VentureBeat

TODAY’S HEADLINES:

• Mauna Kea Tech raises $30M for in-vivo cellular imaging (release)
• Knopp Neuro takes in $10M for Lou Gehrig’s drug (release)
• Cardiovascular Systems, arterial-plaque device maker, files for $86M IPO (Edgar)
• Diagnostics maker BG Medicine withdraws IPO (release)
• Signature Genomics Labs sells stake to Ampersand Ventures (release)
• Cambridge Temp raises £375K for new ovulation detector (release)

Mauna Kea Tech raises $30M for in-vivo cellular imaging — Mauna Kea Technologies, a Paris, France, developer of cellular-imaging technology, raised $30 million in a new financing round. Investors included the U.S.-based Psilos Group, France-based Seventure and Creadev.

Mauna Kea makes and sells instruments that image living tissue at the microscopic level, making possible minimally invasive examination of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs in a way that may make some tissue biopsies unnecessary. The funding will allow the company to expand its commercial operations and pursue clinical trials aimed at establishing its technology’s usefulness in diagnosing problems in the esophagus, colon, stomach and bile duct.

Knopp Neuro takes in $10M for Lou Gehrig’s drug — Pittsburgh-based Knopp Neurosciences, a company developing a drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease, raised $10 million in a second funding round. Investors included Saturn Partners II, Kramer Capital Partners and LaunchCyte.

The latest financing involved the exercise of milestone-based callable warrants held by existing investors. Knopp anticipates calling another $10 million in the second round once it begins mid-stage human tests of its lead drug candidate, KNS-760704.

Knopp is developing that drug as a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, an irreversible and eventually fatal neurodegenerative disease. KNS-760704, however isn’t exactly a new drug — it’s an “enantiomer,” or mirror-image copy, of an existing neurological drug sold as Mirapex, a treatment for so-called restless-legs syndrome. Knopp claims that its version of that drug may help protect nerve cells from the relentless destruction they face in ALS, but without side effects that it says limit the use of Mirapex in this way. The drug has completed early “phase I” human tests in healthy volunteers and plans to launch a mid-stage safety study in ALS patients this year.

Cardiovascular Systems, arterial-plaque device maker, files for $86M IPO — St. Paul, Minn.-based Cardiovascular Systems, a developer of medical devices for the treatment of arterial plaque, filed to raise $86.3 million in an initial offering. The company makes and sells a sort of minimally invasive “rotary sander” with a diamond-head bit that grinds away artery-blocking deposits, or plaques, from peripheral blood vessels in the limbs.

Depending on who you believe, Cardiovascular has raised either $11 million (according to peHUB) or $12.5 million (according to VentureWire) over the past several months. The company’s artery-clearing device received FDA approval last September, but as of Sept. 30, 2007, it hadn’t generated significant sales, unsurprisingly. The startup has an accumulated deficit of $72 million since its formation in 1989. See our previous coverage of the company here (third item).

Diagnostics maker BG Medicine withdraws IPO — Waltham, Mass.-based BG Medicine, a developer of molecular diagnostics, withdrew its attempted IPO filing, citing market conditions. The company had previously dropped its expected share-price range by close to 40 percent (see our coverage here), but apparently failed to draw enough interest even at the lower price. That wasn’t the only setback BG Medicine faced — it had previously made plans to list its shares on Amsterdam’s EuroNext exchange, but apparently never followed through.

As a result, the startup is apparently in dire need of fresh investment. According to a December amendment to its IPO filing, BG Medicine had only $622,000 in cash and equivalents, plus another $5.3 million in “restricted” cash and short-term investments, on hand as of Sept. 30.

(UPDATED: Expanded items on LineaGen, BG Medicine. Pelikan Tech is described in a standalone item here.)

TODAY’S HEADLINES:

• Pelikan Tech raises $69M for diabetes glucose tests (release)
• Utah’s LineaGen draws $6M for genetic diagnostics (VentureWire, sub req’d)
• Beijing’s IKang Healthcare gets $25M for medical-service centers (VW)
• BG Medicine drops IPO price range, seeks up to $52M (Edgar)
• Sepragen completes acquisition of Cyto Biologic Tech (release)

Utah’s LineaGen draws $6M for genetic diagnostics — LineaGen (no Web site), a Salt Lake City biotech focused on genetic diagnostics, raised $6 million in a first round of funding, VentureWire reports. Investors included
Sanderling Ventures, vSpring Capital and Mesa Verde Partners.

