Boston Scientific Gets FDA OK for Carotid Artery Stent, Insurance Reimbursements on the Device Still Limited

Natick, MA-based medical devices giant Boston Scientific has garnered market approval for a carotid artery stent, the company announced yesterday afternoon. The stent is a coiled metal tube intended to prop open the carotid artery in the neck that keeps blood flowing from the heart to the brain. When plaques cause the arteries to narrow, … Continue reading “Boston Scientific Gets FDA OK for Carotid Artery Stent, Insurance Reimbursements on the Device Still Limited”

Merck Shutdown of Rosetta is Seattle’s Loss, Boston’s Gain As Company Tries to Lure Key Researchers East

Merck is saying goodbye to Seattle, and it’s really trying to entice its people to say hello to Beantown. Following up on Wednesday’s announcement that the Pharma giant is shutting down its Rosetta Inpharmatics research facility here in Seattle, yesterday I got the scoop on what’s happening from Douglas Bassett, Merck’s executive director of molecular … Continue reading “Merck Shutdown of Rosetta is Seattle’s Loss, Boston’s Gain As Company Tries to Lure Key Researchers East”

Alnylam–Isis Venture Regulus, Leader in MicroRNA Drugs, Aspires to Create New Paradigm of Treatments

Within the first five minutes of sitting down for an interview with Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, I could see this guy likes to think big. The idea behind his company, Regulus Therapeutics, is to show that a young technology called microRNA has the same sort of potential that gene-splicing techniques represented in the 1970s and targeted antibody … Continue reading “Alnylam–Isis Venture Regulus, Leader in MicroRNA Drugs, Aspires to Create New Paradigm of Treatments”

Mersana Secures $4,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6f9cff80-0052-4f3f-83a1-21e4cab81b93&Preview=1 Date 10/24/2008 Company Name Mersana Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly Nanopharma Corp.) is focused on developing novel oncology agents based on Fleximer, a stealth material that enhances the pharmacokinetics and safety of drugs. Website http://www.mersana.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,000,000 … Continue reading “Mersana Secures $4,000,000 New Financing”

NitroMed Sells Off Its Only Product, a Controversial Heart Pill for African Americans

Nine months after slashing its staff and discontinuing marketing of its only marketed product—a heart-failure drug approved specifically for African Americans—Lexington, MA-based NitroMed (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NTMD]]) is selling all the assets related to the pill. Under the terms of the agreement, JHP Pharmaceuticals, a privately held specialty healthcare company in Parsippany, NJ, will pay $24.5 million … Continue reading “NitroMed Sells Off Its Only Product, a Controversial Heart Pill for African Americans”

Bloomberg Subscribers Get Access to Sermo Physician Forum

It seems that Sermo, the exclusive online community for physicians, is finding new ways to monetize its population of members almost as quickly as that population is growing. Last year, the password-protected site, where some 90,000 practicing physicians consult with one another on medical cases and other issues via a system of comments and polls, … Continue reading “Bloomberg Subscribers Get Access to Sermo Physician Forum”

Epix Cutting 23 Percent of Workers

Epix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:EPIX]]), a Lexington, MA-based biopharmaceutical firm, announced Thursday that it is reducing its work force by 23 percent and “narrowing” the focus of its R&D. The company, which plans to continue developing its lead drugs for Alzheimer’s disease and respiratory conditions, says it expects the cuts to reduce its annual expenses by about … Continue reading “Epix Cutting 23 Percent of Workers”

Sirtris’ Red Wine Chemical to Take Back Seat to “Potent” Diabetes Drugs

Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm Sirtris has garnered national and international attention for its work to use its formulation of resveratrol, a natural chemical found in red wine, to treat diseases of aging such as Type 2 diabetes and cancer. Now the company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]), plans to increase its … Continue reading “Sirtris’ Red Wine Chemical to Take Back Seat to “Potent” Diabetes Drugs”

