AstraZeneca Reloads its Pipeline with Ardea Deal, Could be Still Hunting

AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]), the global pharmaceutical giant based in London, is replenishing its drug pipeline with its acquisition of San Diego’s Ardea Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RDEA]]), which was disclosed by both companies earlier today. Britain’s second-largest drugmaker also could still be hunting, and might even have another San Diego company in its sights, according to press … Continue reading “AstraZeneca Reloads its Pipeline with Ardea Deal, Could be Still Hunting”

Sapphire Energy CEO Jason Pyle’s Parting Thoughts on Big Biofuel

After stepping down as the founding CEO of San Diego’s Sapphire Energy, Jason Pyle tells me he’s accomplished a number of key initiatives at the algae-based biofuels startup, and basically that it’s time to move on. His departure surprised me. Founding CEOs don’t often walk away from startups that have amassed a $1 billion valuation … Continue reading “Sapphire Energy CEO Jason Pyle’s Parting Thoughts on Big Biofuel”

San Diego’s Q1 Venture Activity Surges on One Mega Deal

Boosted by a $144-million “mega deal” that Sappire Energy disclosed a few weeks ago, VC investments in San Diego climbed to a four-year high during the first quarter of 2012, according to a pair of VC surveys being released today. San Diego’s bouyant trend, however, ran counter to a significant downward trend in overall VC … Continue reading “San Diego’s Q1 Venture Activity Surges on One Mega Deal”

CEO Changes in Planned Succession at San Diego’s Sapphire Energy

I thought the best presentation at the “Rock Stars of Innovation Summit” a few weeks ago was a chat between two co-founders of San Diego’s Sapphire Energy—CEO Jason Pyle and Steve Briggs, the UC San Diego cellular biologist and a member of Sapphire’s advisory board. It turns out that was Pyle’s last public appearance in … Continue reading “CEO Changes in Planned Succession at San Diego’s Sapphire Energy”

SD Life Sciences Roundup: Accelrys, Illumina, & RainTree Oncology

There was a mix of news out of San Diego’s life sciences community over the past week. Get your briefing here. —San Diego’s Sotera Wireless said the FDA has cleared its ViSi Mobile System, a wireless device that enables healthcare providers to continuously monitor their patients’ vital signs in hospitals. Continuous monitoring systems, which can … Continue reading “SD Life Sciences Roundup: Accelrys, Illumina, & RainTree Oncology”

Small is Beautiful in Q1 Venture Deals as VCs Write Lots of Checks

Venture investors wrote lots of checks during the first three months of 2012, but the amounts were small, according to the venture capital activity report being released today by CB Insights, the New York data services firm. The firm counted 785 venture deals during the quarter that ended March 31, marking the second-highest deal count … Continue reading “Small is Beautiful in Q1 Venture Deals as VCs Write Lots of Checks”

Accelrys Takes on Productivity Gap with Scientific Lifecycle Software

[Corrected 5/1/12, 10:35 am. See below.] Amid a nationwide effort to spur a renaissance in American manufacturing, San Diego-based Accelrys (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACCL]]) is flipping on the switch today for technology that represents a culmination of much of the strategy that CEO Max Carnecchia outlined for me last year. At that time, Carnecchia explained how the … Continue reading “Accelrys Takes on Productivity Gap with Scientific Lifecycle Software”

Tioga Investor Thomas McNerney Keeping Busy After San Diego Move

Thomas, McNerney & Partners, the life sciences investor that moved its West Coast office to San Diego last year, led the latest financing round in San Diego’s Tioga Pharmaceuticals, which I briefly noted earlier today. In fact, Thomas, McNerney put in $8 million of Tioga’s $10 million Series B round, and principal Jason Brown has … Continue reading “Tioga Investor Thomas McNerney Keeping Busy After San Diego Move”

SD Life Sciences Roundup: Optimer, Illumina, & Deals, Deals, Deals

In an encouraging sign for San Diego’s life sciences sector, a number of new financing deals recently went to local companies. Here’s our roundup of all the news. —Shareholder suits have begun to pile up after San Diego’s Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPTR]]) shook up its leadership, citing concerns over a stock grant issued by a … Continue reading “SD Life Sciences Roundup: Optimer, Illumina, & Deals, Deals, Deals”

Cardinal Health Hires West Wireless Health Institute’s Inaugural CEO

It felt like an auspicious time when Don Casey arrived two years ago as the inaugural CEO for San Diego’s new West Wireless Health Institute. Founders Gary and Mary West, who made their fortune in telemarketing, had pledged a total of $90 million to the nonprofit institute, where Casey proclaimed the mission was to “innovate, … Continue reading “Cardinal Health Hires West Wireless Health Institute’s Inaugural CEO”

