Genzyme and Osiris Forge Stem-Cell Agreement, Xtalic Nabs $10M for Nano Alloys, Atlas Out for Half a Billion Bucks, & More Boston-Area Deals News

The biggest deals among Boston-area firms last week came from the life sciences sector.

—Xtalic of Marlborough, MA—a developer of nanostructured alloys for a variety of applications—reportedly raised about $10 million in Series B financing. North Bridge Venture Partners and Matrix Partners participated in the deal.

—Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) forged a potentially massive partnership with Osiris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:OSIR]]) of Columbia, MD, centered on two adult stem cell treatments. Genzyme will pay Osiris $130 million in up front fees and up to $1.25 billion in potential milestone payments to commercialize the treatments—called Prochymal and Chondrogen—outside the U.S. and Canada.

—Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) of Cambridge, MA, teamed with Genentech to develop GA101, an antibody drug for blood cancer that’s currently in Phase I/II clinical trials. Under the terms of the agreement, Biogen will pay Genetech $31.5 million up front.

—Watertown, MA-based Acusphere (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ACUS]]) granted Frazer, PA-based Cephalon (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CEPH]]) an exclusive worldwide license to its injectable formulation of the anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib, in return for a $5 million initial fee and $15 million in loans.

—Fraud-detection software maker Memento of Concord, MA, reportedly raised a $10 million fourth financing round from 406. Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Rock Maple Ventures.

—Atlas Venture of Waltham, MA, has reportedly set out to raise $500 million for its eighth fund.

Author: Rebecca Zacks

Rebecca is Xconomy's co-founder. She was previously the managing editor of Physician's First Watch, a daily e-newsletter from the publishers of New England Journal of Medicine. Before helping launch First Watch, she spent a decade covering innovation for Technology Review, Scientific American, and Discover Magazine's TV show. In 2005-2006 she was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. Rebecca holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Brown University and a master's in science journalism from Boston University.