Author: Arlene Weintraub

Arlene is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences and technology. She was previously a senior health writer based out of the New York City headquarters of BusinessWeek, where she wrote hundreds of articles that explored both the science and business of health. Her freelance pieces have been published in USA Today, US News & World Report, Technology Review, and other media outlets. Arlene has won awards from the New York Press Club, the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Foundation for Biomedical Research, and the American Society of Business Publication Editors. Her book about the anti-aging industry, Selling the Fountain of Youth, was published by Basic Books in September 2010.

Third Rock Launches Sage Therapeutics with $35M Series A and Plan to Tackle Brain Diseases

Can brain disorders be treated more effectively by fine-tuning key receptors in the brain, rather than turning them completely on or off? That’s the question Boston-based Third Rock Ventures’ latest startup, Sage Therapeutics, hopes to answer with a new class of treatments it is developing to treat diseases such as schizophrenia and depression. Third Rock … Continue reading “Third Rock Launches Sage Therapeutics with $35M Series A and Plan to Tackle Brain Diseases”

Entrepreneurs Roundtable Joins Clan of NYC Tech Incubators, Graduates First Class of Startups

When Entrepreneurs Roundtable started up in New York four years ago, its mission was to offer networking opportunities and monthly pitch events, where startup execs could describe their ideas to potential financiers. A couple of years later, the tech scene exploded in New York, and entrepreneurs were hungering for more, says Jonathan Axelrod, a serial … Continue reading “Entrepreneurs Roundtable Joins Clan of NYC Tech Incubators, Graduates First Class of Startups”

Computers vs. Humans: A Recap of Xconomy’s New York Life Sciences 2031

In front of a full house at Xconomy’s first public Big Apple event—New York Life Sciences 2031—biotech entrepreneurs Sam Waksal and Eric Schadt wagered on the likelihood that computers would overtake human scientists in the quest to develop drugs. Schadt pointed to IBM’s Watson as an example of a computer performing better than humans at … Continue reading “Computers vs. Humans: A Recap of Xconomy’s New York Life Sciences 2031”

LocalResponse Raises $5M for Social Marketing Platform

New York-based LocalResponse announced that it has closed a $5 million funding round from Cava Capital, Vodafone Ventures, Advancit Capital, and Progress Ventures, with participation from previous investors. LocalResponse makes tools that allow companies to detect when people are “checking in” to places where their products are sold—so they can offer them coupons and the … Continue reading “LocalResponse Raises $5M for Social Marketing Platform”

OvaScience Uses Stem Cells to Revive Fertility

Boston-based OvaScience is emerging from stealth mode with a technology designed to improve in vitro fertilization by rejuvenating tired eggs. Yesterday the company unveiled its technique, which is based on technology it licensed from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. OvaScience co-founder Jonathan Tilly—director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at MGH—will talk … Continue reading “OvaScience Uses Stem Cells to Revive Fertility”

A Preview of Xconomy Forum: New York Life Sciences 2031

Xconomy’s first public event in New York City—a look ahead at the biotech scene over the next 20 years—is coming up this Thursday, October 13. We’ve been chatting with our panelists over the last few weeks, and the consensus is clear: There are a lot of great topics to cover, and the diverse set of … Continue reading “A Preview of Xconomy Forum: New York Life Sciences 2031”

Agios and Celgene: Anatomy of an Ultra-Valuable Biotech Marriage

It wouldn’t be much of an over-statement to say Cambridge, MA-based Agios’ $150 million cancer-drug development deal with biotech giant Celgene is unprecedented. At least not in the view of Kevin Starr, a partner at Third Rock Ventures, which helped found Agios in 2008, providing part of its $33 million Series A funding. In April … Continue reading “Agios and Celgene: Anatomy of an Ultra-Valuable Biotech Marriage”

Xconomist of the Week: Five Questions for New York Life Sciences 2031 Panelist Eric Schadt

Eric Schadt’s career as a scientist has been focused on unlocking genetic cues to common human diseases such as diabetes and obesity. He is the chief scientific officer of Pacific Biosciences, a Menlo Park, CA, company that develops gene-sequencing technologies. He recently joined Mount Sinai Medical Center as the director of the Institute for Genomics … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Five Questions for New York Life Sciences 2031 Panelist Eric Schadt”

