This week in New England we’ve seen financings and data updates from drug developers, as well as an acquisition in the life sciences tools space.
—An SEC filing revealed that New Haven, CT-based BioRelix has brought in $3.6 million in new funding, as part of a round that could hit $5.3 million. The company is developing antibiotics against RNA drug targets known as RiboSwitches.
—Waltham, MA-based Syndax Pharmaceuticals has reported that its lead drug had performed well in a Phase 2 breast cancer trial. Syndax had previously reported positive data of the drug, entinostat, in a lung cancer trial two months ago, and reported the breast cancer data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Breast Cancer Symposium this week.
—Cambridge, MA-based Aura Biosciences raised $4.5 million in financing, bringing the company’s total funding pot to $10 million in two years of operating. The startup, which develops tiny protein cells for delivering cancer drugs directly into tumors, has not named the specific investors in the round, but noted they are individuals who are pharmaceutical industry CEOs or entrepreneurs. The nano-particles look like viruses but are engineered to prevent the triggering of dangerous immune reactions.
—Caliper Life Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CALP]]) of Hopkinton, MA, will be bought by Waltham-based PerkinElmer for $600 million in cash, at $10.50 per share. Caliper makes imaging and detection technology.
