Author: Ryan McBride

Ryan is an award-winning business journalist who contributes to our life sciences and technology coverage. He was previously a staff writer for Mass High Tech, a Boston business and technology newspaper, where he and his colleagues won a national business journalism award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in 2008. In recent years, he has made regular TV appearances on New England Cable News. Prior to MHT, Ryan covered the life sciences, technology, and energy sectors for Providence Business News. He graduated with honors from the University of Rhode Island in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. When he’s not chasing down news, Ryan enjoys mountain biking and skiing in his home state of Vermont.

Ironwood Pharma Eyes $172.5M IPO, Biogen CEO Pay Under Fire, & More Boston Life Sciences News

Xconomy’s life sciences coverage this past week featured a mix of exclusive feature stories—such as Luke’s analysis of the PML side effect from Biogen Idec’s natalizumab (Tysabri)—and breaking news stories like Ironwood Pharmaceuticals’ ambition to become a publicly traded biotech company. —Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood revealed late Friday that the company is seeking to raise as … Continue reading “Ironwood Pharma Eyes $172.5M IPO, Biogen CEO Pay Under Fire, & More Boston Life Sciences News”

Harvard Unveils New Alumni Entrepreneurship Contest

Harvard Business School (HBS) says that it will hold a new business plan competition open to HBS alumni from all over the world. Qualified ventures will compete for a cash prize of $25,000. The contest—which was formally announced online by the business school’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship and Alumni Relations—will be open to teams … Continue reading “Harvard Unveils New Alumni Entrepreneurship Contest”

Genzyme Rival Seeks European Approval

Shire (LSE:[[ticker:SHP]])—an Ireland-based drug company that has its Human Genetic Therapies unit based in Cambridge, MA—reports that it has asked European regulators to approve its treatment for Gaucher disease, velaglucerase alfa. If approved by the European Medicines Agency, Shire’s enzyme-replacement treatment will compete with Cambridge-based biotech Genzyme’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) market-leading imiglucerase (Cerezyme), which has faced supply … Continue reading “Genzyme Rival Seeks European Approval”

How Millennium Is Tapping A Harvard Lab to Help Discover New Cancer Drugs

When Deborah Dunsire, CEO of Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, talked about what makes the Boston area an attractive place to do business at a recent Xconomy Forum, she singled out the work of J. Wade Harper at Harvard Medical School. And after a little more follow up, I’ve found that Harper is helping Millennium … Continue reading “How Millennium Is Tapping A Harvard Lab to Help Discover New Cancer Drugs”

Leostream Finds $2M

Leostream, a Waltham, MA-based provider of application-management software for virtual desktop infrastructures, has raised $2 million in an equity financing, according to an SEC filing. VentureWire reports that Meakem-Becker Venture Capital, of Sedwickley, PA, provided Leostream with the $2 million capital infusion, which the company hopes will be enough to support its operations until it … Continue reading “Leostream Finds $2M”

Sun Catalytix Gets $1M More from Polaris, Exclusive License to Solar Fuel Tech from MIT

Polaris Venture Partners has pumped an additional $1 million in seed capital into Cambridge, MA-based solar fuel startup Sun Catalytix, bringing its total investment in the MIT spinout to $3 million, Polaris general partner and company director Bob Metcalfe tells Xconomy. The startup, which we first covered in April, has also gained an exclusive license … Continue reading “Sun Catalytix Gets $1M More from Polaris, Exclusive License to Solar Fuel Tech from MIT”

Mind, Body, & Cash: Lighter Living Raises $3M

Pilates is famous for shaping up peoples’ buttocks, tummies, and thighs. But what can the popularity of this fitness phenomenon and the market for health products do for investment portfolios? Cambridge, MA-based Lighter Living, which operates a health and fitness website that features Pilates expert and company founder Marjolein Brugman, has raised $3 million in … Continue reading “Mind, Body, & Cash: Lighter Living Raises $3M”

Metcalfe Reflects on $2.7B 3Com Buyout, MyPunchbowl Parent Adds New Punch, $30M More for Fate Therapeutics, & More Boston Deals News