Merck Fine-Tunes Biosimilars Strategy as FDA Guidelines Loom

The pharmaceutical world is abuzz over rumors that the FDA is on the verge of releasing its guidelines for how companies should develop generic versions of biotech drugs. Among the folks waiting eagerly for those guidelines is Michael Kamarck, president of Merck BioVentures, who was literally sitting on the edge of his seat when he … Continue reading “Merck Fine-Tunes Biosimilars Strategy as FDA Guidelines Loom”

Blueprint Health, New Incubator in NYC, Looks to Nurture Health IT Startups

When Brad Weinberg started up his first company, ShapeUp, in 2006, incubator programs like TechStars and Y Combinator were barely off the ground. So Weinberg and his colleagues were left pretty much on their own to develop their software platform, which combines social networking, gaming, and financial incentives to promote wellness. The company has done … Continue reading “Blueprint Health, New Incubator in NYC, Looks to Nurture Health IT Startups”

Xconomist of the Week: Pfizer’s Barbara Dalton to Speak at Our NY Life Sciences 2031 Forum

As Pfizer’s vice president of venture capital, Barbara Dalton will bring two valuable perspectives to Xconomy’s Life Sciences 2031 panel discussion on October 13: that of a VC and that of a pharma executive. Dalton, who was trained in immunology and virology at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, began her career as a research scientist … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Pfizer’s Barbara Dalton to Speak at Our NY Life Sciences 2031 Forum”

Stealthy Karuna Licenses Schizophrenia Drugs from Vanderbilt

When Xconomy first reported the launch of a new biotech company called Karuna Pharmaceuticals in January, the Boston startup declined to reveal much about what it was working on, except to say it had two drug-development initiatives in schizophrenia. Last week, Karuna unveiled one of those programs: a group of compounds that it has licensed … Continue reading “Stealthy Karuna Licenses Schizophrenia Drugs from Vanderbilt”

Investor Growth Capital Starts Anew as Independent VC Firm, With Evergreen Fund Worth $1.3B

Today Investor Growth Capital (IGC), which has offices in New York City and Menlo Park, CA, announced that it is breaking free of its parent company, Stockholm, Sweden-based Investor AB. The newly independent IGC is hitting the ground with $300 million in fresh capital from Investor AB and a portfolio of companies with a total … Continue reading “Investor Growth Capital Starts Anew as Independent VC Firm, With Evergreen Fund Worth $1.3B”

Backed by Eclectic Financiers, Acetylon Begins Trials of Cancer Drug

When Boston-based biotech startup Acetylon Pharmaceuticals began operations in 2008, it grabbed attention for having attracted a big-named backer: the Kraft Group, the Foxborough, MA, holding company founded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Acetylon ultimately raised nearly $40 million from Kraft, a group of unnamed individuals, and, most recently, the Leukemia & Lymphoma … Continue reading “Backed by Eclectic Financiers, Acetylon Begins Trials of Cancer Drug”

RXi Splits Into Two Public Companies After Adding Cancer Vaccine to Pipeline

Today, Worcester, MA-based RXi Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RXII]]) announced that it will split into two publicly traded companies. The first, called Galena Biopharma, will focus on developing targeted cancer therapies and will be headquartered in Portland, OR. RXi will be spun off later this year and will continue to work on RNAi-based therapeutics—the company’s original mission when … Continue reading “RXi Splits Into Two Public Companies After Adding Cancer Vaccine to Pipeline”

ZocDoc Adds $25M to Series C Funding

In August, New York-based ZocDoc raised $50 million in a Series C funding round from Russion billionaire Yuri Milner’s DST Global. Now the company—which allows patients in several states to book their doctors’ appointments online—can add another big name to its slate of investors. ZocDoc announced today that it has extended the Series C, raising … Continue reading “ZocDoc Adds $25M to Series C Funding”

Ariad Brings Third Cancer Drug Into Human Trials

Yesterday Cambridge, MA-based Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARIA]]) began dosing patients in a trial of its third cancer drug, which the company believes may pack a double punch against the disease. The medicine, AP26113, inhibits two genetic targets found in some patients with solid tumors, particularly non-small cell lung cancer. The initial phase of the trial … Continue reading “Ariad Brings Third Cancer Drug Into Human Trials”

New York Life Sciences 2031: OrbiMed’s Sam Isaly on Genomics, Health Reform, and Biotech’s Future

Sam Isaly, the founder and managing partner of OrbiMed Advisors in New York, will bring a breadth of investing experience and range of perspectives to Xconomy’s first New York event—Life Sciences 2031, a panel discussion on October 13. OrbiMed operates healthcare hedge funds, private equity funds, and mutual funds, including the Eaton Vance Worldwide Health … Continue reading “New York Life Sciences 2031: OrbiMed’s Sam Isaly on Genomics, Health Reform, and Biotech’s Future”

