Dopl Technologies announced $6.3 million in new funding to support the development and commercialization of a remotely operated robotic ultrasound system. The Bothell, Wash.-based startup has now raised more than $8 million.

Dopl is pursuing FDA clearance for its platform, which pairs with off-the-shelf ultrasound probes and commercially available robots. The system facilitates communication between a remotely based ultrasound technician (or sonographer) and the robot, allowing the sonographer to conduct the exam with haptic feedback.

The platform also includes a video connection to allow conversations between the sonographer, patient and onsite healthcare personnel.

The goal, said CEO Ryan James, is to target underserved and rural communities “to improve access to care and the time it takes for patients to get that care.”

While Dopl could eventually create remote interfaces for a variety of health services, ultrasound alone has widespread applications.

“People say that ultrasound is the new stethoscope,” James said. Perhaps best known for its use in obstetric exams during pregnancy, the diagnostic tool is also employed for cardiac and vascular exams and can be used to detect stroke, cancer, heart disease and other conditions.

The startup was co-founded by James, Chief Operating Officer Steve Seslar, and Chief Medical Officer Wayne Monsky, who began researching novel care delivery methods together at the University of Washington in 2017.

The system pulls together a suite of technologies including fine-motor robotic control, haptics, computer vision, AI, and advanced networking.

The new investment allows the company to hire staff to help it navigate the FDA approval process. Dopl is conducting clinical evaluations of its platform and aims to submit an application for FDA clearance next year.

Dopl currently provides in-person ultrasounds using its technology through traveling sonographer services. FDA clearance would allow it to perform remote robotic exams and scale its platform.

The startup has a letter of intent with a rural health care collaborative that includes 31 critical access hospitals in Washington and has partnerships across the nation, including on the East Coast.

The company also expects to take advantage of opportunities through the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion federal effort that will distribute funds in every state from fiscal years 2026 to 2030. The program is targeting innovations that expand access to care.

The seed round was led by SpringTide Ventures, which was joined by WRF Capital, Tacoma Venture Fund (pre-seed round lead), HeartX, Transform Health Ventures, Precursor Ventures, and additional early-stage institutional investors.

Dopl was a finalist for startup of the year at the 2026 GeekWire Awards.

There is competition in this market, including traditional ultrasound companies and startups. A notable rival is AdEchoTech, which launched in France in 2008 and has since received FDA clearance to sell in the U.S.

James said Dopl’s haptic technology sets it apart, allowing remote technicians”to actually feel the patient as they’re scanning.”

The remote robotic care delivery industry is rapidly growing, James said, and “represents the next wave of care delivery and shift in mindset in terms of how clinicians operate.”

BioLife Solutions, a Bothell, Wash.-based company developing tools for cell and gene therapy, is being acquired for $1.5 billion by the life sciences corporation Repligen.

BioLife is a publicly traded business that makes products used by biotech firms to keep living cells alive and healthy while they’re stored, shipped, frozen or thawed for medical therapies. Waltham, Mass.-based Repligen makes tools and other materials used to manufacture vaccines, antibodies and other biological therapies. Both companies launched in the 1980s.

Cell and gene therapies are advanced treatments that use living cells or genetic material to treat disease at the molecular level. Cell therapies replace or repair damaged tissue with healthy cells, while gene therapies add, fix or modify DNA to correct the underlying cause of a condition.

“Over the past several years, we have successfully repositioned BioLife around our market-leading biopreservation media franchise, while strengthening our financial profile and establishing a durable foundation for profitable growth,” said Roderick de Greef, CEO of BioLife, in a statement.

BioLife shareholders will get $11.25 in cash plus 0.1442 shares of Repligen stock for every share of BioLife they own—bringing the total deal value to $31 per share.

The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, pending BioLife stockholder approval and regulatory clearance. The law firm K&L Gates advised BioLife Solutions on the acquisition.