iScience sees $20.5M for eye surgery instruments
iScience Interventional, maker of surgical tools for eye operations, has closed a prolonged sixth round of funding at $20.5 million after facing a bit more of a challenge due to the economic climate. The money will be used to commercialize its line of micro-catheters used to remove fluid from or deliver medication to the back region of people’s eyes. It hopes to have them on the market by the end of 2010 at the latest,… Continue Reading
Primaeva Medical raises $6M for aging skin
Primaeva Medical, a company developing a radio-frequency device to treat aging skin, has raised $6 million in a third round of funding, according to VentureWire. The company said it has completed crucial tests and will probably raise a fourth round for sales and marketing at the end of the year.
Affinity Capital Management led the round, with participation from existing investors Delphi Ventures and Frazier Healthcare Ventures. The Pleasanton, Calif. company has raised more than $14… Continue Reading
Transoma brings in $5M for heart diagnostics
Transoma, maker of cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic products, landed $5 million in fourth-round funding from United Therapeutics, Affinity Capital Management, Canaan Partners, Cross Creek Capital and Polaris Venture Partners, reports VentureWire. The money comes after the company withdrew its filing to go public earlier this year.
Based in St. Paul, Minn., the biotech company hoped to bring in $67.2 million on 4.2 million shares, but decided against going public due to unfavorable market conditions. Before it filed in November, it had… Continue Reading
Novasys Medical takes $49.5M for women’s medical device
Novasys Medical is a Newark, Calif. medical company that makes a device for a specific condition affecting some women, called female stress urinary incontinence.
The device Novasys makes is the only real alternative to surgery for women with the problem, according to an interview with the CEO in VentureWire, which also reported the funding.
The $49.5 million was led by Versant Ventures, with participation from Skyline Ventures, Three Arch Partners, Affinity Capital Management, Alloy Ventures, Delphi Ventures,… Continue Reading
Life-science briefing: Thursday, April 3, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
Mirna Thera spins out of Asuragen with $3M (release)
Stroke-therapy startup CoAxia raises $12M (release)
Stealthy device maker Synvascular gets $6.5M (peHUB)
AndroScience seeks $3.5M for anti-testosterone drugs (VentureWire)
Austria’s ProtAffin takes in €1.1M grant (release)
Singapore’s Moleac receives $3.5M for Chinese medicine (release)
Alethia Bio gets C$2.4M for antibody drugs (release)
Alba Thera names Bruce Peacock as CEO (release)
SkinMedica names Mary Fisher as CEO (release)
Mirna Thera spins out of Asuragen with $3M – Mirna Therapeutics, a newly minted Austin, Tex., startup focused… Continue Reading
Pegasus Bio gets $20M for surgical-repair bioimplants
Pegasus Biologics, an Irvine, Calif., maker of flexible-but-strong tissue substitutes designed to speed muscle-tendon repair or wound healing, raised $20 million in a third round of funding.
Despite the word “biologics” in its name — a term that is often synonymous with protein-based biotechnology drugs — Pegasus isn’t a drug company. Nor is it strictly a medical-device maker. Instead, the company has devised “bioimplants” made from equine pericardium — horse heart, in other words — that… Continue Reading