding will enable Lindus Health to further develop its AI technology and eClinical platform, Citrus™, to optimize study design, automate central monitoring of study data, enable instant biostatistics. The company is hiring in key areas including clinical operations and product development.
To learn more about Lindus Health and its bespoke CRO, site, and technology solutions for clinical trials, visit lindushealth.com.