Ze-gen Fires Back in Patent Dispute; Calls Quantum Catalytics’ Infringement Allegations “Fraudulent”

Boston-based Ze-gen has struck back at Quantum Catalytics. Ze-gen, in documents filed yesterday in federal District Court in Boston, says the patent infringement claims Quantum filed against it in August are “transparently fraudulent” and “so oblique as to be unfathomable.” Many of the patents at stake in the lawsuit have expired, Ze-gen pointed out in … Continue reading “Ze-gen Fires Back in Patent Dispute; Calls Quantum Catalytics’ Infringement Allegations “Fraudulent””

Biotech Luminaries Huddle at Boston R&D Conference, Mood “Surprisingly Optimistic”

A who’s who of the Boston-area life sciences scene (including MIT Institute Professors Robert Langer and Philip Sharp) turned out at Harvard Medical School yesterday for the first Boston Biotech R&D Conference. It was a good place to be for anyone aiming to network with biotech-focused venture capitalists, fund managers, executives, academic luminaries, and industry … Continue reading “Biotech Luminaries Huddle at Boston R&D Conference, Mood “Surprisingly Optimistic””

InfraReDx, Inc. Receives $22,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7862790a-34b9-447b-8816-f345074202d9&Preview=1 Date 10/23/2008 Company Name InfraReDx, Inc. Mailing Address 34 Third Avenue Burlington, MA 01803 Company Description The company has now developed a fiber-optic, catheter-based, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy system designed to characterize the composition of coronary plaques in patients undergoing catheterization. This NIR system is currently being evaluated in a clinical … Continue reading “InfraReDx, Inc. Receives $22,000,000 New Financing Round”

Helen Greiner Speaks: Next Up After iRobot is Service, Kite-Boarding, and Gearing Up for a New Adventure…in Robotics

Helen Greiner just called me. She didn’t go into any particulars of how or why she came to step down as iRobot’s chairman today, but she did sound upbeat about the next phase of her life—and told me some history about she got hooked on robotics at age 11 and wasn’t about to leave the … Continue reading “Helen Greiner Speaks: Next Up After iRobot is Service, Kite-Boarding, and Gearing Up for a New Adventure…in Robotics”

GE Invested $30M More in A123

GE announced today it invested an additional $30 million in A123Systems, the Watertown, MA-based battery maker. That brings GE’s total investment in A123 to $55 million, or a 9 percent ownership stake. According to the announcement, the $30 million was part of a $102 million Series E round raised by A123 in May, but the … Continue reading “GE Invested $30M More in A123”

IRobot Co-Founder Greiner Resigns as Chair of Board

Updated Oct. 22, 5 pm with comment from company: IRobot co-founder Helen Greiner, who has been instrumental in guiding the company since its inception in 1990 and who has served as a leading voice on robotics innovation worldwide, has resigned as chairman of the company’s board and will be replaced by her fellow co-founder and … Continue reading “IRobot Co-Founder Greiner Resigns as Chair of Board”

Neuroptix Raises $18.5M For Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Test

Neuroptix has raised $18.5 million in a Series B round of venture capital, to push development of a non-invasive eye test that it thinks may be able to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stages. Inventages led the investment round in the Acton, MA-based company, and Rockport Venture Partners acted as the company’s financial advisor. … Continue reading “Neuroptix Raises $18.5M For Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Test”

New EveryZing Video Player Helps Publishers Cash In on Viral Video Distribution

Google’s YouTube makes it incredibly easy to share cool videos with your friends or embed them in your blog or website. The site’s friendliness toward viral distribution is probably why almost every video on the Internet ends up on YouTube sooner or later. But if big companies that publish a lot of Web video leave … Continue reading “New EveryZing Video Player Helps Publishers Cash In on Viral Video Distribution”

