HotSpur launches dialysis technology with new $2.75M
HotSpur Technologies, developer of technology for less invasive dialysis, has brought in $2.75 million to bring its two lead products to market. Based in Mountain View, Calif., the company is backed by Onset Ventures, Bio-Star Private Equity Fund, Finistere Partners, Saratoga Ventures, Three Arch Partners… Continue Reading
Rennovia takes $6 million to turn organic feedstocks into specialty chemicals
While the idea of deriving biofuels from organic feedstocks (corn, sugarcane, switchgrass, for example), has been getting a lot of attention recently, there’s another, even more lucrative side of the business. Many of the same companies working on biofuels have also been converting these materials… Continue Reading
Portaero still looking for $182K to treat emphysema
Portaero, developer of a device used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases — particularly emphysema — has raised the bulk of its targeted $12 million round of equity, according to regulatory filings. It is still short $182,000. Based in Cupertino, Calif., the company, which lacks… Continue Reading
ForSight startup takes in $6M for advanced eye care
ForSight Vision4, the fourth vision technology startup incubated by ForSight Labs, has brought in $6 million in venture capital, reports VentureWire. While no investors in this recent round were named, the firm’s past companies have been backed by Morgenthaler Ventures, Split Rock Partners and Versant… Continue Reading
Transcend Medical sees $20M for glaucoma device
Transcend Medical, maker of devices used to treat glaucoma, brought in $20 million of an anticipated $40 million round of equity, reports VentureWire. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., the company brought in $9.4 million in a first round of funding in 2006 from Morgenthaler Ventures,… Continue Reading
Intuitive Surgical buys NeoGuide for less invasive surgical tech
Intuitive Surgical, provider of large robotic surgical equipment, announced its acquisition of NeoGuide Systems, a San Jose, Calif., company that makes minimally invasive surgical devices. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Intuitive says it doesn’t have a specific application for NeoGuide’s technology… Continue Reading
Redbrick gets a $15M boost for incentive-based health insurance
Redbrick Health, provider of employer insurance that bases employee premiums on their behavior, has scored $15 million in a third round of funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The Minneapolis, Minn.-based firm says the system is designed to encourage insurance recipients to adopt… Continue Reading
LensX Lasers nabs $22M for eye surgery lasers
LensX Lasers, a maker of surgical lasers used to repair cataracts, has brought in $22.36 million in a second round of funding from Versant Ventures, InterWest Partners and SV Life Sciences. Based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., the company was founded by the same team as… Continue Reading
Neovista sees $18M to treat eye disorders
Neovista, a Fremont, Calif.-based biotech company specializing in eye diseases, says it raised $18 million in a fourth round of funding to commercialize its new device. The money came from Accuitive Medical Ventures, Carlyle Group, Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, MPM Capital, SV Life Sciences and… Continue Reading
Public biotech firms Cadence, Affymax draw $128M from bargain-hunting VCs
Much has been written about how the IPO market froze out biotech companies in 2008, but it looks like times are also tough for those who went public before the economy soured. Cadence Pharmaceuticals has seen a dip in stock price from $9 to $7.53… Continue Reading
Alter-G uses anti-gravity tech for physical therapy, raises $8M
Medical device maker Alter-G, has an interesting concept for physical therapy: Anti-gravity. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., it offers a special treadmill, called the G-Trainer, that uses air pressure to give patients the feeling of weightlessness as they are moving. And it just landed $8… Continue Reading
Achaogen takes in $5.6M to fight bacterial infections
Pharmaceutical company Achaogen received a $5.6 million grant from the U.K.-based Wellcome Trust as part of its Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative. The money will go toward phase one clinical trials of the San Francisco company’s lead drug candidates, aimed at treating bacterial infections that are… Continue Reading
Anaphore cultures $25M for protein treatments
Biotech firm Anaphore has raised $25 million in first-round funding to continue development of protein therapies for cancer and immune diseases. The money, which includes $8 million in seed financing received in March, is enough to push a couple of its drugs into clinical trials.
In… Continue Reading
Med device maker Acclarent’s IPO flatlines — but could be revived
Acclarent, maker of medical devices to treat ear, nose and throat conditions, has become the latest biotech firm to withdraw its IPO due to poor market conditions. It originally filed in June, hoping to bring in $86.3 million to expand marketing and sales activities.
The Menlo… Continue Reading
Phenomix cancels IPO, finds new lab partner
Biopharmaceuticals company Phenomix withdrew its filing to go public yesterday and right away announced a $340-million collaboration deal with Forest Laboratories. The IPO, intended to raise $86.3 million, had been pending since January.
Forest will aid the San Diego-based firm in the development of its diabetes… Continue Reading
Pathwork Diagnostics raises $20M for cancer diagnostic tests
Pathwork Diagnostics, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based maker of cancer diagnostic tets, has raised $20 million in a second round of funding. The round was led by new investor Abingworth Management, with participation from existing backers Advent Venture Partners, Novus Ventures, Prospect Venture Partners, Venrock and Versant… Continue Reading
New $32M round helps APT battle lung transplant rejection
APT Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that it has raised $32 million in its second round from a flock of investors led by Three Arch Partners, and including InterWest Partners, Pinnacle Ventures, Charter Life Sciences, Great Point Partners, Versant Ventures and Vivo Ventures.
APT, headquartered in Burlingame,… Continue Reading
ForteBio raises $25M for life science analytical instruments
ForteBio is a Menlo Park, Calif. company that makes instruments for biomolecular analysis in the life sciences. Its instruments can measure proteins, DNA, RNA and other small molecules without the use of labels.
Label-free measurement dispenses with the chemical markers that most techniques use, allowing for… Continue Reading
Versant Ventures raises $500M for life sciences investing
Versant Ventures, a Menlo Park, Calif. venture firm that specializes in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, has raised $500 million for its fourth fund to date.
The firm has some 75 companies under management. Some of its more prominent investments to date include Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Helicos Biosciences and… Continue Reading
Life-science briefing: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
Antibody-discovery startup Adimab raises new funding (release)
Lung-device maker Spiration gets $19M (release)
Sample-prep startup Protein Discovery pulls in $10M (release)
Inogen takes in $13M for portable oxygen device (VentureWire)
Healthcare IT concern Medaptus raises $11M for expansion (VentureWire)
Contract lab Synexis raises $14M (peHUB)
Medical-device VC firm BioStar Ventures takes… Continue Reading