Life sciences briefing: Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007

Featured companies: Apex Radiology, Arcxis Biotechnologies, EKR Therapeutics, Franklin & Seidelmann, Michelson Diagnostics, SensiGen, Vascular Closure Systems

UPDATED: Expanded items on Arcxis, Vascular Closure and Archemix.

Arcxis pulls in $2M for DNA tools — Arcxis Biotechnologies, a Pleasanton, Calif., biotech tool maker focused on analysis of DNA and proteins in biological samples, raised $2 million in a follow-on to its first funding round, VentureWire reports (subscription required). Investors included Kaiser Permanente Ventures and Claremont Creek Ventures.

Arcxis released its first product, a kit for anthrax detection, earlier this year. The company is in the process of raising a second round, which it hopes to complete by February. Arcxis previously raised $2.3 million from Claremont Creek in 2006.

Vascular Closure raises seed funding to close femoral-artery punctures — Palo Alto, Calif.-based Vascular Closure Systems, a medical-device maker focused on ways to close up the surgical punctures caused by minimally invasive heart procedures, raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding. The company didn’t disclose its investors.

Vascular’s technology, which the company doesn’t describe in detail, aims to make blood-vessel punctures more cost effective as well as easier for surgeons to learn and use. The device apparently comes in bioabsorbable, removable, and permanent-sealing designs. Such punctures are often used in heart procedures such as inserting stents to prop open blocked vessels; those devices are frequently put in place using a catheter that is threaded up through the femoral artery.

Aptamer-drug maker Archemix sets IPO range, aims for $72.5M take — Cambridge, Mass.-based Archemix, a developer of drugs based on nucleic-acid fragments called aptamers, raised its IPO sites and now plans to raise as much as $72.5 million. Archemix had previously outlined a $69 million IPO in July; our coverage is here.

The company now plans to offer up to 5.2 million shares at $12 to $14 apiece. The offering could value Archemix at as much as $261.2 million, which PE Hub notes is “virtually identical” to the company’s valuation at the end of its last VC round.

OTHER HEADLINES OF NOTE:

• Michelson Diagnostics gets £600K for tumor imaging (VentureWire)
• Franklin & Seidelmann acquires Apex Radiology, expands into full-service teleradiology(release)
• Specialty pharma EKR Therapeutics arranged debt facility (release)
• SensiGen draws $300K for molecular diagnostics (release)

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Tags: biotechnology, deal, endovascular procedures, femoral artery, gene analysis tools, IPO, medical devices, molecular diagnostics