Dealmakers appear to be getting their business done before the week of Thanksgiving—because we’ve seen a decent stream of deal closings involving Boston-area life sciences and tech companies over the past week or so. —Framingham, MA-based Punchbowl Software, which operates the party planning website MyPunchbowl.com, said it acquired technology assets of a group vacation website … Continue reading “Metcalfe Reflects on $2.7B 3Com Buyout, MyPunchbowl Parent Adds New Punch, $30M More for Fate Therapeutics, & More Boston Deals News”

$5.3M for Corindus

Natick, MA-based Corindus has corralled $5.3 million of a proposed $10 million round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The firm is developing a robotic system that helps surgeons control the position of guidewires in veins in procedures to implant vascular stents, according to the firm’s LinkedIn profile. A call to company CEO … Continue reading “$5.3M for Corindus”

New Partner at Braemar Energy Ventures

Braemar Energy Ventures, a venture firm focused on investments in the cleantech sector, has named Jiong Ma a partner of the firm, according to a Mass High Tech report. She was previously a principal at the firm, which has offices in Boston and New York City, according to its website. Braemar’s portfolio includes such Boston-area … Continue reading “New Partner at Braemar Energy Ventures”

Founder Collective: When Entrepreneurs Form Their Own Seed-Stage Venture Firm

Managing a venture fund is hugely different from running a startup. Eric Paley told me that last year at this time his primary responsibility was at dental imaging firm Brontes Technologies, the MIT spin-off that he co-founded and where he had served as general manager after its sale to technology giant 3M (NYSE:[[ticker:MMM]]) in 2006. … Continue reading “Founder Collective: When Entrepreneurs Form Their Own Seed-Stage Venture Firm”

$875K for Swipely

Swipely, a Providence, RI-based startup that was quietly launched earlier this year, has raised $875,000 of a planned $1 million equity financing, according to an SEC document filed last week. Angus Davis—a co-founder of the voice-based Internet search and services provider Tellme Networks, which was sold to Microsoft (NASDAQ:[[ticker:MSFT]]) and became a subsidiary of the … Continue reading “$875K for Swipely”

FDA Shoots Down Genzyme’s Latest Bid for Pompe Drug Approval

Even more bad news from Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]). Following the news on Friday about new contamination found in treatments made at the Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm’s Allston, MA, plant, the company says today the FDA informed it that the agency won’t approve its application to market Pompe disease drug alglucosidase alfa (Lumizyme) made in large-scale batches … Continue reading “FDA Shoots Down Genzyme’s Latest Bid for Pompe Drug Approval”

Alkermes to Seek FDA Approval of Anti-Addiction Drug

Cambridge,MA-based biotech Alkermes said this morning that its long-acting naltrexone injection (Vivitrol) was more effective in treating opioid drug dependence than placebo in a Phase III clinical trial. The 250-patient clinical trial compared urine samples of patients who took the firm’s once-per-month injection of naltrexone versus those who took placebo over the last 20 weeks … Continue reading “Alkermes to Seek FDA Approval of Anti-Addiction Drug”

Inside iRobot: A Search for Medical Droids

Robots have already found limited work in healthcare by assisting surgeons with operations and physical therapists with rehabilitating patients, among other jobs. So why can’t robots keep an eye on seniors and give them their medications? Bedford, MA-based iRobot (NASDAQ:[[ticker:IRBT]]) made headlines last month with the announcement of its recently created healthcare division, which is … Continue reading “Inside iRobot: A Search for Medical Droids”

Zoll Medical Pumps Out iPhone App for CPR Training

Here’s an iPhone application that could actually help people save lives. Zoll Medical, a maker of cardiac defibrillators and other products for the critical care market, says this morning that it has released a CPR training app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This isn’t the first iPhone app of this sort that I’ve seen—but … Continue reading “Zoll Medical Pumps Out iPhone App for CPR Training”

Xconomy Videos: Sirtris’ Westphal and Millennium’s Dunsire Talk Cures for Ills of Big Pharma