From Children’s Clothing to Live Events: NYC SeedStart Demo Day 2011

Today the newest class of graduates of NYC SeedStart participated in a demo day at the Time Warner Conference Center in New York. SeedStart—a summer incubator sponsored by New York University and a number of supporters, including AOL, News Corp., and Polaris Venture Partners—is in its second year. The seven companies that completed this year’s … Continue reading “From Children’s Clothing to Live Events: NYC SeedStart Demo Day 2011”

J&J Honors Genentech Scientist, Holds Meeting on Future of Anti-Angiogenesis Drugs

It’s not every day that you see one Big Pharma company handing an award to another, but that’s just what happened yesterday at the New York Academy of Sciences. New Brunswick, NJ-based Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: [[ticker:JNJ]]) gave its Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research to Napoleone Ferrara, the Genentech scientist whose discoveries contributed to … Continue reading “J&J Honors Genentech Scientist, Holds Meeting on Future of Anti-Angiogenesis Drugs”

GI Dynamics Starts Trading on Aussie Exchange, Eyes U.S. Pilot Study for Device in Diabetes and Obesity

Earlier this year, Lexington, MA-based GI Dynamics faced a challenge that’s all too common these days in life sciences: It needed to raise $80 million to get through the next three years, and there are limited options for medical-device companies seeking that much cash. The company is developing a weight-loss device, and the money was … Continue reading “GI Dynamics Starts Trading on Aussie Exchange, Eyes U.S. Pilot Study for Device in Diabetes and Obesity”

Valeritas Raises $150M for Insulin Device

[Updated 9/13/11 2:30 p.m. See below.] Valeritas, a Bridgewater, NJ-based medical device company, announced yesterday that it has raised $150 million in a Series C funding round. The money will support the company’s lead product, a disposable device designed for patients with Type 2 diabetes who require insulin. The product, called V-Go Disposable Insulin Delivery Device … Continue reading “Valeritas Raises $150M for Insulin Device”

SMASH Summit NYC

This one-day conference, produced by 500 Startups, will explore strategies, tactics, and tools to for acquiring customers customers on platforms such as search, social, rich media, video, mobile, and e-mail. Speakers include Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, Steve Cheney of GroupMe, and Chris Maliwat of Gilt Groupe. Register here.

Odyl Launches Facebook Platform for Authors and Publishers

Just one month after New York-based Buddy Media raised a remarkable $54 million to support its Facebook-management platform for consumer brands, another Big Apple company has started up with a Facebook marketing solution—this one for the book industry. Odyl, founded by veterans of HotJobs, rolled out a software platform today that’s designed to help publishers … Continue reading “Odyl Launches Facebook Platform for Authors and Publishers”

Latest in Stroke-Prevention Saga: FDA Panel Backs Drug From J&J and Bayer

Yesterday I wrote about apixaban (Eliquis), a drug that Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) and Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) are developing to prevent strokes in patients with the heart-rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation. The folks at Bristol were paying close attention to a meeting at the FDA yesterday, during which an advisory panel to the agency voted on … Continue reading “Latest in Stroke-Prevention Saga: FDA Panel Backs Drug From J&J and Bayer”

Technology You Can Touch

Join NYC Tech Connect for an evening of networking for entrepreneurs, engineers, and inventors. NYC Tech Connect is sponsored by New York City Investment Fund, the Partnership for New York City, and the New York City Council. Its mission is to foster a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem in NYC in the hard sciences. Register here.

Bristol-Pfizer Team on Alert as FDA Reviews Stroke-Prevention Drug From Rivals J&J and Bayer

In 2007, New York-based pharmaceutical giants Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) and Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) formed a deal to develop Bristol’s anti-clotting drug, apixaban (Eliquis). The partnership hit a high point on August 28, when the two companies announced positive results from a Phase 3 trial of the drug in patients with the heart-rhythm disorder atrial … Continue reading “Bristol-Pfizer Team on Alert as FDA Reviews Stroke-Prevention Drug From Rivals J&J and Bayer”

Aura Biosciences Raises $4.5M to Advance Nano-Drug Weapon Against Cancer

Today, Cambridge, MA-based Aura Biosciences announced that it has raised $4.5 million from a group of private investors. The funding brings the total amount raised by the two-year-old company to $8 million. Founder and CEO Elisabet de los Pinos won’t reveal details about the investors, except to say, “It’s a small group of wealthy individuals … Continue reading “Aura Biosciences Raises $4.5M to Advance Nano-Drug Weapon Against Cancer”

