In a journey that has seen it launch, get acquired and then launch on its own once again, Citizen Health is back on its feet with a new round of seed funding and a partnership aimed at developing therapies for rare diseases.
The artificial-intelligence-powered health platform aims to connect drugmakers with consenting study participants, in addition to patient communities and real-world data, from preclinical development to after FDA approval.
The company’s efforts began in 2017 as Ciitizen—a startup backed by a16z, Section 32 and Verily—which was acquired by Invitae in late 2021 through a $325 million deal. The genetic testing company had looked to support its programs with a service that would bridge patient data and clinical R&D.
However, Invitae filed for bankruptcy this past February—but not before it divested the Ciitizen platform in December 2023, transferring its assets into a new venture launched by its original leadership team.
Now Citizen Health, one “i” shorter, announced that it’s raised $14.5 million in seed funding to carry on with its objectives—and, with a focus on rare diseases, that it has formed a collaboration with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
"Citizen Health is going after a bigger vision inspired by the work the founders did at Ciitizen and have launched a company that takes the power of community, data and AI to transform the healthcare experience for patients and families navigating rare and complex conditions," Farid Vij, CEO and co-founder of Citizen Health, told Fierce Medtech.
“With our collective experience and expertise, we’re working together to drive a future where any patient, at any stage, of any condition, has immediate access to exceptional guidance on the best action to take,” Vij said. “Through our AI-powered platform, we are giving people agency over their health data to help themselves and each other, while shaving years off the drug development process for these critical diseases.”
The seed round was led by Transformation Capital and included contributions from Wavemaker 360 and unnamed angel investors.
“As precision medicine evolves, understanding patients at an individual level is crucial for developing tailored therapies and care options,” added co-founder and Chief Business Officer Nasha Fitter.
Citizen’s partnership will work with the CZI’s Rare As One project, a research and funding network that includes multiple patient-led organizations as well as coalitions and other strategic partners.
“We are always striving to make sure that people know that rare disease is anything but rare and can create the path to a consumer-led healthcare system,” said Tania Simoncelli, the CZI’s vice president of science in society. “Citizen Health’s expertise across AI, patient-centered solutions, and a deep understanding of our healthcare system is bringing a wealth of opportunities to rare disease patients.”
Citizen said it plans to announce additional partnerships and product features in the coming months.