UCSD Spinoff NexDx Aims to Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis

Research from the UC San Diego School of Medicine that shows distinct characteristics in the inflammation-producing cells that line the joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients is serving as the foundation for a new molecular diagnostics startup in San Diego. The startup, NexDx, was founded last year to develop reliable and cost-effective technology to accurately diagnose … Continue reading “UCSD Spinoff NexDx Aims to Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis”

In San Diego Restart, Verenium Erases Debt, Looks to Expand Products

It’s been roughly a year since Verenium (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRNM]]) returned to its roots, so to speak, in San Diego as an industrial biotechnology company with an extensive catalog of enzymes. The company got its start here two decades ago as a kind of science project—amassing samples of enzymes from “life at the edge,” the organisms … Continue reading “In San Diego Restart, Verenium Erases Debt, Looks to Expand Products”

J&J Group Awards 3 Finalists $50,000 Each for Gaps in Patient Care

Janssen Healthcare Innovation says three finalists are getting $50,000 each to advance their technologies for coordinating and improving patient care in the gray area that exists between different healthcare providers. Janssen, which is part of New Brunswick, NJ-based Johnson & Johnson, unveiled its incentive prize competition three months ago to spur entrepreneurs, inventors, and others … Continue reading “J&J Group Awards 3 Finalists $50,000 Each for Gaps in Patient Care”

Optimer Discloses Shakeup Prompted by Chairman’s Deal in Taiwan

A deal involving an affiliated Taiwanese company prompted the board at San Diego’s Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPTR]]) to seek the ouster of the co-founder and chairman, Michael Chang, and to fire the company’s chief financial officer and a vice president. In a statement released before the market opened, Optimer also says it disclosed the deal … Continue reading “Optimer Discloses Shakeup Prompted by Chairman’s Deal in Taiwan”

SD Life Sciences Roundup: Illumina, Sophiris Bio, & New Funding Deals

The clock is ticking down on the shareholder vote for Roche’s unsolicited offer to buy San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]). We also saw a bunch of new funding deals for local life sciences companies, so get your briefing now. —In a letter sent ahead of Illumina’s showdown shareholder meeting—set for April 18—CEO Jay Flatley and … Continue reading “SD Life Sciences Roundup: Illumina, Sophiris Bio, & New Funding Deals”

SD Tech Roundup: ServiceNow Files IPO, On-Ramp Wireless, SwoopThat

Here are some news tidbits from the front lines of San Diego’s tech scene: —San Diego Venture Group President David Titus could hardly contain his enthusiasm at last week’s Rock Stars of Innovation Summit. His jubilance was prompted by a spate of venture-backed IPOs that came through in the waning days of March. Indeed, there’s … Continue reading “SD Tech Roundup: ServiceNow Files IPO, On-Ramp Wireless, SwoopThat”

Cleantech Innovation and ‘Reinventing Fire’ with Amory Lovins

It’s easy to forget that before Thomas Edison came along that the world was lit only by fire. The dawn of the 20th Century came from the glow of electric lamps. Over time electricity became a commodity, and it got easier and easier to take energy for granted. But now, a little over 100 years … Continue reading “Cleantech Innovation and ‘Reinventing Fire’ with Amory Lovins”

San Diego’s Sapphire Energy Raises $144M for “Green Crude Farm”

San Diego biofuel developer Sapphire Energy says today it has secured the final installment of $144 million in a Series C round of venture funding that includes Arrowpoint Partners, Monsanto, and other undisclosed investors. Sapphire says the funding is being used to directly support its development of an algae-based biofuels demonstration facility that remains “active … Continue reading “San Diego’s Sapphire Energy Raises $144M for “Green Crude Farm””

Searching for a VC Heart of Gold at Rock Stars of Innovation Summit

Reading between the lines, it seemed as if Chuck McDermott was trying to set the tone—or maybe just the backbeat—for San Diego’s “Rock Stars of Innovation Summit” when he chose a 1979 John Stewart hit as the closing song for Tuesday night’s VC jam session. McDermott, who is a general partner in the Boston office … Continue reading “Searching for a VC Heart of Gold at Rock Stars of Innovation Summit”

