Rennovia takes $6 million to turn organic feedstocks into specialty chemicals
While the idea of deriving biofuels from organic feedstocks (corn, sugarcane, switchgrass, for example), has been getting a lot of attention recently, there’s another, even more lucrative side of the business. Many of the same companies working on biofuels have also been converting these materials… Continue Reading
TivaMed culls $6M more for stealthy gynecology device
TivaMed, a medical device maker working on radio-frequency-based technology for the gynecology field, has raised another $6 million in a first round of funding — bringing the total of the round to $10 million. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., the company says this financing will… Continue Reading
Heart drug co. Relypsa gets $10M more to complete trials
Pharmaceutical company Relypsa announced that its investors extended its first round of funding by $10 million to a total $43 million to help it finish phase-two clinical trials on its lead drug candidate, a treatment that could alleviate symptoms of heart failure and chronic kidney… Continue Reading
Pearl Therapeutics gathers $8M to treat breathing disorders
Pearl Therapeutics, a Redwood City, Calif.-based developer of inhaled drugs to treat respiratory diseases like COPD and asthma, just landed $8 million in venture debt from Oxford Finance and Silicon Valley Bank to expand its product line.
The company licensed particle-based technology from San Carlos, Calif.-based… Continue Reading
Anaphore cultures $25M for protein treatments
Biotech firm Anaphore has raised $25 million in first-round funding to continue development of protein therapies for cancer and immune diseases. The money, which includes $8 million in seed financing received in March, is enough to push a couple of its drugs into clinical trials.
In… Continue Reading
KaloBios tacks on $12M more for engineered antibodies
South San Francisco, Calif.-based KaloBios, a biotech company that raised $20 million just five months ago, has added another $12 million in a second close of its fourth round of venture capital.
KaloBios has three antibody products in development, each of which targets a specific set… Continue Reading
Engineered antibody maker KaloBios takes on $20M for clinical trials
South San Francisco, Calif.-based KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, which develops non-human antibodies for use in human bodies, has taken $20 million in its fourth round of venture funding.
KaloBios is currently going through seven first- and second-phase clinical trials for two drugs and is working on a third,… Continue Reading
Pearl Therapeutics ups its first round funding
Pearl Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, has upped its first round of funding to $33.5 million after an additional $18 million investment, according to VentureWire.
New investor Nektar Therapeutics joins all of the company’s previous investors including Clarus Ventures, New Leaf Ventures and 5AM Ventures in this… Continue Reading
ImmunoNewco: The background story emerges
Just over six weeks ago, we broke the news that 5AM Ventures had plunked $3.3 million into a stealthy biotech it was calling ImmunoNewco, and a few weeks later speculated further that the startup might be engaged in a pharmacogenomic “rescue” of immune-modulating drugs acquired… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
RNAi developer PhaseRx gets $4M of a pledged $19M (Seattle Times)
TyRx Pharma, drug-device combo maker, raises $25M (release)
Agennix aims at $40M for cancer drugs (VentureWire)
Starr Life Sciences goes after $1.6M for small-animal vital-signs scanner (VW)
CardioNet sets IPO terms, aims to raise $96M (IPOhome)
RNAi developer… Continue Reading
5AM Ventures’ stealthy $3.3M, immune-related startup
(UPDATED: See below.)
5AM Ventures has invested $3.3 million in an immunology startup so far known only as ImmunoNewco. Andy Schwab, a co-founder of 5AM, confirmed the investment but declined to provide further details, saying only that “we’re still putting ImmunoNewco together.”
ImmunoNewco — a name that will… Continue Reading
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
Amgen, Relypsa and the art of the biotech-spinout-startup-restart
(UPDATED: See below.)
A common dilemma in biotech acquisitions is how to keep a startup’s entrepreneurial management happy and productive when they’ve just been assimilated by the Borg. The answer, often enough, is not to bother, and to let them spin out a new company with scientific… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007
Featured companies: Cyntellect, Lectus Therapeutics, NeoMatrix, Nexstim, Pearl Therapeutics, Proteon Therapeutics, SupplyScape
(UPDATED at 10am PT: See below.)
Airway-disease specialist Pearl Therapeutics raises $15.5M — Redwood City, Calif.-based Pearl Therapeutics, a drug-formulation company focused on respiratory disease, raised $15.5 million in a first funding round. Investors included New Leaf… Continue Reading
KaloBios draws in $20M for antibody drugs
KaloBios, a Palo Alto, Calif., biotech antibody-therapeutic company, raised $20 million in a third funding round. The company is developing new drugs based on monoclonal antibodies, which target specific cells or proteins in the body. Its lead candidate, an antibody against granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor,… Continue Reading
Marcadia Biotech pulls in $15M for hypoglycemia drug
Marcadia Biotech, an Indianapolis biotech focused on diabetes and obesity, raised $15 million in a first round of funding led by Frazier Healthcare Ventures and founding investor 5AM Ventures. Founding investor Twilight Venture Partners also joined the round. The company’s announcement is here.
Marcadia, founded by… Continue Reading
Neurological co. Synosis raises $32.5M
Synosis, a South San Francisco company developing treatments for neurological disorders, said it has raised $32.5 million and has entered a partnership with Roche.
Synosis, which was spun out of an incubator EuroVentures (owned by Versant Ventures), raised its cash from from Versant Ventures, Abingworth Management,… Continue Reading
5AM Ventures raises $150M venture fund, its second
5AM Ventures, a Menlo Park health care firm, has raised its second venture fund at $150 million and has already funded three companies from it, Managing Partner Andrew J. Schwab told VentureWire (sub required).
Symyx creates new transportation sensor company, Visyx
Symyx Technologies, of Santa Clara, said it has created an independent “spin-out” company to develop sensor technologies.
The new company, Visyx Technologies (no Web site yet), will focus on developing sensors for the transportation and industrial markets, particularly for use in passenger, truck and off-road… Continue Reading
Achaogen, an antibacterial co., raises $26M
Achaogen, a South San Francisco developer of antibacterial compounds, said it has raised $26M in a second round of financing, led by new investor Domain Venture Partners.
All of Achaogen’s first-round investors (5AM Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Venrock Associates, and Versant Ventures) participated in the… Continue Reading