For the first time, a gene therapy—a one-time, long-lasting treatment—has shown it may improve the lives of kids with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a deadly genetic disease with no cure. Patients in a small trial showed improved motor function, such as walking and climbing stairs, and near-normal levels of a key muscle protein. But the data … Continue reading “Sarepta Touts New Data and a “Signal” With Duchenne Gene Therapy”
Category: San Francisco
Rady Children’s to Test Bay Area Startup’s Diagnostics Tool for CNS
Physicians treating children with symptoms that indicate a potential central nervous system infection—a life-threatening condition—need to know two things: whether the infection is being caused by a pathogen, and if so, its identity. The San Diego, CA-based Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine (RCIGM), a subsidiary of Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center, said today … Continue reading “Rady Children’s to Test Bay Area Startup’s Diagnostics Tool for CNS”
Honda to Invest $2.75 Billion in Cruise, GM’s Driverless Car Subsidiary
Partnerships between major companies traditionally seen as competitors are a hallmark of the mobility industry, and today marked the announcement of one more: Honda will pay $2.75 billion and take a 5.7 percent stake in Cruise, GM’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary. As part of the deal, Honda will also lend its engineering expertise to GM’s driverless … Continue reading “Honda to Invest $2.75 Billion in Cruise, GM’s Driverless Car Subsidiary”
Super Saver Rate for San Francisco Biotech Event Ends Tomorrow
Grab your ticket now to attend Xconomy’s San Francisco Biotech: The Next Generation. Leaders in the Bay Area life sciences industry will share how they are pursuing new ideas and breaking biotech boundaries and offer fresh takes on cutting-edge medical science; unlikely executives will discuss their experiences and perspectives; and the spotlight will shine on … Continue reading “Super Saver Rate for San Francisco Biotech Event Ends Tomorrow”
Girls In Tech Showcases Women Founders In SF Pitch Competition
Kristina Tsvetanova says she found the motivation for her startup Blitab in 2014, when a blind colleague’s struggle to communicate via the Internet made her conscious of the barriers facing visually impaired people in a digital world. Her search for solutions spurred her to move from her native Bulgaria to find greater resources in Vienna, … Continue reading “Girls In Tech Showcases Women Founders In SF Pitch Competition”
ORIC Pharmaceuticals Names Pratik Multani Chief Medical Officer
Pratik Multani has been appointed chief medical officer of South San Francisco, CA-based ORIC Pharmaceuticals. Multani was most recently chief medical officer of Ignyta, a San Diego biotech that was acquired by Roche in a $1.7 billion deal last year. ORIC—which stands for “overcoming resistance in cancer”—develops drugs for cancers that have become resistant to … Continue reading “ORIC Pharmaceuticals Names Pratik Multani Chief Medical Officer”
Pivot Bio Gets $70M, Led by Bill Gates’s Fund, to Replace Fertilizer
Applying fertilizers to fields has been a standard farming practice for generations. The problem with these chemicals is that they end up in the air or in water runoff. Scientists at agriculture startup Pivot Bio say the key to delivering an important nutrient to crops has been at the plants’ roots all along—and the company … Continue reading “Pivot Bio Gets $70M, Led by Bill Gates’s Fund, to Replace Fertilizer”
10 San Diego Startups to Compete at Region’s Top Pitch Competition
Ten tech startups will vie to impress a panel of six judges and hundreds of attendees at San Diego’s biggest pitch contest later this month. Three of the 10 slated to pitch at the Oct. 24 event will get a cut of $75,000 to advance their businesses. Launched in 2006 by San Diego’s Tech Coast … Continue reading “10 San Diego Startups to Compete at Region’s Top Pitch Competition”
Nobel Medicine Prize Honors Cancer Immunotherapy Pioneers Allison, Honjo
[Updated, 11:45 am ET, with comments from press conference] Harnessing the immune system to fight cancer has transformed the treatment of many cancers, and the lives of countless cancer patients who have seen their disease go into remission. This has led many people to speculate over the last several years that the founding researchers of … Continue reading “Nobel Medicine Prize Honors Cancer Immunotherapy Pioneers Allison, Honjo”
Detroit’s GuardHat Snags $20M Series A for Industrial IoT Platform
Hundreds of people in the U.S. die from industrial accidents every year, according to federal data. Part of the reason manufacturing jobs remain so deadly, argues GuardHat co-founder and CEO Saikat Dey, is because the sector’s technology has not progressed as rapidly as it has in the enterprise software and consumer tech markets. This week, … Continue reading “Detroit’s GuardHat Snags $20M Series A for Industrial IoT Platform”
