Auris Surgical Robotics, the Silicon Valley startup headed by Frederic Moll who previously co-founded Hansen Medical and Intuitive Surgical, raised $280 million in a Series D round led by Coatue Management and including earlier investors Mithril Capital Management, Lux Capital, Highland Capital and 24 others.

An Auris spokesman said that the company has raised a total of $530 million and is developing targeted, minimally invasive therapies that treat only the diseased cells in order to prevent the progression of a patient’s illness. Lung cancer is the first disease they are targeting.

There are 1 billion smokers worldwide creating an epidemic of 6 million deaths per year. More patients die every year from lung cancer than from prostate, breast and colon cancer combined. 

The reason lung cancer is so deadly is that the diagnostic and treatment processes are ineffective. The majority of lung cancer patients are diagnosed in late stage, when the cancer has already spread beyond its primary location. With our technology, physicians will be able to access early stage lung cancer without incisions, allowing accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment.