Fast gene sequencing in two years? Investors bet $100M on Pacific BioSciences making it happen

Fast gene sequencing in two years? Investors bet $100M on Pacific BioSciences making it happen

Representing a potential medical quantum leap similar to, but even more important than the commercialization of X-ray imaging, Pacific BioSciences has taken a whopping $100 million to make it possible to affordably map out an individual’s entire genome in a matter of minutes, and for… Continue Reading

QuatRx Pharma draws $44M after pulling IPO

Ann Arbor, Mich., specialty pharmaceutical company QuatRx Pharmaceuticals raised $44 million in a fifth funding round following the withdrawal of its initial offering last July. Like the much better-known Jazz Pharmaceuticals, QuatRx acquires drugs from other companies in order to push them through clinical development,… Continue Reading

Cardiovascular biotech Portola Pharmaceuticals raises $70M, eyes IPO

Portola Pharmaceuticals, a South San Francisco, Calif., biotech aiming to develop treatments for blood clots and other heart-related problems, raised $70 million in a third round of financing dominated by late-stage and public-market investors.

Among new investors in the round were Brookside Capital; AllianceBernstein; Teachers’ Private… Continue Reading

Metabolex raises $32 million for metabolic disease treatment

Hayward, Calif.’s Metabolex, a biotech company developing treatments for diabetes and related metabolic disorders, said it has raised $32 million in a fourth round of financing.

It was led by MPM BioEquities. New investors AllianceBernstein, Deerfield Management and T. Rowe Price also participated in the round,… Continue Reading