i2E leads $1.25M investment

i2E Management Co. Inc. recently led a $ 1.25 million seed-round investment in Tulsa based MS Pen Technologies Inc. to advance and commercialize its MasSpec Pen System, which identifies the difference between cancerous and normal tissue during surgery.

A subsidiary of MS Pen Technologies Inc ., Gen io Technologies Inc., will lead the effort.

The MasSpec Pen System, developed in the University of Texas lab of Livia Schiavinato Eberlin, Ph.D., is composed of a handheld and biocompatible pen-like device connected to a mass spectrometer that rapidly identifies the molecular profile of tissues during surgery.

“We will build upon t he incredible accomplishments and momentum created by Dr. Eberlin and her lab over the past five years,” Genio CEO Shannon D. Green said. “As we continue to collect and validate the incredible data from ongoing pilot studies at Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, we will work to refine the versatility and adaptability of the MasSpec Pen, leading to great advancements in diagnostic accuracy and surgical precision, resulting in significant reductions in length of surgery and patient time under anesthesia, ultimately improving the outcomes for cancer patients and reducing associated costs.”

The investment round included $500,000 from the Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund managed by i2E and $750,000 from angel investors.