The company aims to identify genomic markers — presumably the single-letter DNA variations known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms — for a variety of diseases, including autism, multiple sclerosis, cancer and lung disease. LineaGen is using detailed databases on Utah’s predominately Mormon population, which keeps careful genealogical records, to identify markers that it can then turn into diagnostic tests for those conditions.

A variety of other companies have been embarked on similar projects, most notably DeCode Genetics, which has been conducting genetic analyses on the Icelandic population for years. VentureWire notes that Genzion Biosciences has been doing the same for French Canadians.

BG Medicine drops IPO price range, seeks up to $52M — Waltham, Mass.-based BG Medicine, a developer of molecular diagnostics, dropped its IPO price range and now plans to raise no more than $52 million. The company, which had previously sought to offer up to 5.2 million shares at a price between $14 and $16, now aims for a price between $8 and $10. Its latest SEC filing is here.

The company’s setback is but the latest in its unusual IPO history. It first reported plans to go public on Amsterdam’s EuroNext exchange, then apparently scrapped that idea and filed to list on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. At its previously price range, BG Medicine stood to raise as much as $83 million, so its latest decision represents a fairly significant haircut to its earlier hopes.

Broncus Tech, medical device maker, files for $86M IPO — Broncus Technologies, a Mountain View, Calif., developer of minimally invasive devices for treating emphysema, filed to raise $86 million in an initial offering. The company’s SEC filing is here.

The Broncus technology is a minimally invasive, catheter-based device that creates new passages to bypass collapsed airways in the lungs caused by chronic smoking and similar issues, enabling trapped air to escape. Broncus is only one of several device companies hoping to treat emphysema; we’ve previously written about Emphasys Medical, which has also filed for an IPO (see the third item here) and Pulmonx (see here).

If at first you don’t succeed: Aegerion Pharma tries again with $86M IPO filing — Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, a Bridgewater, N.J., specialty pharma that withdrew an IPO bid in June, has decided to try again. The company once again aims to raise $86 million in its latest offering, which you can see here.

Our previous coverage of Aegerion, which is working on drugs that lower cholesterol in a new way, is here and here. No word on why the company thinks things are looking better now — of course, it cited the ubiquitous “market conditions” for its earlier withdrawal — but it has definitely returned.

BG Medicine cuts IPO size by 1.5M shares — BG Medicine, a Waltham, Mass., developer of molecular diagnostics that had aimed to go public on Amsterdam’s EuroNext exchange, last week cut its IPO size to 4.5 million shares from six million shares.

The company also appears to have boosted its IPO price, however, and may also have dropped its plan to list in Europe, as it is now pricing its shares in dollars rather than euros and says in its filing that it plans to list on the Nasdaq. In any event, BG Medicine now stands to raise as much as $83 million in the offering.

Reliant Tech formally withdraws IPO — The “skin-rejuvenation” laser maker, which reportedly postponed its IPO a few days ago, has formally withdrawn its filing, noting that terms available in the market are “not sufficiently attractive.” The company had aimed to raise up to $87 million in the offering. Now Reliant Pharmaceuticals, which is also pursuing an IPO, can rest easy.

Featured companies: AirInSpace, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Apollo Endosurgery, Ascension Health Partners, BG Medicine, CeraPedics, GlaxoSmithKline, Simplex Diabetic Supply, Zars Pharma

UPDATED: Last entry added at 2am PT on 10/8/07.

Anacor Pharma pulls in $22M from Glaxo, with hundreds of millions more on the line –Palo Alto, Calif.-based Anacor Pharmaceuticals, a biotech developing new anti-infective and anti-inflammatory drugs using boron chemistry, struck a wide-ranging partnership with GlaxoSmithKline worth up to $605 million. Anacor will receive a $12 million cash payment and a $10 million equity investment in exchange for Glaxo options to as many as eight drug candidates.

Anacor is also eligible for milestone payments on each product candidate, although the release is so badly worded it’s difficult to know exactly how much is really on the line. What the release says is that “Anacor is eligible to receive discovery, development, regulatory and commercial milestones ranging up to $252 million and $331 million for each product candidate.” Does that mean a total of $583 million for each candidate, somewhere between $252 million and $331 million, or something else altogether? You’ve got me. I’ve put in calls to both companies, and will update if someone clarifies this.

