The corporate venturing unit of the Mayo Clinic is among the financiers contributing to the series B round of the China-based healthcare diagnostics company.

Renamed Whiz Partners, CSK will retain a one-third stake.

Ando has previously been chairman of the Investment Trusts Association, Japan, and before that had the same role at the Japan Securities Dealers Association.

Novartis joins Dow Chemical backing US drugs maker Sorbent.

The series A round also boasts involvement from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, as Nimbus aims to use computer technology to boost its pharmaceutical research.

Liposcience, previously backed by General Electric among others, is hoping for better results this time around, after an abortive float almost 10 years ago.

George Heinrich, chief executive of Foundation Venture Capital Group, said: "The link between gum disease and cardiovascular disease is strong enough for us to consider that Dr Fine's [Affineti founder Daniel Fine who is also a professor and chair at Department of Oral Biology at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School] research will impact health on many levels."

The US-based healthcare data company secures series A investment from a wide range of investors.

Tesaro is focused on cancer-related products having licensed two programmes from Opko and Amgen since December and just raised $101m.

Alongside BlueCross in the consortium providing R20.5 crore ($4.5m) to Wellspring are corporate venturing peer Reliance Venture Asset Management and venture capital firm Catamaran.