TUGG, Led by Reddit Vet, Plans New “Volunteer in Residence” Program
TUGG is getting more ambitious. Over the past decade, TUGG, which stands for Technology Underwriting Greater Good, has become one of the most visible efforts by employees of Boston-area tech companies and venture capital firms to give back to the local community. Working with the nonprofit, employees donate their time and money to local charities … Continue reading “TUGG, Led by Reddit Vet, Plans New “Volunteer in Residence” Program”
GSK’s Hogenhuis Joins Ultragenyx Pharma as Chief Operating Officer
Wladimir Hogenhuis has been appointed chief operating officer of Novato, CA-based Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RARE]]). Hogenhuis comes to the rare disease drug developer from GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]), where he was senior vice president and general manager, specialty franchise. In April, Ultragenyx won FDA approval for burosumab (Crysvita), a drug developed to treat the rare bone … Continue reading “GSK’s Hogenhuis Joins Ultragenyx Pharma as Chief Operating Officer”
Report: Apple Wins Appeal of $234M Ruling in Patent Dispute with WARF
Apple has persuaded a federal appeals court to toss out a 2015 ruling that ordered the company to pay the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s technology transfer office $234 million for infringing a computer processing technology patent held by the organization, Reuters reported. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. ruled in … Continue reading “Report: Apple Wins Appeal of $234M Ruling in Patent Dispute with WARF”
Findera Tries a Pivot Amid a Whirlwind Over Data Privacy Rules
Early last year, the San Francisco startup Yozio decided it would have to scuttle its core mission, despite having attracted marquee customers including Pinterest and Airbnb within only a few years. The problem was, there turned out to be too few such websites with the size and sophistication to use Yozio’s app-optimization tools to advantage, … Continue reading “Findera Tries a Pivot Amid a Whirlwind Over Data Privacy Rules”
XRC Labs Showcases Retail Tech Innovations in VR, AI, Big Data
XRC Labs, an accelerator program focused on e-commerce and retail startups, held a demo day for its latest class Thursday, featuring innovations in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other technologies. The group of 10 startups is the sixth class for New York-based XRC, which was founded three years ago to promote innovation in the disruptive … Continue reading “XRC Labs Showcases Retail Tech Innovations in VR, AI, Big Data”
Bio Roundup: Amarin’s Stunner, Lung Cancer News, Data Dumps & More
Six years ago, a biotech called Amarin won FDA approval of a prescription fish-oil pill, Vascepa, because it could lower triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. But Amarin didn’t have the evidence that lowering triglycerides with fish oil would really help people. Sales lagged. Amarin’s shares sank. While other groups tested other fish … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Amarin’s Stunner, Lung Cancer News, Data Dumps & More”
Six Life Science Firms Close Q3 with an IPO, More Are on the Way
The window for life science IPOs is still open, and five biotechs and one medical device company chose the last week of the third quarter to make their stock market debuts. Gritstone Oncology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GRTS]]) closed out the week by raising $100 million in an upsized IPO. On Thursday night, Emeryville, CA-based Gritstone priced its … Continue reading “Six Life Science Firms Close Q3 with an IPO, More Are on the Way”
Geron’s Drug Alliance with Janssen Terminated, Shares Plummet 68%
Four years after Geron landed a pharmaceutical partner to co-develop its lead drug, the Menlo Park, CA, biotech is now moving forward with the compound on its own. Janssen Biotech is ending the collaboration with Geron on imetelstat, a drug that had reached mid-stage clinical trials as a treatment for blood disorders. The Johnson & … Continue reading “Geron’s Drug Alliance with Janssen Terminated, Shares Plummet 68%”
Where Can Influential Companies Go to Meet Exceptional Black VCs?
Culture Shifting Weekend—a November 1-3 invitation-only summit, presented by Culture Shift Labs (CSL)—will offer a rare opportunity for leading companies and investors to meet, vet, and fund the fast-growing ecosystem of Black venture capitalists and VC firms. Hosted at Infor in New York City, Culture Shift Lab’s annual three-day event will enable institutional investors, social … Continue reading “Where Can Influential Companies Go to Meet Exceptional Black VCs?”