General Assembly Incubator Takes in $4.25 Million

General Assembly, a New York-based technology incubator, has raised $4.25 million, as announced today on the company’s blog by co-founder Brad Hargreaves. The funding round was led by Maveron, the Seattle-based firm co-founded by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, with participation from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Yuri Milner, Tom Vander Ark, Alexis Ohanian, Hosain Rahman, and Alex … Continue reading “General Assembly Incubator Takes in $4.25 Million”

Lead Syndax Drug Shows Survival Benefits in Breast Cancer Trial

Just two months after reporting positive data from a clinical trial of its lead drug candidate in lung cancer, Waltham, MA-based Syndax said today that the same drug performed well in a Phase 2 breast cancer trial. Results from the trial of the drug, called entinostat, will be presented at the American Society of Clinical … Continue reading “Lead Syndax Drug Shows Survival Benefits in Breast Cancer Trial”

Sam Waksal, Pfizer Venture Investments, and More: Moderator Looks Forward to All-Star Chat at New York Life Sciences 2031

Les Funtleyder, manager of the Miller Tabak Health Care Transformation Fund (MTHFX), recently told Xconomy that in a few years, investors are going to look back and wish they had invested more in healthcare today. That forward-thinking attitude prompted Xconomy to invite Funtleyder to moderate our first public New York event, Life Sciences 2031, a … Continue reading “Sam Waksal, Pfizer Venture Investments, and More: Moderator Looks Forward to All-Star Chat at New York Life Sciences 2031”

Repligen Seeks Approval for Imaging Product While Pursuing Rare-Disease Drugs and Manufacturing Platform

Patients who arrive in the emergency room complaining of abdominal pain often have to undergo a type of endoscopy—an invasive and sometimes dangerous test— so doctors can determine if the problem is in the pancreas. Taking an MRI scan is a safer alternative, but the resulting images often aren’t sharp enough to make a proper … Continue reading “Repligen Seeks Approval for Imaging Product While Pursuing Rare-Disease Drugs and Manufacturing Platform”

Xconomist of the Week: Bob Langer’s Advice for Turning Foundation and Government Money into Startup Success

Yesterday, Selecta Biosciences—one of many companies founded by MIT professor and entrepreneur Bob Langer—announced that it had received a subcontract from the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to develop a vaccine against malaria. The financial details weren’t released, but the initiative is part of a $76.5 million contract SAIC has with the National Institutes of … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Bob Langer’s Advice for Turning Foundation and Government Money into Startup Success”

The “Un-Incubator” vs. the Echo Chamber: Five Questions for New Venture Partners’ Robert Rosenberg

New Venture Partners is a VC firm with a twist: It invests exclusively in corporate spinouts. The firm—which has U.S. offices in San Mateo, CA, and Murray Hill, NJ—counts among its successes Flarion Technologies (bought by Qualcomm), GeoVideo Networks (acquired by Wire One Technologies), and Silicon Hive, a spinout from Philips Electronics that was acquired … Continue reading “The “Un-Incubator” vs. the Echo Chamber: Five Questions for New Venture Partners’ Robert Rosenberg”

Buddy Media Attracts World’s Top Brands With Facebook-Management Platform

In February, the Facebook page for the popular snack brand Pretzel Crisps had drawn only 6,800 fans. So Jason Harty, director of field and interactive marketing for the brand, launched a campaign on Facebook offering a dollar-off coupon to anyone who became a fan. In two weeks, the fan base grew to 13,700 for Pretzel … Continue reading “Buddy Media Attracts World’s Top Brands With Facebook-Management Platform”

Shire Wins Approval for Rare-Disease Drug Developed At Boston-Based Unit

[Updated 8/25/11 12 p.m. See below.] Today the FDA approved icatibant (Firazyr), a drug made by Shire (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SHPGY]]) to treat a rare disease called hereditary angioedema. The drug, which Shire picked up in its 2008 acquisition of Germany-based Jerini, was developed for the U.S. market by Shire’s Human Genetic Therapies unit in Lexington, MA. Hereditary … Continue reading “Shire Wins Approval for Rare-Disease Drug Developed At Boston-Based Unit”

Vizibility Raises $1.3 Million for Personal Web Branding Product

New York-based Vizibility announced today that it raised a follow-on seed round of $1.3 million, bringing its total capital raised to over $2 million. The company, which struggled to raise seed funding after it was founded in 2009, was oversubscribed on this round. Vizibility is a tool that allows users to control how they appear … Continue reading “Vizibility Raises $1.3 Million for Personal Web Branding Product”

