Arresto lands funds to treat cancer and fibrotic disease
Arresto Biosciences, maker of a drug that targets both cancer and fibrotic diseases, just landed an undisclosed third round of funding to push its lead compound closer to clinical trials. The Palo Alto, Calif. company is taking a new approach to the destruction of tumors…. Continue Reading
Catalyst lands $40M to combat disease-causing proteins
Catalyst Biosciences has raked in $40.4 million in third-round funding to continue engineering an enzyme called protease to fight disease-causing proteins. The technology has the potential to affect many different diseases, including cancer and hemophilia. It has R&D agreements with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Centocor Research… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Wednesday, March 5, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
Precision Thera merger with “blank check” Oracle Healthcare collapses (release)
Sleep Solutions takes in $21M for sleep-apnea diagnostics (release)
Trevena takes in $24M for drugs targeting G-proteins (release)
“Specialty biotech” PanGenetics gets €23M for antibody drugs (release)
Cancer-drug maker Unibioscreen pulls in €5M (release)
Danish contract manufacturer CMC Biologics… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
InSound Medical raises $11M for “invisible” hearing aids (VBLS exclusive)
Corventis takes in $20M for heart-failure therapy (VBLS exclusive)
Molecular diagnostics user AssureRx raises $1M (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Arresto Biosciences, cancer-drug developer, raises funds (VentureWire)
San Diego’s Obalon raises $4.7M for drug discovery (peHUB)
InSound Medical raises $11M for “invisible”… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Monday, Feb. 4, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
PEAK Surgical takes in $21M for electrosurgical tools (release)
CellGate acquired by Australian cancer biotech ProGen for $2.5M (release)
Traversa raises $2M for RNAi-delivery technologies (release)
RemitDATA, Web-based healthcare-service co., takes in $5.5M (bizjournals.com)
Spinal-implant maker Archus Orthopedics gets $10M venture loan (release)
Promedior pulls down another $5.5M for… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007
Featured companies: BioVex, Cavadis, Innovention, Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Phase Bioscience, Reliant Pharmaceuticals, Xencor
UPDATED: Expanded Paratek and Xencor items.
Paratek Pharma raises $40M for new antibiotics — Boston’s Paratek Pharmaceuticals, a biotech working on new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections, raised a first tranche of a $40 million eighth… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007
Featured companies: Ablynx, Cardiosolutions, Carigent Thereapeutics, Elusys, Genome Corp., GlobeImmune, Novazone, Targanta Therapeutics, Waterfront Media
UPDATED at 5:45am on 9/27/07
GlobeImmune raises $41M for immune-system therapies — GlobeImmune, a Louisville, Colo., biotech focused on new forms of immunotherapy to treat viral infections and cancer, raised $41.2 million in… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Monday, Aug. 6, 2007
(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 Reading
Vaccine co., VaxInnate, raises $40 from Canaan & others
VaxInnate, of Cranbury, NJ said it has raised $40 million in a Series C financing for its development of vaccines for pandemic and seasonal influenza. It is the latest in a series of investments in the sector, as concern rises about the risks of a… Continue Reading
Amgen to buy inflammation drug co. Avidia for up to $380M
Biotech giant Amgen said it has agreed to buy Mountain View-based Avidia for up to $380 million.
Under the accord, expected to be completed this year, Amgen of Thousand Oaks will pay $290 million in cash and up to $90 million more if Avidia meets certain… Continue Reading