Velomedix snags $3.5M to treat hypothermia
Velomedix, a biotech company that makes treatments for hypothermia, has raised $3.5 million in a first round of preferred stock, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., it is backed by Life Science Angels, Longitude Capital and Wavepoint Ventures.
Verdezyne raises $3M for organism-made biofuels
Verdezyne, a company that develops special microorganisms used to produce biofuels and biochemicals, has brought in $3 million of an expected $15.2 million round of equity, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., the company is backed by Life Science Angels, Monitor Ventures, OVP Venture Partners and Tech Coast Angels. It also received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Satoris closes $1.1M for Alzheimer’s diagnostics
Satoris, a Redwood City, Calif. company that makes bloodstream-based diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease, says it has raised $1.12 million toward an anticipated $1.5 million bridge round, which will be used to commercialize its lead product, reports VentureWire.
The plan is to market the tests to researchers and pharmaceutical companies as a precise way to track the progression of the disease. Eventually, the company says it will follow up with a clinical test — contingent on… Continue Reading
Biomimedica raises $2.4 million for joint repairs
Biomimedica has raised $2.4 million in a first round for its joint-repair business.
VentureWire reported that Emergent Medical Ventures led the round. Other investors include Asset Management Co. and Life Science Angels.
Based in Santa Clara, Calif., Biomimedica was started earlier this year. The company is developing a synthetic cartilage called Cartigel for joint repair.
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. Investors included Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Synergy Partners International, Delphi Ventures and Life Science Angels.
Breathe is developing “compact” and “lightweight” respiratory systems for the hospital and home markets, and… Continue Reading
Satoris raises $5M, preps Alzheimer’s test for research use
Redwood City, Calif.-based Satoris, a biotech developing a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease, raised $5 million in a second funding round, VentureWire reports. The deal values Satoris at $13.8 million after the financings. The company had previously raised $1 million from individuals, and said it will seek another $15 million this year.
Satoris plans to use the funding to begin commercialization of its protein-based blood test for Alzheimer’s disease, which the company expects to make available… Continue Reading
Satoris seeks $5M for Alzheimer’s test — with high errors
Satoris, a Redwood City, Calif., biotech developing a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease, is close to raising $5 million in a second funding round, VentureWire reports (subscription required). The funds will allow the company to make its test available to outside researchers.
Satoris made a big splash in mid-October, when researchers identified 18 proteins they said could be used to identify people with Alzheimer’s disease via a simple blood test. What’s more, the test also appeared… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007
Featured companies: BioVex, FullTurn Media, Humanetics, N Spine, Novitas Capital, Reliant Technologies, Symbios, Vaxart, Virtual Radiologic, Winston Laboratories, Zosano Pharma
EXPANDING ITEMS: Stay tuned.
Vaxart receives $3.3M for oral vaccines — San Francisco’s Vaxart, a biotech developing novel adenovirus-based vaccines, raised $2.7 million in a first funding round. Vaxart also received a $600,000 small-business innovation grant from the NIH to assist in developing the company’s vaccine platform.
Vaxart’s vaccine technology involves a non-replicating adenovirus engineered to produce a particular bacterial… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007
Featured companies: Akermin, Fluxion Biosciences, iCardiacTechnologies, Wellocities
UPDATED: Expanded items on Fluxion, Akermin, and Wellocities.
Fluxion Bio draws in $6.9M for cell-analysis tools — Fluxion Biosciences, a San Francisco developer of cellular-analysis tools, raised $6.9 million in a second funding round, VentureWire reports (subscription required). Investors included Kodiak Venture Partners, Claremont Creek Ventures and Life Science Angels.
Fluxion takes the idea of running chemical reactions against living cells — a key step in screening and analyzing the activity of drug… Continue Reading
Coda Genomics: Better proteins through engineering
Coda Genomics, a Laguna Hills, Calif., biotechnology company founded in 2005, concentrates on a thorny but little-realized challenge in biotechnology: Genetic engineering is easy. Protein manufacture is hard.
The biotech industry was founded on the science of recombinant DNA, which is essentially the trick of taking a gene from one species (such as a human) and inserting it into the genome of another (say, the microbe E. coli). Since many genes are essentially templates for… Continue Reading
Secretive medical device maker, VasoNova, raises $1.25M
VasoNova , a Sunnyvale, Calif. medical device startup that is still secretive, has secured $1.25 million of a $4.7 million Series A round, according to a regulatory filing cited by PE Week. Backers include Life Science Angels, Aphelion Medical Fund and Coronis Medical Ventures.