Bioroundup: Stem-cell science and money, genetic tests go political, clinical-trial data woes, and more
(NOTE: Apologies — especially to RSS readers — if you’ve seen this post before, but an apparent server error ate it late yesterday and I was only able to recover it this morning. Enjoy, or ignore, as seems most fit.)
Featured stories:
Stem-cell science, money and death
Gene tests: Out of control?
Clinical-trial data wants to be free
Drug, biotech industries face uncertainty
Short takes
Clones, regrown hearts, money and death — Last week, the San Diego biotech http://www.stemagen.com/… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Monday, Jan. 14, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
Autonomic Technologies raises $3M for neurostimulators (PE Hub)
Canopy Financial raises $15M for outsourced healthcare management (release)
Cancer-drug developer AmpliMed draws $5M (PE Hub)
Caprotec Bioanalytics receives €6M for protein-analysis tech (release)
ProtAffin draws additional €1.4M for anti-inflammatory drugs (release)
Toxicology-services firm Bridge Labs takes in $18M (release)
Dental-compound maker NovaMin takes in $2.2M (TechJournal South)
Aushon Bio takes in $4M for microarrays (PE Hub)
Treatment Online receives $750K for Web behavioral healthcare (PDF release)
IPO the Hospitalist aims to raise $60M with… Continue Reading
EnteroMedics and its risky obesity device, the latest victims of the IPO haircut
(UPDATED: See below.)
(NOTE: This item was originally published as part of today’s life-sciences briefing.)
EnteroMedics, a St. Paul, Minn., device maker working on a neuromodulation implant for treating obesity, slashed its expected IPO pricing by half, lowering it to a range of $8 to $9 instead of its earlier estimate of $14 to $16. The company’s latest SEC fliing is here; under the new terms, EnteroMedics can raise at most $51.8 million, down from the $92 million… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Friday, Oct. 26, 2007
Featured companies: Allozyne, Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Arthrosurface, Bay City Capital, EnteroMedics, OncoVista, Novotech, Power Medical Interventions, Reliant Technologies
UPDATED: Expanded items on Allozyne, Reliant Tech, Power Medical and Bay City Capital.
UPDATE REDUX: Added item on EnteroMedics IPO.
Seattle’s Allozyne draws $30M for new interferon — Allozyne, a Seattle biotech focused on tweaking existing protein-based drugs to improve their properties, raised $30 million in a second round of financing. Investors included MPM Capital, OVP Venture Partners, Amgen Ventures, ARCH Venture… Continue Reading
Neuromodulator Innovative Metabolics picks up $5.5M
Innovative Metabolics, a Boston developer of neuromodulation systems for “chronic disease,” raised $5.5 million in a first funding round, VentureWire reports (subscription required). The round was led by Morgenthaler Ventures, which was joined by Foundation Medical Partners.
Although the company apparently still wants to keep a low profile, it’s not too hard to make an educated guess at what it might be up to. In January, Innovative Metabolics paid $500,000 and an unspecified number of preferred… Continue Reading
EnteroMedics plans $86M IPO for obesity-control implants
EnteroMedics, a St. Paul, Minn., developer of obesity-treatment implants, filed to raise up to $86.25 million in an IPO. Its S-1 filing with the SEC is here.
The company is developing a neuromodulation implant called VBLOC that is designed to intermittently disrupt signals sent along the vagus nerve, which regulates many functions of the stomach, intestines and pancreas. Ideally, the implanted device will limit stomach expansion, reduce the frequency and strength of stomach contractions, and induce… Continue Reading
Apnex Medical raises $16.1M for sleep-apnea devices
Apnex Medical, a Minneapolis maker of implants for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, raised $16.1 million in a first round of funding. Participants included Domain Associates, New Enterprise Associates, Polaris Ventures Partners and Apnex Chairman Michael Berman.
VentureWire reports that Apnex is using “neurostimulation” technology, presumably involving timed electrical pulses to open upper-throat muscles that can close during sleep and choke off the airway, interrupting breathing for a period of up to 10 seconds —… Continue Reading
NeuroVista raises $33.8M for epilepsy devices
(CORRECTED: See below.)
Seattle-based NeuroVista, a developer of devices for the treatment of epilepsy, raised $33.8 million in a second-round funding and left behind its former name, BioNeuronics.
The company, founded in 2002 by whiz kid Daniel DiLorenzo, has been quiet about its technology and commercial direction. In April, however, DiLorenzo received a patent for a “neurological control system” using “closed-loop intracranial stimulation” for the “optimal control of neurological disease.” In other words, given NeuroVista’s public interest in… Continue Reading
CVRx, developer of hypertension-treatment devices, draws in $65M
CVRx, a Minneapolis-based developer of an implantable device for the control of high blood pressure, raised $65 million in a fourth round of funding that will support a “pivotal” clinical trial of the device. The round was led by Johnson & Johnson Development, and also included existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Thomas Weisel Healthcare Venture Partners, InterWest Partners, ABS Ventures, Frazier Healthcare Ventures and SightLine Partners. CVRx has so far raised a total of $125… Continue Reading