Targanta Releases Antibiotic Data

Targanta Therapeutics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:TARG]]) has released detailed data from its Phase 2 study of its antibiotic oritavancin in single or infrequent doses, showing that the fewer doses were as safe and effective as a three-to-seven day course of therapy, according to the Cambridge, MA-based firm. Luke wrote earlier this month about Targanta’s hoped-for FDA approval of … Continue reading “Targanta Releases Antibiotic Data”

VMware Unafraid of MSFT, CEO Says

Seattle Tech Report, a blog published by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, reports that Paul Maritz, CEO of EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) virtualization subsidiary VMware (NYSE: [[ticker:VMW]]), dismissed Microsoft’s virtualization efforts as a competitive threat in a conference call with analysts yesterday. The company hasn’t seen major losses to Microsoft’s server virtualization products and “we don’t see them … Continue reading “VMware Unafraid of MSFT, CEO Says”

FDA Panel Favors Genzyme’s Myozyme

An FDA panel voted Tuesday in favor of recommending conditional approval of a new version of Cambridge biotech firm Genzyme’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) drug alglucosidase alfa (Myozyme) for Pompe disease, according to a report by Bloomberg News. Though the panel’s nod does not guarantee approval of the drug, it puts Genzyme one step closer to marketing a … Continue reading “FDA Panel Favors Genzyme’s Myozyme”

Building New Life Science Companies: The Bob Langer–Terry McGuire Show on Video

One highlight of Xconomy’s September 23 forum, “How to Build a Life Sciences Company,” was my closing chat with MIT Institute Professor and Xconomist Robert Langer and Polaris Venture Partners managing partner Terry McGuire, who have teamed on a long list of local biotech startups. Now, courtesy of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, which … Continue reading “Building New Life Science Companies: The Bob Langer–Terry McGuire Show on Video”

Antigenics Asks European Regulators to Approve Oncophage for Kidney Cancer

Antigenics, the developer of a personalized treatment to stimulate the immune system to fight tumors, is asking European regulators for permission to sell its vitespen (Oncophage) treatment for kidney cancer. It’s a big step for the New York-based company—which has 90 of its 98 employees in Lexington, MA—on its quest to be the world’s first … Continue reading “Antigenics Asks European Regulators to Approve Oncophage for Kidney Cancer”

Vertex, Ariad, and Infinity Reach Clinical Milestones; FDA Grants Dying Cancer Patient Access to Tysabri; Genzyme Exec Takes Pervasive Helm; & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

There was a lot of activity related to biotech-pharma partnerships this week. That, and the rest of the Boston-area life sciences news, below. —Lexington, MA-based Predictive Biosciences, a diagnostics startup build around research done at Children’s Hospital Boston, raised $21.75 million in Series B financing. New investor New Enterprise Associates led the deal, and Kaiser … Continue reading “Vertex, Ariad, and Infinity Reach Clinical Milestones; FDA Grants Dying Cancer Patient Access to Tysabri; Genzyme Exec Takes Pervasive Helm; & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

ManageSoft Corporation Garners $2,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=23fbeb38-8b1f-4248-bab7-65ff0d1a4812&Preview=1 Date 10/22/2008 Company Name ManageSoft Corporation Mailing Address 101 Federal Street 25th Floor Boston, MA 02110 Company Description ManageSoft, The Software Management Company, reduces IT supports costs for desktops, laptops, and servers located anywhere in the world by enabling large organizations to automatically deploy, update and manage software and security patches … Continue reading “ManageSoft Corporation Garners $2,000,000 New Round”

CitySquares Online, Inc. Garners New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f8438d9e-5eca-4d7e-adb9-6eccbfd97f7b&Preview=1 Date 10/22/2008 Company Name CitySquares Online, Inc. Mailing Address 580 Harrison Ave, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02118 Company Description We are most certainly, first and foremost, and undoubtedly about local businesses and local communities. We’re about your neighborhood, and where you get your hair cut, meet your friends for coffee, have … Continue reading “CitySquares Online, Inc. Garners New Funding Round”