LiquidGrids Re-Launches Social Media Analytics for Health Industry

San Diego-based LiquidGrids, which unveiled a beta version of its healthcare-focused social media analytics less than five months ago, is re-launching its business today after overhauling its technology. The startup was known as Swarmology when founder Malcolm Bohm outlined the concept for me in November. “We were getting confused with the plethora of other ‘swarms’ … Continue reading “LiquidGrids Re-Launches Social Media Analytics for Health Industry”

On-Ramp Wireless, Learning From the Past, Says Its System Is Ready

San Diego’s On-Ramp Wireless was founded in 2008 to develop low-power, low data rate wireless networking technology. The idea was that such technology could be used to provide low-cost monitoring of electric power grids and similar infrastructure that extends across thousands of square miles. Now the company is ready to roll out its technology, including … Continue reading “On-Ramp Wireless, Learning From the Past, Says Its System Is Ready”

San Diego Tech Roundup: Flud, Verve, and a “Swiss Cheese” Job Market

Here’s the important technology news from the past week: —The latest jobless numbers for San Diego County remain unchanged—at 9.3 percent—from January to February, according to data released Friday by the California Employment Development Department. While unemployment in San Diego has declined from 10.2 percent a year ago, job creation is still anemic and the … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: Flud, Verve, and a “Swiss Cheese” Job Market”

UCSD Proposes Innovator Space as Entrepreneurial Life Sciences Hub

Officials at UC San Diego are seeking to build a new “Center for Innovative Therapeutics” that would serve as a hub for a variety of academic research collaborations, as well as an incubator for accelerating private life sciences startups. University officials described their proposal for the first time at the end of an annual cancer … Continue reading “UCSD Proposes Innovator Space as Entrepreneurial Life Sciences Hub”

‘Breakthrough’ in Quantified Health Sets Stage for Innovation Summit

It’s not often when a big local conference intersects with an important scientific breakthrough. It’s exciting when it happens. Attendees can feel that low-volt current of excitement that comes with realizing they are witnessing the dawning of a whole new industry. Maybe they’ll even become part of the lore around an event that becomes known … Continue reading “‘Breakthrough’ in Quantified Health Sets Stage for Innovation Summit”

Verve Raises $7M, Studies Mobile ‘Paradox’ for Old Media Customers

Verve Wireless has raised at least $7 million from investors in a new round of financing, according to a recent regulatory filing. Verve, which has headquarters both in Encinitas, CA, and Washington, D.C., also is addressing a fundamental challenge as it builds out its Web-based technology, which enables regional newspapers, broadcast stations, and other media … Continue reading “Verve Raises $7M, Studies Mobile ‘Paradox’ for Old Media Customers”

San Diego Tech Roundup: Givit, ID Analytics, and Rain on the Parade

—A steady rain is lingering this morning from the monster storm that blew through San Diego over the weekend. Also lingering is what you might call my “curiosity of the week:” Don Casey resigned as CEO of the San Diego-based West Wireless Health Institute, just two years after he was lured from Johnson & Johnson’s … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: Givit, ID Analytics, and Rain on the Parade”

Life Sciences News Roundup: InflammaGen, HemaQuest, ImThera & More

A spate of funding deals were disclosed over the past week, including a sizable investment in San Diego’s Allylix, an industrial biotechnology startup. —San Diego’s HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals said it raised $13 million in an extension of its Series B funding round to support a mid-stage trial of its experimental drug for patients with sickle cell … Continue reading “Life Sciences News Roundup: InflammaGen, HemaQuest, ImThera & More”

It’s a Lock: Arizona’s LifeLock Acquires San Diego’s ID Analytics

LifeLock, a Tempe, AZ-based startup that offers identity theft protection services to consumers, has tied the knot with ID Analytics, a San Diego-based company that uses sophisticated computer technology to analyze consumer transactions for signs of fraud. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a statement released yesterday, Lifelock says it raised more … Continue reading “It’s a Lock: Arizona’s LifeLock Acquires San Diego’s ID Analytics”

In Search of Capital, San Diego Taking Startups on Roadshows to VCs

Venture capital and rainfall have always been in relatively short supply in San Diego. Yet somehow this semi-arid region has managed to grow and even thrive as a center of life sciences, technology, and cleantech innovation. Now, as part of a broader strategic initiative, some of the nonprofit organizations that helped establish San Diego as … Continue reading “In Search of Capital, San Diego Taking Startups on Roadshows to VCs”

San Diego BizTech Roundup: RealAge, Qualcomm, Angel Deals, & More

This week’s roundup of tech news from the San Diego area is short and sweet. —Sharecare, an Atlanta-based interactive health and wellness platform, has acquired San Diego’s RealAge, home of the RealAge test that helps people to live a healthy lifestyle. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to a statement. RealAge, which … Continue reading “San Diego BizTech Roundup: RealAge, Qualcomm, Angel Deals, & More”