Big Pharma Seeks More Partnerships, Evidence in Digital Therapeutics
“Digital therapeutics” startups are starting to win more respect—and investment dollars—from pharmaceutical giants. But the two sides are still figuring out how to work together to capitalize on the potential for apps, devices, and other software-enabled technologies to impact patients’ health. That’s what stood out to me the most as I listened to leaders from … Continue reading “Big Pharma Seeks More Partnerships, Evidence in Digital Therapeutics”
LogicBio Jumps on the Gene Therapy 2.0 Wave and Lines Up an IPO
Another gene therapy company is on its way to the public markets. But this one, LogicBio Therapeutics, is part of a newer crop of gene therapy developers that aim to overcome the potential shortcomings of the treatments on the market or in human trials. LogicBio’s technology is still preclinical, but the company aims to start … Continue reading “LogicBio Jumps on the Gene Therapy 2.0 Wave and Lines Up an IPO”
Genentech Executive Jason Ehrlich Joins Kodiak Sciences C-Suite
Kodiak Sciences, a Palo Alto, CA, eye drug developer, has appointed Jason Ehrlich to serve as chief medical officer and chief development officer. Ehrlich comes to Kodiak from Roche subsidiary, Genentech, where he was global head, clinical ophthalmology. Recently, Kodiak filed for an IPO to finance clinical trials testing its lead drug, KSI-301, in patients … Continue reading “Genentech Executive Jason Ehrlich Joins Kodiak Sciences C-Suite”
Morphic Nets Another $80M For Integrin Drugs & First Human Tests
Morphic Therapeutic, a startup from Harvard scientist-entrepreneur Tim Springer, has reloaded with an $80 million Series B round that should get the company to its first human tests. The round includes a number of crossover investors (including Invus and EcoR1; Novo Holdings and Omega Funds co-led the financing), which back both private and publicly traded … Continue reading “Morphic Nets Another $80M For Integrin Drugs & First Human Tests”
Adrian Jubb Departs Achaogen for Immune-Onc Chief Medical Post
Adrian Jubb has been appointed chief medical officer of Palo Alto, CA-based Immune-Onc Therapeutics. Jubb comes to Immune-Onc from Achaogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAO]]), where he was vice president and head of early development. Immune-Onc also appointed An Song to serve as senior vice president of development sciences. Song most recently worked at Genentech as a senior … Continue reading “Adrian Jubb Departs Achaogen for Immune-Onc Chief Medical Post”
Human Augmentation, Throwable Robots & More at X·CON, Nov. 4-6
With fall officially here, it’s time to ask some big questions about the coming year—and decade. What will be the most transformative technology areas for society and business? What should students and innovators be doing to prepare for five to 10 years from now? Who are the leaders and companies that will shape this future? … Continue reading “Human Augmentation, Throwable Robots & More at X·CON, Nov. 4-6”
Gilead to Make Generic Hepatitis C Drugs and Cut Prices Up to 75%
Many large drug companies go to extraordinary lengths to fend off generic competition and extend the life of their patents, but Gilead today announced a highly unusual move in the opposite direction. In January 2019, the company will start selling “authorized” generic versions of two of its three hepatitis C (HCV) drugs, Epclusa and Harvoni, … Continue reading “Gilead to Make Generic Hepatitis C Drugs and Cut Prices Up to 75%”
Another Precision Step for Roche as Ignyta Drug Heads to Regulators
There was more news this morning in the advancement of precision cancer drugs, which target a tumor’s genetic signature. Roche plans to file for approval of entrectinib, a drug the Swiss firm acquired when it bought San Diego, CA-based Ignyta for $1.7 billion last year. Roche’s Genentech unit provided updated data pooled from three early … Continue reading “Another Precision Step for Roche as Ignyta Drug Heads to Regulators”
Amarin Soars as Fish Oil Pill Cuts Risk of Strokes in Long-Awaited Study
Can fish oil help prevent, or reduce the risk of heart disease? Several studies have failed to show that it can. But Amarin this morning is releasing data from a massive study showing that its prescription-grade fish oil pill, Vascepa, has done that—at least for some patients. Amarin (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMRN]]), of Bedminster, NJ, and Dublin, … Continue reading “Amarin Soars as Fish Oil Pill Cuts Risk of Strokes in Long-Awaited Study”
How Groups Are Closing the Security Skills Gap, Boosting Diversity
Today, there is a massive shortage of cybersecurity talent across the globe. According to a 2015 study from Frost & Sullivan and the (ISC)² Foundation, there could be more than 1.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions globally by 2020. As cybersecurity attacks and data breaches, unfortunately, become a matter of not if but when, security talent … Continue reading “How Groups Are Closing the Security Skills Gap, Boosting Diversity”
Adobe-Marketo Deal Could Spur Marketing Tech Tie-Ups, New Strategies