There’s new a dynamic at work in Big Pharma’s acquisitions of biotech companies in Boston and elsewhere. Drug companies don’t only want to buy biotech firms to enhance their R&D pipelines, they want to bring the innovators behind the biotechs into the fold—and often give them prominent roles in the parent company. (This is a … Continue reading “Xconomy Videos: Sirtris’ Westphal and Millennium’s Dunsire Talk Cures for Ills of Big Pharma”

Alnylam Eyes RNAi for Manufacturing Drugs

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of RNA-interference drugs, said today that it sees a new business opportunity in using its gene-silencing technology to increase the output of biomanufacturing processes. The company, which has already successfully licensed its RNAi technology for drugs, is looking to make additional money from its science by licensing it for … Continue reading “Alnylam Eyes RNAi for Manufacturing Drugs”

Dossia Off to Slow Start with Personal Electronic Health Records

Dossia is nearly three years from launching to provide electronic personal health records for major U.S. employers. And though the vision to provide employees of self-insured companies with a secure and portable electronic record of their health information is still alive, so far one company is offering the records to its workers. The Cambridge, MA-based … Continue reading “Dossia Off to Slow Start with Personal Electronic Health Records”

Right Brains Wanted: Sanofi-Aventis Wants to Tap the Creative Genius of Boston-Area Biotechs

Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) hosted a large event at its R&D site in Cambridge, MA, yesterday to make its pitch for why Boston-area biotech companies should want to form partnerships with the French drug giant. It was an impressive show of force by the company, which has historically kept a lower profile in local biotech circles … Continue reading “Right Brains Wanted: Sanofi-Aventis Wants to Tap the Creative Genius of Boston-Area Biotechs”

Three New England Deal Stories: Startups Pursuing Emotional Sensors, Drugs for Pets, & Mobile Video Raise Some Bucks

We spotted three New England startups today that have recently filed papers with the SEC to report new rounds of equity financing. Other than their common geographic ties to region, it’s tough to see any relationship among these firms. But here’s a brief synopsis of the deals and what each company does: —Waltham, MA-based Affectiva … Continue reading “Three New England Deal Stories: Startups Pursuing Emotional Sensors, Drugs for Pets, & Mobile Video Raise Some Bucks”

Former Pfizer R&D Chief Joins PureTech Ventures as Senior Partner

PureTech Ventures says it has swelled its ranks with another Big Pharma veteran. John LaMattina, former president of global research and development at Pfizer, has joined the Boston-based venture firm as senior partner. PureTech has also promoted previous firm associates Eric Elenko and Steve Muniz to partner. LaMattina—who retired from New York-based Pfizer (NYSE:[[ticker:PFE]]) in … Continue reading “Former Pfizer R&D Chief Joins PureTech Ventures as Senior Partner”

Evergreen Solar to Move Solar Panel Production from Massachusetts to China

[Updated and corrected—8:30 pm ET on 11/05/09]Marlboro, MA-based Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ESLR]]) said it will move its solar panel production from Massachusetts to China—dealing a blow to the clean technology economy in the commonwealth. Evergreen plans to begin migrating the manufacturing of solar panels out of its Devens, MA, plant to a facility under construction in … Continue reading “Evergreen Solar to Move Solar Panel Production from Massachusetts to China”

Build it Boldly, and Pharma Will Come—and More Wisdom from Boston’s Biotech and Pharma Elite at Xconomy Forum

It was an inspiring afternoon yesterday at Xconomy’s latest event, “Pharma’s Bet on Boston Innovation,” in Cambridge, MA. Local industry pioneers such as Millennium CEO Deborah Dunsire and Sirtris CEO Christoph Westphal talked about how game-changing technologies and sound business strategies have attracted big pharmaceutical outfits to invest in their respective companies. Our speakers also … Continue reading “Build it Boldly, and Pharma Will Come—and More Wisdom from Boston’s Biotech and Pharma Elite at Xconomy Forum”

Konarka Finding New Partners for Power Plastic, But Faces Major Market Hurdles

Konarka Technologies, the Lowell, MA-based developer of flexible materials that convert light into electricity, is showing how everyday items like handbags and umbrellas can be turned into power generators. But the eight-year-old firm will need to collect a lot more juice before it can become a commercial success. The company—which has raised $150 million from … Continue reading “Konarka Finding New Partners for Power Plastic, But Faces Major Market Hurdles”

