Blueprint Genetics raises $3.9 million to bring genomic diagnostics service to the U.S.

Genomic research has come a long way in recent years. Once the legal and regulatory issues are figured out, the research may provide the basis for a new data-driven care delivery model that could revolutionize health care.

One company that’s pushing the puck forward is genetics startup Blueprint Genetics, which has developed a new way of sequencing the genome based on Stanford research, and a proprietary software for gleaning diagnostic information from it. Blueprint says its method is faster and more cost-efficient than other methods. And today, the company announced a new $3.9 million funding round raised from unnamed investors.

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Academic research has identified the molecular genetic backgrounds of more than 3,500 inherited diseases. But health organizations have lacked software systems sophisticated enough to quickly and accurately diagnose disease using that data. And that’s where Blueprint is finding its niche.

This is how it works: The care provider sends some of a patient’s genetic material to Blueprint. The company then sequences the genome and returns its diagnostic results via a website. All reports include a geneticist statement evaluating the patient history and describing the pathological mutation findings.

“All of our diagnostic panels represent the latest research on the field and analyses and clinical interpretations are made by our clinicians and geneticists,” Blueprint says at its website.

The service differs from that of 23andMe in that it is available only to health care professionals, not consumers.

In 2013, the company entered the market with its first product category, providing diagnostics for inherited cardiovascular disorders.

Blueprint already has more than 60 hospital customers in 10 countries. It’ll use its new funding money to bring its technology to hospitals in the U.S.