A Rochester-based medical startup partly founded by Mayo Clinic has caught investor attention.

In a Tuesday announcement, Nucleus RadioPharma said it raised $56 million in a Series A funding round. The company plans to use the funds to ramp up production of “radiopharmaceutical treatments” for cancer treatments. Unlike standard cancer therapies that often destroy all kinds of cells, radiopharmaceutical treatments are designed to “selectively target and annihilate cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact,” according to the company.

Nucleus RadioPharma specializes in the development, manufacturing, and supply chain organization of cancer treatment medicine.

With the new round of funding in hand, Nucleus RadioPharma also plans to establish multiple new manufacturing facilities around the country, including one in Rochester, Minnesota, near Mayo Clinic. In addition, the firm aims to build novel technology for the development, manufacturing, and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals.

For now, only a small fraction of patients are able to obtain these drugs due to limited production capacity and an outdated, fragmented supply chain, said Geoff Johnson, chair of nuclear medicine at Mayo Clinic and chief scientific officer of Nucleus RadioPharma, in a news release. “Conceivably, many cancers have the potential to be treated with a properly designed radiopharmaceutical and yet, very few patients with cancer are receiving this kind of treatment,” he said.

In addition to its manufacturing capabilities, Nucleus RadioPharma will develop a new supply chain network. To enable global logistics and distribution of these therapies, the company is developing novel software and hardware technologies, according to the release.

The funding round was led by venture capital firm Eclipse and GE HealthCare, with participation from Echo Global, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Granger Management, Mayo Clinic, Mercy Health, and the University of Missouri. Eclipse and Mayo co-founded Nucleus RadioPharma a year ago.

“We co-founded Nucleus RadioPharma, and are leading their Series A, to propel the radiopharmaceutical industry forward,” said Justin Butler, a partner at Eclipse. “The company sets new standards for innovation in the industry, uniquely positioning Nucleus RadioPharma to unlock the full potential of the radiopharmaceutical sector.”

In May, Nucleus RadioPharma telegraphed plans to establish a manufacturing facility at the Discovery Square building in Rochester’s Destination Medical Center development, a multibillion-dollar public-private economic initiative spearheaded by Mayo Clinic.