HemaQuest Gets $13M Transfusion in Extension of Series B Financing

San Diego-based HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals, a biotech developing small molecule drugs for treating sickle cell disease and other blood disorders, has gotten another capital transfusion after once again extending its Series B financing. In a statement today, HemaQuest says it has raised an additional $13 million to support a mid-stage trial of the company’s lead drug … Continue reading “HemaQuest Gets $13M Transfusion in Extension of Series B Financing”

Allylix Raises $18.2M for Renewable Production of Aroma Chemicals

[Corrected 3/12/12, 11:35 pm to show total investment of $18.2 million.] Germany’s BASF Venture Capital has invested $13.5 million in a financing round that raised a total of $18.2 million for Allylix, the San Diego-based renewable chemicals startup that uses fermentation technology and genetically engineered yeast to produce specialized flavor and fragrance chemicals. Also participating … Continue reading “Allylix Raises $18.2M for Renewable Production of Aroma Chemicals”

San Diego’s InflammaGen Advances Therapy to Mitigate Effects of Shock

After completing some promising pre-clinical studies, San Diego’s InflammaGen Therapeutics says it is raising additional capital, as it moves to mid-stage trials of an experimental treatment that’s intended to prevent multi-organ failure in patients suffering acute shock. InflammaGen has “almost closed” on a $2.5 million round of Series A financing, according to CEO John Rodenrys. … Continue reading “San Diego’s InflammaGen Advances Therapy to Mitigate Effects of Shock”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Aragon, Illumina, CareFusion, & More

We saw some sizable deals in the life sciences domain over the past week, including an interesting partnership that Domain Associates formed with Moscow-based Rusnano. —The venture capital firm Domain Associates and Moscow-based Rusnano, the government-owned Russian Corporation of nanotechnologies, agreed to jointly invest $760 million on both sides of the globe. Under the deal, … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Aragon, Illumina, CareFusion, & More”

The Thinking Behind Domain’s $760M Life Sciences Deal in Russia

The partnership that the life sciences venture firm Domain Associates and the Russian state technology firm Rusnano disclosed yesterday began almost two years ago, at a time when the U.S. financial crisis was especially bleak. Domain partner Brian Dovey says he initially conceived of the alliance as a way to tap a new and substantial … Continue reading “The Thinking Behind Domain’s $760M Life Sciences Deal in Russia”

Qualcomm’s Irwin Jacobs Becomes CEO Emeritus, 20 Years After IPO

Qualcomm shareholders gave a standing ovation to Irwin Jacobs, who marked his passage into emeritus status at the San Diego wireless giant’s annual meeting today, 20 years after he convened the company’s first meeting as a public company. Jacobs said in December that he planned to step down from the board at the company he … Continue reading “Qualcomm’s Irwin Jacobs Becomes CEO Emeritus, 20 Years After IPO”

San Diego’s Aragon Raises $42 Million, Targets Hormone-Driven Cancers

Aragon Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego startup targeting hormone-driven cancers, has raised $42 million in a Series C financing led by a new investor, the Topspin Fund, a Long Island, NY-based firm affiliated with the hedge fund Renaissance Technologies. Aragon CEO Richard Heyman tells me the life sciences startup was founded in 2009 to advance work … Continue reading “San Diego’s Aragon Raises $42 Million, Targets Hormone-Driven Cancers”

Connect Bestows ‘Hall of Fame’ Award on Hybritech Founder Ted Greene

Biotech pioneer Ted Greene was a little teary-eyed when he stepped to the lectern last week to acknowledge his role as the founder of a San Diego biomedical diagnostics startup called Hybritech—and the parade of life sciences companies that followed. “I would like to thank the wonderful people who joined me on the wonderful adventures … Continue reading “Connect Bestows ‘Hall of Fame’ Award on Hybritech Founder Ted Greene”

Connect and Xconomy Present: The Rock Stars of Innovation 1 Stop Tour

For the young entrepreneurs who work at the vanguard of innovation, there may be no more important topic to address in San Diego these days than the scarcity of venture funding. While venture funding nationwide has regained most of the ground lost during the Great Recession, the overall mix has been changing and the venture … Continue reading “Connect and Xconomy Present: The Rock Stars of Innovation 1 Stop Tour”