Enlight Biosciences Forms Partnership with Abbott Labs

There’s big news about Enlight Biosciences breaking here at the Xconomy Forum: Pharma’s Bet on Boston Innovation. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:[[ticker:ABT]]) has joined the consortium of big pharmas that are supporting Enlight, according to CEO David Steinberg; the Boston-based startup is out to develop platform technologies to help large drug companies like Abbott streamline the processes … Continue reading “Enlight Biosciences Forms Partnership with Abbott Labs”

On-Q-ity Raises $21M in A Round for Personalized Cancer Testing

Waltham, MA-based diagnostics firm On-Q-ity has found $21 million in a Series A round of venture capital, according to a story this morning in peHUB. The developer of cancer tests was formed through the combination of CELLective Diagnostics and The DNA Repair Company, both portfolio companies of Mohr Davidow Ventures that had been unable to … Continue reading “On-Q-ity Raises $21M in A Round for Personalized Cancer Testing”

Exploring Mountains of Innovation in Northern New England

It’s not that I thought Vermont and New Hampshire were technological backwaters, because I knew from my years of working in Boston that the local venture capitalists were pumping millions of dollars into startups in the two northern New England states. But what I’ve found over the past year or so of living in both … Continue reading “Exploring Mountains of Innovation in Northern New England”

GTC Raises $10M from LFB Biotech

Framingham, MA-based GTC Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GTCB]]) said it has raised $10 million through the sale of its shares to French biotech drug maker LFB Biotechnologies, a major shareholder in GTC. GTC chief executive Christian Béchon also revealed in a statement that the company planned to reduce expenses by $5 million to $6 million in 2010, focusing … Continue reading “GTC Raises $10M from LFB Biotech”

New England Biz Plan Competitions That Offer Cash and Connections to Entrepreneurs

It seems like every few days since Labor Day weekend we at Xconomy get invited to attend or cover an entrepreneurship competition. This is a good thing. It means there are more and more opportunities for innovators in New England to gain exposure to the business community and investors—as well as a chance to win … Continue reading “New England Biz Plan Competitions That Offer Cash and Connections to Entrepreneurs”

Singapore Backs ScanScout in $8.5M B Round

ScanScout, a Boston-based provider of in-stream online video ads, said it has completed its $8.5 million Series B round of venture capital with an investment from EDB Investments, a firm that invests on behalf of the government of Singapore. ScanScout is also establishing an office in Singapore as part its expansion into the Asian market. … Continue reading “Singapore Backs ScanScout in $8.5M B Round”

Virdante Pharma Lands $30M in A Round to Combat Inflammation

Virdante Pharmaceuticals is expanding development of its anti-inflammatory drugs with a second closing of what is now a $30 million Series A round of venture capital, the company’s CEO, John Ripple, said. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech startup has found potential ways to boost the anti-inflammatory effects of conventional antibody drugs and to create novel therapies … Continue reading “Virdante Pharma Lands $30M in A Round to Combat Inflammation”

$2.5M for CorNova

CorNova, a Burlington, MA-based developer of coronary stents with platinum surfaces, has raised $2.5 million of a proposed $6 million in equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The filing does not list the investors in the round, but peHUB writes that the firm’s previous investors include AdvanSource Biomaterials (formerly named CardioTech International) and Implant … Continue reading “$2.5M for CorNova”

Polaris Venture Adds Google Vet

Polaris Venture Partners, which has its main office in Waltham, MA, has tapped former Google employee Jon Steinberg to be an executive in residence at the venture firm, VentureWire reports. VentureWire writes that Steinberg, a former strategic partner development manager at Google (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GOOG]]), will be based in the New York office of Polaris. Polaris also … Continue reading “Polaris Venture Adds Google Vet”