(UPDATE: A GSK representative finally called back, admitted that the original wording was unclear, and said that any given product candidate could yield maximum potential milestones of between $252 million and $331 million. Whew.)

Anacor is developing a new class of antibiotics, antifungal drugs and anti-inflammatories based on the novel properties of boron, an element that doesn’t feature largely in traditional pharmaceuticals. Its leading candidates target a fungal infection called onychomycosis and the autoimmune skin condition psoriasis. The company filed for a $58 million IPO in August; see our coverage here.

Simplex Diabetic Supply draws $50M for acquisitions — Brentwood, Tenn.-based Simplex Diabetic Supply (no Web site), a provider of diabetic testing supplies, raised $50 million for expansion. New Enterprise Associates provided the funding. Simplex Chairman Richard Pinson said the funding will allow the company to “accelerate and execute” its acquisition strategy. (UPDATE: See a longer take on this deal and what it says about the business strategies of nervous VCs here.)

Ascension Health Ventures launches $200M healthcare fund — Ascension Health Ventures, a St. Louis-based venture firm owned by the Catholic non-profit healthcare provider Ascension Health, launched a new $200 million fund. Ascension Health and two other Catholic health systems — Catholic Health Initiatives and Catholic Health East — provided the funding. The fund will target later-stage medical device, healthcare technology and healthcare service companies. The release is here.

Bone-graft substitutor CeraPedics pulls in $14M — The Lakewood, Colo., maker of a drug-infused putty that stimulates bone regrowth, raised $14.5 million of a $16.5 million first funding round, PE Hub reports, citing a regulatory filing. Orbimed Advisors led the round. CeraPedics makes a bone-graft substitute that relies on a peptide called P-15 that plays an important role initiating the formation of bone.

Apollo Endosurgery raises $11.5M for minimally invasive surgical devices — The Austin, Tex., developer of surgical devices designed for operations that utilize the body’s “natural orifices” raised $11.5 million in a first funding round. Among those providing the funding were PTV Sciences, H.I.G. Ventures, and individual investors. Apollo’s devices are specifically designed for surgeries that utilize the digestive tract in order to access the peritoneal cavity — a technique now being applied to obesity and early-stage cancers.

AirInSpace draws €6M for biodecontamination devices — Paris-based AirInSpace, a developer of devices that identify and neutralize airborne biological hazards, raised €6 million ($8.5 million) in a second funding round. Investors included Matignon Technologies and Oddo AM. AirInSpace makes devices that reduce airborne microbial pathogens, although I’ve read their release and Web site through a few times and I still don’t have a clue exactly how they’re supposed to do that.

AssayDepot gets $1.8M for drug-research service marketplace — San Diego’s AssayDepot, an Internet marketplace for the drug-research services industry, raised $1.8 million in a first funding round. Private investors provided the funding. The company is developing a marketplace intended to allow industry and academic researchers to contract for research services offered around the world.

Zars Pharma abandons IPO — Salt Lake City’s Zars Pharma, which reformulates pain drugs for delivery via skin patches, formally withdrew its proposed IPO, citing “market conditions.” Its SEC filing is here. The last we heard from the company was in late September, when Zars reportedly postponed an IPO that had been scheduled for that week. (See our previous coverage here, here and here.)

The Zars withdrawal doesn’t seem to herald any particular trend in the IPO market, which is still blowing hot and cold on biotech and pharma companies. For instance, MAP Pharmaceuticals, another specialty pharma that went public last Friday, has seen a nice share-price rise of more than 30% since its offering. Two more tests of the biotech IPO market are expected this week: BioHeart (which I covered here) and Targanta Therapeutics (our coverage here and here).

Diagnostics maker BG Medicine sets IPO range, aims for €50M — BG Medicine, a Waltham, Mass., maker of molecular diagnostics for heart disease and measuring drug response, now hopes to raise as much as €50 million ($70.8 million) in an IPO. BG Medicine plans to sell as many as 6.9 million shares at a price of €5.75 to €7.25 apiece. We last wrote about the company here.