GSK and Unilever Among Early Adopters of BioLeap’s Technology for Creating New Molecules

Last year, consumer-products giant Unilever had a problem. The company wanted to make a meaningful impact in the ultra-crowded category of anti-aging cosmetics, but to do so, it had to come up with entirely new methods for fighting wrinkles. So it turned to Pennington, NJ-based startup BioLeap, which has developed a technology platform that helps … Continue reading “GSK and Unilever Among Early Adopters of BioLeap’s Technology for Creating New Molecules”

Birchbox Nabs $10M

New York-based Birchbox, a membership site that sends samples of beauty products by mail, has raised $10.5 million in a Series A financing, according to VentureWire. The round was led by Accel Partners, and included contributions from Consigliere, First Round Capital, Forerunner Ventures, Harrison Metal, Lerer Ventures, Stanford University Endowment, and others. Birchbox was founded in … Continue reading “Birchbox Nabs $10M”

The Future of Life Sciences in New York: Xconomy to Convene its First Big NYC Event Oct. 13

I had only been at Xconomy a couple of weeks when I realized how hot the topic of biotech’s future in New York truly is. It was April, and I was one of the members of the press at the New York Biotechnology Association’s 20th annual meeting. The first panel I attended had a provocative … Continue reading “The Future of Life Sciences in New York: Xconomy to Convene its First Big NYC Event Oct. 13”

Delcath Takes FDA Hassle in Stride, Prepares to Sell New Chemo Device Overseas

On July 20, Delcath Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DCTH]]) raised $23.5 million in a secondary offering, pricing its stock at $5.05—a significant discount to the $11 price tag the medical device company’s shares had sported six months earlier. But in a meeting with Xconomy at Delcath’s midtown Manhattan headquarters a few weeks later, Delcath CEO Eamonn Hobbs … Continue reading “Delcath Takes FDA Hassle in Stride, Prepares to Sell New Chemo Device Overseas”

Fynanz Raises $2M

New York-based Fynanz has raised $2 million in debt and securities, according to an SEC filing. Fynanz provides Web-based student lending networks and tools. The company previous raised $6.5 million in a Series A, from Brazos Group, DFJ Gotham, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Zelkova Ventures.

Major League Gaming Raises $3M in Debt

New York-based Major League Gaming has raised $3.1 million in debt and rights, as part of a funding round that could reach $4.9 million, according to an SEC filing. Major League Gaming is the largest league of professional video game players in the world. The company’s previous investors include Legion Enterprises, Oak Investment Partners, and … Continue reading “Major League Gaming Raises $3M in Debt”

AccuVein Wows Investors With Device That Prevents Extra Needle Sticks

Virtually everyone who’s ever had a blood test has experienced this nightmare at least once: Prick, no vein, prick, still no vein, prick … those are all the extra needle sticks that happen when a nurse or other medical professional can’t find a vein to draw blood or insert an IV. The desire to prevent … Continue reading “AccuVein Wows Investors With Device That Prevents Extra Needle Sticks”

Pfizer Wins Viagra Patent Case

A U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of New York-based Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) in a patent-infringement case brought by Israel’s generic drug giant Teva (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TEVA]]) over impotence blockbuster sildenafil (Viagra), according to a press release. Teva had been trying to invalidate Pfizer’s patent so it could market a generic version of the drug, but the … Continue reading “Pfizer Wins Viagra Patent Case”

Pulmatrix Wins $14M to Back Drug For Cystic Fibrosis And Other Lung Ailments

Pulmatrix, the Lexington, MA-based company with an unusual strategy for fighting diseases of the lungs, is announcing today that it has secured $14 million in a Series B1 venture round, bringing the total amount raised by the company to $60 million. All of Pulmatrix’s existing investors participated, including Polaris Venture Partners, 5AM Ventures, Arch Venture … Continue reading “Pulmatrix Wins $14M to Back Drug For Cystic Fibrosis And Other Lung Ailments”

Helmsley Trust Funds New Boston-Based Website for Diabetes Patients

In New York, the name Leona Helmsley often evokes snarky jokes about Trouble, the pooch who inherited $12 million in 2007, when the hotel heiress known as the Queen of Mean died. So it might be a surprise to many New Yorkers to learn that Helmsley and her husband, Harry, set up a charitable trust … Continue reading “Helmsley Trust Funds New Boston-Based Website for Diabetes Patients”