Neuroptix, Inc. Obtains $18,500,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=aec7c319-7bd5-4dac-ad7e-8f2c72f25e90&Preview=1 Date 10/22/2008 Company Name Neuroptix, Inc. Mailing Address 20 Main Street Acton, MA 01720 Company Description Neuroptix develops, manufactures and distributes state-of-the-art products for extremely sensitive measurements of biophysical changes in the eye, including non-invasive instruments for diagnosis and monitoring Alzheimer’s disease undergoing clinical development. Adaptable and innovative, Neuroptix’s products are … Continue reading “Neuroptix, Inc. Obtains $18,500,000 Series B Financing”

SmartCells, Inc. Secures $1,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7fcad503-ac97-4623-b6e8-b17e7fa55a5e&Preview=1 Date 10/22/2008 Company Name SmartCells, Inc. Mailing Address 100 Cummings Center Beverly, MA 01915 Company Description SmartInsulin™ consists of a layered, biocompatible and biodegradable polymer-therapeutic that is bound to an engineered glucose-binding molecule. Insulin is released from SmartInsulin only when the therapeutic is unbound by the presence of a specific glucose … Continue reading “SmartCells, Inc. Secures $1,000,000 New Funding”

Neurotech Pharmaceuticals Lands $15,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0a9b82f3-4cab-4d10-8cbb-d633cc6f69a4&Preview=1 Date 10/22/2008 Company Name Neurotech Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 6 Blackstone Valley Place Lincoln, RI 02865 Company Description Neurotech is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of sight-saving therapeutics for chronic retinal diseases. Retinal diseases represent significant unmet medical needs for which new medical therapies are the largest market opportunity in … Continue reading “Neurotech Pharmaceuticals Lands $15,000,000 Series B Round”

A123Systems Obtains $30,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8465c7b0-edf8-4757-b1ad-65792f743c25&Preview=1 Date 10/22/2008 Company Name A123Systems Mailing Address 321 Arsenal Street Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description A123Systems is the developer of a new generation of Lithium-ion batteries that deliver previously unattainable power levels, safety and life to a wide range of applications. Website http://www.a123systems.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $30,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “A123Systems Obtains $30,000,000 New Funding”

Tech Advice for the Next U.S. President: Seattle and Boston Leaders Weigh In

Whether it’s John McCain or Barack Obama, what should the new American president do to promote technological innovation and global competitiveness? Computerworld asked a collection of tech luminaries from around the country for their advice, and published their thoughts today. Here are contributions from three info-tech experts in Xconomy cities. Rick Rashid, senior vice president … Continue reading “Tech Advice for the Next U.S. President: Seattle and Boston Leaders Weigh In”

Bayer Buys License to ImmunoGen Cancer Drug Technology

ImmunoGen, a Waltham, MA-based drug developer, said today that Bayer has obtained an exclusive worldwide license to its Tumor-Activated Prodrug technology, which allows a drug to remain safe and stable in the blood, and then release a cell-killing agent when it gets inside tumors. ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMGN]]) will get $4 million upfront, plus milestone payments … Continue reading “Bayer Buys License to ImmunoGen Cancer Drug Technology”

Symbian OS Gets Skyhook Location System

Back in January, Boston’s Skyhook Wireless scored a huge win by getting its Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS)—which helps cellphones and laptops determine their locations by listening for nearby wireless hotspots—into the Apple iPhone. And every few weeks since then I’ve gotten another note from Skyhook, saying that WPS or its hybrid GPS/Wi-Fi/cellular-based cousin, XPS, has … Continue reading “Symbian OS Gets Skyhook Location System”

Akamai Buys Acerno, Adds Targeted Advertising Capability

Akamai, the Cambridge, MA-based operator of Internet content distribution networks, today released news that it will acquire Acerno, a New York- and San Francisco-based targeted-advertising company, for $95 million in cash. The move gets Akamai (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]) into the increasingly popular game of “behavioral targeting,” or serving specific ads to online shoppers based on their … Continue reading “Akamai Buys Acerno, Adds Targeted Advertising Capability”

