Life sciences briefing: Monday, Nov. 26, 2007
Featured companies: Biospace Med, Carbylan BioSurgery, GVK BioSciences, IntraSafe Medical, InViragen, Medingo, ParadigmHealth, Precimed, SV Life Sciences
UPDATED: Expanded items on Carbylan, Medingo, and GVK Biosciences.
Carbylan raises $20M for arthritis, sinusitis drug implants — Palo Alto, Calif.-based Carbylan BioSurgery, a medical-device maker focused on polymer-based drug-delivery technologies, raised $20 million in a second funding round. Investors included Vivo Ventures, Alta Partners and InterWest Partners.
Carbylan is developing a biomaterial-based drug-delivery system in which drug-impregnated polymers of hyaluronic acid… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007
Featured companies: Advanced Bio-Surfaces, Ambit Biosciences, EnteroMedics, Molecular Vision, Skyline Ventures
UPDATED: Expanded items on Skyline Ventures, Ambit, and Molecular Vision, and moved EnteroMedics to a new item here.
Skyline Ventures raises $350M life-sciences fund — Skyline Ventures, a Palo Alto, Calif., VC firm, closed a $350 million fund for healthcare and life-sciences investments. The fund is Skyline’s fifth.
Skyline is unquestionably coming off a hot streak. As it notes in its release, three of its portfolio companies were acquired… Continue Reading
U-Systems raises $16.5M for breast ultrasound systems
U-Systems, a San Jose, Calif., maker of ultrasound systems for breast imaging, raised $16.5 million in a fifth round of funding. The company, founded in 1997, markets its systems for the early detection of breast cancer, particularly in women with dense breast tissue.
Although based in Silicon Valley, the company has strong ties to Taiwan. Siemens Venture Capital led the round, joined by Sycamore Ventures, MDS Capital, Radius Ventures, Kinetic Capital, United Investments of Taiwan, President… Continue Reading
Cleveland biotech Athersys raises $65M with reverse-merger
Athersys, a Cleveland, Ohio biotech, went public via reverse merger and raised $65 million in a private placement. The company’s release is here.
Founded in 1995, Athersys is active in a bewildering number of areas. Its lead product candidate is an appetite-suppressing drug that acts on a serotonin receptor in the brain called 5HT2c, and in general the company describes itself as focused on metabolic and neurological conditions. But it is also at work on an… Continue Reading
BioStorage Tech raises $8M for specimen and tissue management
Indianapolis-based BioStorage Technologies, a provider of biological-material storage services, raised $8.3 million in a first round of funding. The company’s statement is here (PDF).
BioStorage claims to be a “worldwide leader” in the outsourced storage and management of all manner of biological materials, ranging from tissue, bone and blood samples to forensics material to manufactured biological products. It initially raised $5 million (PDF) in its first round last August, then added a second tranche in late… Continue Reading