SD Life Sciences (and Cleantech) Roundup: DexCom, Ligand, Genomatica

In addition to some advances on the life sciences front, we saw a flurry of developments among San Diego’s industrial biotechnology startups over the past week. —San Diego’s DexCom (Nasdaq: [[ticker:DXCM]]), which makes continuous glucose monitoring devices for patients with diabetes, acquired SweetSpot Diabetes Care, a Portland, OR, health IT company. DexCom said it will … Continue reading “SD Life Sciences (and Cleantech) Roundup: DexCom, Ligand, Genomatica”

With $21.7M in New Funding, Luxtera Signs Deal to Make Optical Chip

Carlsbad, CA-based Luxtera, which recently raised $21.7 million in venture funding, says today it has signed a partnership with European semiconductor giant STMicroelectronics (NYSE: [[ticker:STM]]) to produce a new generation of chips that combine high-performance optics with silicon-based electronics. “We think it’s a really big deal,” says Chris Bergey, Luxtera vice president of marketing. “We’re … Continue reading “With $21.7M in New Funding, Luxtera Signs Deal to Make Optical Chip”

San Diego’s Young & Restless: A Cross-Section of Tech Entrepreneurs

After working over the past two years to help tech startups get started in San Diego, Brant Cooper tells me he’s sensing “a global renaissance in entrepreneurship.” It sure seems that way, if the attendance at a recent San Diego Tech Founders “demo night” is any guide. San Diego Tech Founders is a virtual grassroots … Continue reading “San Diego’s Young & Restless: A Cross-Section of Tech Entrepreneurs”

Sapphire Boosts Yields from Blue-Green Algae, Signs Earthrise Deal

In a move that extends the scope of its algal biofuel production, San Diego’s Sapphire Energy says it has modified certain cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, to produce significantly higher yields of “green” crude oil. In a statement released today, Sapphire says it also has signed a licensing agreement with Earthrise Nutritionals, an Irvine, … Continue reading “Sapphire Boosts Yields from Blue-Green Algae, Signs Earthrise Deal”

San Diego Tech Roundup: Entropic, Xpenser, OneRoof Energy, & More

—A federal bankruptcy court in Delaware has tentatively approved a $65 million bid from San Diego’s Entropic Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ENTR]]) to acquire system-on-a-chip technology that Trident Microsystems developed for its set-top box business. Entropic, which develops technology for connected home systems, had initially offered $55 million when the arrangement was disclosed in January. In a … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: Entropic, Xpenser, OneRoof Energy, & More”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Receptos, Vital Therapies, & More

Funding deals accounted for much of the life sciences news over the past week. We’ve got it all wrapped up here. —San Diego-based Receptos, which is using the structure of cellular G protein-coupled receptors to develop drug candidates for autoimmune therapies, has secured $10.8 million in a funding round that could be as much as … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Receptos, Vital Therapies, & More”

When the Magic Came: How Xpenser’s Web App Turned into Startup Gold

As San Diego’s point man for Xconomy, I must say I admire the xtremely hip name of Xpenser, a startup that helps people track and manage their work-related expenses. Founder Parand “Tony” Darugar tells me the basic concept of the company came to him out of necessity in 2008, while he was a Yahoo director … Continue reading “When the Magic Came: How Xpenser’s Web App Turned into Startup Gold”

San Diego Tech Roundup: EvoNexus, AirHop, & Beyster’s Gift to UMich

—CommNexus, the non-profit group for San Diego’s tech industry, held an open house for the new downtown EvoNexus incubator, which is intended to spur a proliferation of tech startups in the downtown area. While a baker’s dozen of startups are settling into the EvoNexus operation at 101 W. Broadway, companies like Take Lessons, Stay Classy, … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: EvoNexus, AirHop, & Beyster’s Gift to UMich”

University of Michigan Recognizes Beyster for $15M Gift

The University of Michigan Board of Regents agreed to name its computer science and engineering building the “Bob and Betty Beyster Building” in recognition of a $15 million gift from J. Robert Beyster, 87, who founded SAIC (NYSE: [[ticker:SAI]]) in San Diego 43 years ago. Beyster, who also is a San Diego Xconomist, received his … Continue reading “University of Michigan Recognizes Beyster for $15M Gift”

Signs of Resurgence in SD as EvoNexus Opens Tech Incubator

It could have been just another lame ribbon-cutting ceremony. There was a proclamation signed by the Mayor and the San Diego City Council that declared Feb. 16th as “EvoNexus Downtown Day.” There were speeches, and Mayor Jerry Sanders and the VIPs crowded together with a pair of oversized scissors to snip a ribbon. But something … Continue reading “Signs of Resurgence in SD as EvoNexus Opens Tech Incubator”