two Phase 3 trials. (The first one fared better.) Rigel said it still plans to talk to the FDA about potential approval.
CASH ON THE BARRELHEAD
—Life science investors Sofinnova of Menlo Park, CA, announced a new $650 million fund, its tenth. Sunil Agarwal, a veteran of Ultragenyx and Genentech, will join as a partner.
—CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRSP]]) reeled in $56 million with its IPO, about half what other CRISPR companies’ IPOs earlier this year. It also sold $35 million more in stock to partner Bayer. J-Lo is not a significant shareholder, according to public records.
—South San Francisco’s BlackThorn Therapeutics announced a $40 million Series A round and four drug programs to treat neurobehavioral diseases. One of its drugs should enter Phase 2 studies for depression and other conditions in 2017.
—True North Therapeutics of South San Francisco bagged $45 million in a Series D round to push into later-stage studies with its lead drug to treat a rare form of anemia.
—Boston-based Veritas Genetics, a genetic screening startup co-founded by Harvard University professor George Church, raised a $30 million Series B round and hired three new executives.
—Eli Lilly is committing $90 million to treat disease in the developing world, and $15 million of it will go to Seattle’s Infectious Disease Research Institute.
—This week Xconomy announced New York Life Sciences 2021, a Dec. 15 event in which we’ll look five years into New York’s biotech future.
Ben Fidler contributed to this report.
Photo of Jennifer Lopez courtesy of Steve Bott via Creative Commons.