(UPDATED at 5:05 p.m. PDT; see below.)
(As part of my ongoing effort to strike the right balance between keeping up with venture-business news and writing more analysis, I’m inaugurating a daily briefing that will collect deal-related news items from the life sciences in one place. I’ll continue updating this post throughout the day as the news dictates. Comments on this or any other feature of this blog are always welcome; sound off below. For more on recent and possible future changes to the Life Sciences site, see earlier posts here and here.)

Featured companies: CoolSystems, BioProcessors, ConforMIS, Semafore Pharmaceuticals, Vatera Capital, Danish Diagnostic Development, BG Medicine

CoolSystems raises $3M for sports medicine — CoolSystems, a Berkeley, Calif., medical-device maker focused on sports medicine and post-surgical treatments for orthopedic injuries, raised $3 million in an expected $6 million seventh funding round, VentureWire reports (subscription required). The inside round includes MedVenture Associates, Maxwell Trust, Roda Group and angel and individual investors. Completing the $6 million round will bring the company’s total fundraising to $28.9 million.

Founded in 1998, CoolSystems makes and sells compression and cooling wraps under the GameReady brand. From the VentureWire story:

The company’s device treatments include a technology that provides a simultaneous compression and cold therapy, as well as wraps, for the treatment of post-orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. The technology works when a cloth is wrapped around the treatment area and is squeezed on the outside like a blood pressure cuff with a cyclical compression to reduce swelling, while high speed cooling is applied on the inside. The company also worked on the wraps with doctors and dress designers to get the best fit. CoolSystem’s equine division sells products for competitive and post-operative horses.

Implant maker ConforMIS secures $10M debt facility – Lexington, Mass.-based ConforMIS, a maker of knee implants for arthritis patients, secured a $10 million “debt facility” with Merrill Lynch Capital. The funding will help accelerate commercialization of the company’s patient-specific knee implants while serving as a bridge to a mezzanine round.

Microbioreactor maker BioProcessors raises $10M — BioProcessors, a Woburn, Mass., developer of drug-development laboratory equipment, raised an additional $10 million in a third funding round, bringing its total for the round to $28 million, VentureWire reports.

Investors included LSP Ventures, HLM Venture Partners, New Science Ventures, Oxford Bioscience Partners and Healthcare Ventures. According to PE Hub, the company has a post-money valuation of approximately $68 million. BioProcessors, founded in 2000, makes miniature “bioreactors” for culturing cells or conducting automated cell-based experiments.

Semafore Pharma names new CEO – Semafore Pharmaceuticals, an Indianapolis biotech focused on cancer drugs, named Edward Jacobs as its new CEO. Jacobs was previously the chief operating officer at SuperGen.

Kos Pharma founder starts new VC fund — Michael Jaharis, a co-founder of Kos Pharmaceuticals, which Abbott Labs snapped up for $4.2 billion last December, has launched his own VC fund, Vatera Capital, VentureWire reports. The fund has already participated in one funding, a $53 million round for Aveo Pharmaceuticals (see our coverage here). Given Jaharis’ background running drug-reformulation companies — that is, ones focused on figuring out how to package old drugs in new ways — it seems likely that his investments will follow suit. (Aveo, which licensed its cancer drugs from Mitsubishi Pharma, is a pretty good example, in fact.) This strategy can certainly make money — Kos itself is a prime example of that — but it probably isn’t going to knock anyone’s socks off.

Israel’s manufacturing-quality inspector Orbotech pays $39M to acquire Danish Diagnostic Development — Orbotech, an Israel-based maker of electronic-component inspection systems, agreed to buy Danish Diagnostic Development for $39 million in cash, plus up to another $6.5 million in milestone payments. (See the release here.)

DDD is a leading maker of “gamma cameras” used in CT and MRI scans as well as in “nuclear medicine,” which involves injecting a radioactive solution into a patient, then observing their movements with the gamma camera. Orbotech said the acquisition heralds its diversification into medical imaging.

BG Medicine files for European IPO — Waltham, Mass.-based BG Medicine notified the SEC that it intends to go public on the Euronext Amsterdam market. BG Medicine is focused on developing new “molecular diagnostics” that aimed at detecting disease or other bodily harm at the earliest possible moment. The company’s lead candidates include tests for early signs of heart failure or clogged arteries and another test to determine if patients are likely to respond to new cancer drugs such as Herceptin and Avastin.

UPDATE (5:05pm PT): Added items on Semafore Pharmaceuticals, Vatera Capital, Danish Diagnostic Development and BG Medicine.