A Medical Device Daily

BioImagene (Cupertino, California), a provider of digital pathology solutions for cancer diagnosis and preclinical research, reported the closing of a $26 million Series D financing round led by Burrill & Co.

Ascension Health Ventures, National Healthcare Services and existing investors Artiman Ventures and ICCP Ventures also joined the round with strong support.

BioImagene CEO Mohan Uttarwar said, "Our goal is to become the dominant player in this space by 2010. We are within range of our target and this funding will help us scale operations to support the rapidly increasing demand for affordable, integrated digital pathology systems."

Digital pathology is the process of converting entire glass microscope slides into high-resolution, whole-slide digital images that can be viewed, managed and analyzed with a computer instead of a microscope — along with digital pathology management systems that help interpret the information generated from the digitized glass slide.

Digital pathology applications utilizing digital slides are gaining momentum as pathologists can access slide specimens and related data from any location in the world, fostering more efficient laboratory workflow, physician communication, education and research at a reasonable cost.

ZocDoc (New York), a service designed to help consumers find and book doctor appointments online, reported that it has completed a $3 million Series A round of financing led by Khosla Ventures.

The first consumer healthcare investment for Khosla, ZocDoc uses the Internet to help improve patient access to healthcare. Patients can see real-time availability of doctors in their area, find those that accept their insurance plan and read feedback from real patients. Most importantly, patients can book an appointment – including same-day and next-day appointments — instantly online.

The company said it would use the funding to expand its network of practitioners and lay the groundwork for a nationwide rollout.

"ZocDoc is addressing a real need in healthcare," said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. "The Internet has the potential to fundamentally improve access to care, and the company has gained initial traction toward this long-term vision."

As part of this round, David Weiden, partner at Khosla Ventures, will join ZocDoc's co-founders Cyrus Massoumi and Oliver Kharraz on the company's board.

"Our goal is to make healthcare simple and more accessible to patients so they can get the care they need, when they need it," said Massoumi, who serves as CEO.