NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Renalytix AI plc (LSE AIM: RENX), a developer of artificial intelligence-enabled clinical diagnostics for kidney disease, has secured $29 million in funding to support the development and commercialization of two product categories for the early detection of kidney disease and accurate management of kidney transplant rejection. The Company intends to launch its first diagnostic product, KidneyIntelX™, in 2019 in collaboration with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the medical school of the Mount Sinai Health System ("Mount Sinai").

Following the successful completion of its fundraising on November 6, 2018, RenalytixAI started trading publicly on AIM, a market of the London Stock Exchange. The related announcement can be found here.

"RenalytixAI now has the financial resources to drive advanced diagnostic development to improve the management and cost of kidney disease," said James McCullough, chief executive officer, RenalytixAI. "We are grateful to our investors and medical collaborators who are committed to reducing the impact of this disease."

"We're pleased to be collaborating with RenalytixAI, an emerging industry leader in healthcare AI, on the development of breakthrough prognostics and diagnostics for renal disease," said Erik Lium, PhD, executive vice president of Mount Sinai Innovation Partners. "Renal disease represents an increasing healthcare crisis globally, and early detection and intervention can change the course of this disease."

Kidney disease is now recognized as a public health epidemic affecting over 850 million people globally. In the United States alone, over 40 million people are classified as having chronic kidney disease, with nearly 50 percent of individuals with advanced (Stage IV) disease unaware of the severity of their reduced kidney function. As a result, many patients progress to kidney failure in an unplanned manner, ending up having dialysis in the emergency room without ever seeing a clinical specialist, such as a nephrologist. Every day 13 patients die in the United States while waiting for a kidney transplant.

"Kidney disease is a major challenge for healthcare systems around the globe," said Barbara Murphy, MD, dean for Clinical Integration and Population Health, and Murray M. Rosenberg Professor and Chair, Samuel Bronfman Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, board member and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of RenalytixAI. "We're responding to this critical unmet need by developing two products that will identify patients at risk for kidney disease progression and dialysis, and categorize the type of risk that will be experienced by kidney transplant patients."

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