LaunchCapital Aims to Fill Lending Gap

LaunchCapital, a Cambridge, MA-based firm focused on early-stage financing, revealed today on its website that it has launched a lending option for small businesses. The firm plans to lend up to $150,000 to young businesses that are within six months of gaining revenue, and the deals would provide LaunchCapital with a small equity stake in … Continue reading “LaunchCapital Aims to Fill Lending Gap”

Microsoft and Its Competitors Still In Search of Mainstream User Base for Personal Health Records

Microsoft hasn’t yet attracted the millions of patients it would like to its personal health data service, HealthVault, says Peter Neupert, corporate vice president of the company’s Health Solutions Group. Though HealthVault and other products like Google Health that enable patients to store their health information online are free and available to anyone with Internet … Continue reading “Microsoft and Its Competitors Still In Search of Mainstream User Base for Personal Health Records”

Big Connected Health Symposium: What Video Games, Social Networking, and Other Tech Innovations Are Doing for Healthcare

Partners HealthCare’s Center for Connected Health is holding its sixth big Connected Health Symposium in Boston this week, and there’s definitely more optimism here that information technology is becoming more mainstream in healthcare than in years past. The big focus of the conference is on technology that is used to extend healthcare outside of traditional … Continue reading “Big Connected Health Symposium: What Video Games, Social Networking, and Other Tech Innovations Are Doing for Healthcare”

Inside the Mascoma Labs: Tracking Ethanol-Making Microbes from Lebanon to Rome

Microbiologist Larry Feinberg has dug into piles of waste from paper factories and explored hot springs in the West for microbes that he calls “tough bugs,” because of their ability to thrive in adverse conditions. The fierce bacteria are now shipped to the new labs and headquarters of Mascoma, a developer of cellulosic ethanol, in … Continue reading “Inside the Mascoma Labs: Tracking Ethanol-Making Microbes from Lebanon to Rome”

Illume Software Adds to Series A to Stop Driving While Texting and Talking on Mobile Phones

Many of us have seen cars swerving on the road ahead and later pull up to catch the driver gabbing on his or her mobile phone. Perhaps a few of us are guilty of the practice, too. Well, Illume Software, based in Concord, MA, said this morning that it has raised an additional $1 million … Continue reading “Illume Software Adds to Series A to Stop Driving While Texting and Talking on Mobile Phones”

Mintera Finds $4.1M

Mintera, an Acton, MA-based developer of next-generation optical switches, has raised $4.1 million of a potential $5 million round of equity and options financing, according to an SEC filing. The company could not immediately be reached for comment this morning. Though the SEC document does not list investors in the deal, the company says on … Continue reading “Mintera Finds $4.1M”

How to Tap Russia for Biomedical Breakthroughs: Lessons from Boston BioCom

Boston is an international hotbed of biotech research. So why would a company called Boston BioCom specialize, as it does, in bringing biomedical discoveries to the Hub from Russia? To hear the folks at Boston BioCom tell it, Russia has some biotech brawn of its own. New York-based drug giant Pfizer (NYSE:[[ticker:PFE]]) invested $10 million … Continue reading “How to Tap Russia for Biomedical Breakthroughs: Lessons from Boston BioCom”

Sirtris Advancing No. 1 Drug into Mid-Stage Clinical Trials for Type 2 Diabetes

Cambridge, MA, biotech standout Sirtris has been a quieter operation since it became a subsidiary of drug giant GlaxoSmithKline last summer. But the firm’s drugs, heralded for their potential anti-aging effects, appear to be advancing through the clinic without a hitch. Brian Gallagher, senior director of corporate development at Sirtris, disclosed during a recent meeting … Continue reading “Sirtris Advancing No. 1 Drug into Mid-Stage Clinical Trials for Type 2 Diabetes”

Cisco Buying Starent for $2.9B

Technology giant Cisco (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CSCO]]) plans to acquire Tewksbury, MA-based Starent Networks (NASDAQ:[[ticker:STAR]]), a provider of wireless infrastructure products used to transfer data to mobile devices such as smartphones, for a whopping $2.9 billion, Cisco reports this morning. Both companies’ boards of directors have approved the deal, which is expected to close in the first half … Continue reading “Cisco Buying Starent for $2.9B”