Life-science briefing: Thursday, March 27, 2008

Life-science briefing: Thursday, March 27, 2008

TODAY’S HEADLINES:

Breathe Tech raises $15M for respiratory disease (release)
Protein-drug maker Pieris takes in €25M (release)
Apthera takes in $2.1M toward cancer vaccine (VentureWire)

Breathe Tech raises $15M for respiratory disease – Breathe Technologies, a Fremont, Calif., medical device maker, raised $15 million in a second round of funding…. Continue Reading

NewLink Genetics raises $17M for cancer vaccine, drugs

NewLink Genetics raises $17M for cancer vaccine, drugs

NewLink Genetics, an Ames, Iowa, biotech working on cancer vaccines and drugs that modulate the immune system, has so far raised about $17 million in a third funding round. The company aims to raise another $8 million in the round for a total of $25… Continue Reading

Life sciences briefing: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2007

Life sciences briefing: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2007

TODAY’S HEADLINES:

5AM Ventures puts $3.3M into stealthy ImmunoNewco (VBLS exclusive)
NewLink Genetics raises $17M for cancer vaccine, immune drugs (VBLS exclusive)
Biochip, stem-cell biotech Minerva Bio ousts CEO Jim Czirr and sues (release)
Sonexa Therapeutics takes $30M for Alzheimer’s treatment (release)
Tissue regenerator Healionics pulls in $1.7M (release)
EGeen, clinical… Continue Reading

Immunotope raises $350K for cancer vaccine

Immunotope, a Doylestown, Pa., biotechnology company working on cancer vaccines, raised a second $350,000 investment (PDF) from Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

An earlier $350,000 investment allowed the company to manufacture its cancer vaccine, which is initially aimed at ovarian and breast tumors. The new funding… Continue Reading

No immunity for Dendreon’s cancer vaccine

No immunity for Dendreon’s cancer vaccine

(UPDATED: See below.) For almost two months, it has seemed that the FDA might be ready to approve an entirely new attack on cancer — a “cancer vaccine” that immunizes patients with tumor fragments in order to activate the body’s immune defenses against cancerous cells.

That dream… Continue Reading