Prenuvo adds new health tests to flagship full-body scan, raises $120 million in fresh funding

Preventative health startup Prenuvo on Thursday announced it will offer three new health assessments in addition to its flagship full-body MRI scan.

The company is launching a detailed blood test, neurological scan and body composition analysis that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in recent weeks. Prenuvo said that it wants to give customers an accurate picture of their health, and that its patients have been asking for more. 

“They have come to the understanding and realization that the health system is not serving their needs as it relates to keeping them healthy,” Prenuvo CEO Andrew Lacy told CNBC in an interview. “Consumers are increasingly looking for alternate solutions so they can stay on top of their health.”

Prenuvo exploded in popularity because of its $2,500 full-body MRI scan that has been lauded by celebrities like Kim Kardashian. The company can check for hundreds of conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis and aneurysms once its custom, FDA-approved MRI machines scan a person’s body in an hour.

The full-body scan and the new blood test, neurological scan and body composition report will be packaged together and offered to customers for $3,999, Lacy said.  

Prenuvo has surpassed 110,000 members, and the company generated $100 million in revenue last year. It owns and operates 17 clinics across North America and plans to expand to 15 more locations in the coming months, including sites in Europe and Australia, Lacy said. 

Lacy said Prenuvo has grown quickly but is profitable.

Prenuvo has faced criticism for its steep prices, and some medical experts have warned that the scans aren’t meant to replace targeted screenings and could cause patients to seek out unnecessary care.   

Investors are bullish anyway. 

The company announced Thursday that it closed a $120 million funding round, co-led by Left Lane Capital, Forerunner Ventures and its existing investor, Felicis. Prenuvo will use its fresh financing to support its product expansion, its push into new regions and explore applications for artificial intelligence.

A competing full-body MRI startup Ezra announced a $21 million funding round last February.

Prenuvo has the largest repository of whole-body MRI imaging in the world, Lacy said, which means there are lots of opportunities for the company to build models that make its exams more accurate and its 80 board-certified radiologists more efficient.

The company’s new body composition analysis, which is called the Prenuvo Body Composition report, uses AI to assess the volume and symmetry of muscles and the distribution of fat in the abdomen. Lacy said muscle size and distribution is a leading indicator of mobility, and fat distribution can affect risk of metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease. 

“This is really, really important information for patients who are looking to proactively manage their health,” Lacy said.

Patients will not need to undergo any additional imaging for the Prenuvo Body Composition report.

Prenuvo’s new brain health scan is also imaging based, and it gives patients a glimpse into their cognitive health and function, the company said. The scan uses neurological sequences through a Prenuvo partner to assess blood flow, the brain’s microvascular structure and identify any repetitive trauma from activity like sports. 

It requires an additional 10 minutes of imaging, and the sequences are already FDA approved, Lacy said.  

The blood assessment is new territory for the company, and it will check patients’ biomarkers to provide insights into hormonal, cardiovascular, metabolic and immune health. Lacy said the test could help detect leukemia, a blood cancer that can’t be identified with imaging, for instance. 

“Blood and imaging together is just incredibly powerful,” Lacy said. “It’s not a case of one plus one equals two, it’s one plus one equals five.”

Initially, a phlebotomist, a person who is trained to draw blood, will come to patients’ homes to collect the blood sample, Prenuvo said. The company also plans to draw blood inside its facilities eventually, but Lacy wants to provide a premium experience that is as calming and comfortable as possible.

Patients can access the new assessments at Prenuvo’s Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and New York locations starting Thursday. Additional locations will offer the tests this spring, the company said. 

“No one is going to care about your health more than you do,” Lacy said. “When you diagnose things early, it’s empowering. You can do something about it.”

Correction: Due to a misstatement from the company, a prior version of this story incorrectly attributed the development of the neurological sequence technology to Prenuvo.

Watch: John Hancock CEO talks collaboration with Prenuvo and focus on longevity