Marketo almost didn’t get off the ground. It was 2006, and Jon Miller and his Marketo co-founders were struggling to raise money from investors for their marketing technology startup. Their pitch was to use software to help businesses automate much of the process of tracking and managing the online sales leads they were getting from … Continue reading “Adobe-Marketo Deal Could Spur Marketing Tech Tie-Ups, New Strategies”
Sigstr Snags $4M Funding Round as Marketing Tech Sector Gets Hotter
Sigstr, the Indianapolis-based marketing tech startup, announced this week that it has raised $4 million in new venture funding. The round was led by Edison Partners, with participation from past investors, including Hyde Park Venture Partners, HubSpot Ventures, High Alpha Capital, Battery Ventures, and 4G Ventures. Bryan Wade, Sigstr’s CEO, says the company plans to … Continue reading “Sigstr Snags $4M Funding Round as Marketing Tech Sector Gets Hotter”
Portola Pharma Picks Scott Garland to Succeed Bill Lis as CEO
Scott Garland will become president and CEO of Portola Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTLA]]) effective Oct. 8. Garland will also join the South San Francisco, CA, company’s board of directors. Garland is coming to Portola from Redwood City, CA-based Relypsa, where he has served as president, and prior to that, chief commercial officer. Portola began looking for … Continue reading “Portola Pharma Picks Scott Garland to Succeed Bill Lis as CEO”
In Adobe’s $4.75B Acquisition of Marketo, a Signal for Marketing Tech
Tech giant Adobe announced Thursday it is buying marketing-software firm Marketo for $4.75 billion. The move may have a ripple effect on the realm of enterprise sales and marketing. Marketo, based in San Mateo, CA, was founded in 2006 and built its business on marketing automation—using software to track and manage potential customers’ interactions with … Continue reading “In Adobe’s $4.75B Acquisition of Marketo, a Signal for Marketing Tech”
Microbiome Startup uBiome Expands into Drug Research with $83M
Biotech company uBiome started as a “citizen science” project that collected and studied microbiome samples in order to learn how the trillions of bacteria living in and on people’s bodies affect human health. Six years and 250,000 samples later, uBiome is now moving beyond simply helping people understand their microbiomes. The San Francisco company has … Continue reading “Microbiome Startup uBiome Expands into Drug Research with $83M”
Bio Roundup: Little Rhody, More for Migraine, Opioid Bills & More
The U.S. Senate had a rare moment of agreement, overwhelmingly passing a package of opioid-related bills. Up the East Coast, life-science players in Rhode Island are working to bring different local factions together and boost the state’s economy. Across the country, a similar effort is underway in Los Angeles. There were also plenty of headlines … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Little Rhody, More for Migraine, Opioid Bills & More”
Convoy Reloads With $185M For Its Freight Shipment Marketplace
Convoy, an online marketplace that connects shippers with freight truck fleets and independent drivers, announced today it raised $185 million in a Series C fundraising round led by CapitalG, the growth equity investment fund of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. With its new funding, Seattle-based Convoy plans to continue expanding its network of customers and truckers … Continue reading “Convoy Reloads With $185M For Its Freight Shipment Marketplace”
MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge to Honor Winners at Detroit Event
Technology has been transforming the way we work for decades, and MIT believes figuring out how to leverage it to rethink jobs and community prosperity is a grand technological challenge of our time. To respond to what the university calls an “economic and moral imperative,” it created the Inclusive Innovation Challenge (IIC), which lands in … Continue reading “MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge to Honor Winners at Detroit Event”
Rapid7 Launches Security Automation Tools to Take On IBM, FireEye
[Updated 9/20/18, 1:04 pm. See below.] Cybersecurity software firm Rapid7 is rolling out new and updated products geared toward helping customers automate more of their security processes and tie together the patchwork of defense mechanisms many of them have purchased from various vendors. The announcement fits into two big trends in security of the past … Continue reading “Rapid7 Launches Security Automation Tools to Take On IBM, FireEye”
Aduro Biotech’s Chief Medical Officer Sacks to Resign in October
Natalie Sacks will resign from her position as chief medical officer of Aduro Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADRO]]) effective Oct. 1, the cancer immunotherapy developer announced Wednesday. Berkeley, CA-based Aduro gave no reason for the resignation, but said that Sacks will continue to advise the company through a consulting agreement. Sacks joined Aduro in 2016. Last year, … Continue reading “Aduro Biotech’s Chief Medical Officer Sacks to Resign in October”
May Mobility Rolling Out Self-Driving Shuttles in Ohio’s Capital
May Mobility, the Detroit-based startup putting self-driving shuttles on urban streets, today announced it will soon begin operations in a new city: Columbus, OH. May has operated autonomous shuttles in downtown Detroit since June, providing transportation to employees of Bedrock, a private company. By contrast, May’s Ohio shuttles will be open to the public, says … Continue reading “May Mobility Rolling Out Self-Driving Shuttles in Ohio’s Capital”
In Boston’s Shadow, Rhode Island Fights for Life Science Jobs, Respect
[Updated 9/19/18, 3:40 p.m. See below.] Tiny Rhode Island and its capital city Providence have always punched above their weight, for better or for worse. Better: Little Rhody’s founder Roger Williams, fleeing religious persecution in 17th-century puritanical Massachusetts, was one of America’s first abolitionists and created the concept of the separation of church and state. … Continue reading “In Boston’s Shadow, Rhode Island Fights for Life Science Jobs, Respect”
Biocom Opens New Bay Area Office, Forms Advisory Group
San Diego’s Biocom industry group announced Monday the latest development in its steady northward expansion. Biocom, which promotes and lobbies on behalf of life science companies, said it has opened a new office in the San Francisco Bay Area and formed an advisory board of local executives. The association, which represents more than 1,000 companies … Continue reading “Biocom Opens New Bay Area Office, Forms Advisory Group”
UiPath Snags $225M To Expand Robotic Workforce for Businesses
Top venture capital firms continue to pour money into software robotics companies that promise to automate monotonous business operations, like processing mortgage applications, that are often performed by humans. New York-based UiPath is the latest such company to score a haul, announcing Tuesday it raised $225 million in a Series C funding round co-led by … Continue reading “UiPath Snags $225M To Expand Robotic Workforce for Businesses”
Viking Liver Drug Shows Promise for NASH, Shares Soar on Study Data
[Updated, 2:45 pm ET, see below] There is another update today in the competitive race to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an increasingly common liver disease with no FDA-approved therapies. Viking Therapeutics released preliminary results from a Phase 2 study suggesting its experimental drug might impact some of the disease’s many dangerous effects on the liver. … Continue reading “Viking Liver Drug Shows Promise for NASH, Shares Soar on Study Data”
Google Leads Mabl’s $20M Series B as Software Testing Deals Heat Up
Dan Belcher and Izzy Azeri sold their last startup, Stackdriver, to Google. Now, Google’s venture capital arm has backed the entrepreneurial duo’s latest company, Mabl. Boston-based Mabl said Tuesday it has pulled in $20 million in a Series B funding round led by GV (formerly Google Ventures). CRV and Amplify Partners also contributed to the … Continue reading “Google Leads Mabl’s $20M Series B as Software Testing Deals Heat Up”
Zapata Teaming With IBM, Google to Push Quantum Tech Into Next Phase
Christopher Savoie says he was skeptical when former Harvard researcher Alán Aspuru-Guzik pitched Savoie last year on joining the quantum computing software venture he was planning to form. Quantum computing technology is at least a decade away from commercial feasibility, responded Savoie, a tech developer and attorney who previously founded startups in machine learning, pharmaceuticals, … Continue reading “Zapata Teaming With IBM, Google to Push Quantum Tech Into Next Phase”
Zapata Computing CEO on A.I., Automation & Breakthroughs in Quantum
Quantum computing is one of the most intriguing—and complex—areas of technology right now. For years, it seemed like the field wouldn’t deliver practical applications any time soon. But that thinking has changed, and efforts at big companies, startups, and university research labs seem to be picking up steam—with use cases in finance, artificial intelligence, and … Continue reading “Zapata Computing CEO on A.I., Automation & Breakthroughs in Quantum”
Allogene Files for IPO to Fund Cancer Cell Therapy Clinical Trials
Allogene Therapeutics, a biotech developing a cell therapy made from donor cells, is laying out IPO plans to finance more tests of its experimental cancer treatment. South San Francisco, CA-based Allogene made waves this year when it launched with a huge $300 million Series A round. It has now set a preliminary $100 million IPO … Continue reading “Allogene Files for IPO to Fund Cancer Cell Therapy Clinical Trials”
The Rise of Robocalls and Cell Scams—and How to Stop Them
[Updated 9:15 a.m., see below.] Jen King was in a hurry to get out the door of her Bay Area home on a recent morning, and she missed a call to her cell phone because of it. The phone number that called her, she later discovered, was startling. “It was my home phone calling me, … Continue reading “The Rise of Robocalls and Cell Scams—and How to Stop Them”
Bio Roundup: CRISPR Ruling, “America’s Nobels,” IPOs & More
The long-running patent feud over CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing appears to be over, just as U.S. biotech companies gear up for the first human tests of the landmark technology. This week, a federal appeals court upheld a previous ruling handing a CRISPR-Cas9 patent to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The decision by the three-judge … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Ruling, “America’s Nobels,” IPOs & More”