A Student Entrepreneur in Paradise

On Saturday, I attended the 2nd annual Elevator Pitch Competition (EPC) at MIT—the first leg of the year-long MIT $100K Business Plan Competition. The EPC is all about generating ideas, and over the action-packed day, culminating in an amazing, Rocky-themed finale in the evening, I had the opportunity to hear a lot of them. The … Continue reading “A Student Entrepreneur in Paradise”

CheapFlights Founders Launch Retro Deals Site CheapToday

At a time of dwindling portfolios, mass layoffs, impending recession, and general financial queasiness, Web entrepreneurs should to go back to basics, focusing on services that help customers save money, say startup gurus like Paul Graham. That’s exactly what CheapToday did last week, launching a website and an e-mail newsletter that highlight the best deals … Continue reading “CheapFlights Founders Launch Retro Deals Site CheapToday”

Pervasis, Maker of Product to Heal Blood Vessels, Hires Genzyme Exec as First CEO

Pervasis Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based cell therapy company, has hired a veteran businessman from Genzyme as its first CEO. Frederic Chereau, a former vice president and general manager of the cardiovascular business unit of Genzyme, takes over a company that aims to create a cell-based product that will help stop excessive inflammation and promote healing. … Continue reading “Pervasis, Maker of Product to Heal Blood Vessels, Hires Genzyme Exec as First CEO”

GreenFuel Fired Up for Big Plant in Spain—Announces Next Phase of $92 Million Plan

GreenFuel Technologies, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of algae bioreactor systems that convert carbon dioxide emissions into clean-burning biofuels, announced today that it had launched the second phase of a major project with Spanish renewable energy firm Aurantia to build a large-scale algae farming plant adjacent to a CO2-spewing cement plant near Jerez, Spain. In making … Continue reading “GreenFuel Fired Up for Big Plant in Spain—Announces Next Phase of $92 Million Plan”

$66M Army Order at BAE Systems

Lexington, MA-based defense and aerospace giant BAE Systems said today that the U.S. Army has placed a $66 million order for thermal weapon sights used on rifles, machine guns, and mounted weapons. BAE’s thermal sights include sophisticated electronic infrared sensors that allow soldiers to spot targets even if they’re obscured by darkness, foliage, or camouflage. … Continue reading “$66M Army Order at BAE Systems”

Tech Luminaries to Reveal Genomes

Ten prominent players in science and technology—many of them local to the Boston area—are reportedly today going to reveal about 20 percent of the genome sequences, along with their medical records on the Web. The group, including Harvard Medical School’s George Church and legendary venture capitalist Esther Dyson, are the first volunteers in Church’s Personal … Continue reading “Tech Luminaries to Reveal Genomes”

Novomer, Maker of Plastic from CO2, Moves HQ to Boston

Last November I told you about Novomer, an Ithaca, NY-based startup using proprietary zinc- and cobalt-based catalysts to make plastic from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Today the company, which is funded by Cambridge, MA-based Flagship Ventures, announced that it’s moving to Boston and gaining a new CEO, former Surface Logix CEO Jim Mahoney. Novomer’s … Continue reading “Novomer, Maker of Plastic from CO2, Moves HQ to Boston”

Dyax Names Christensen New CEO; Blair Retiring

Dyax, the Cambridge, MA-based drug developer, said today that Gustav Christensen will replace co-founder Henry Blair as president and CEO on Jan. 1. Christensen joined the company as chief business officer in April 2007. Blair, who co-founded the company in 1989, plans to retire as CEO but remain chairman of the board at Dyax.

Ariad Gets $12.5M From Merck For Beginning Cancer Trial

Ariad Pharmaceuticals, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it will receive a $12.5 million milestone payment from its partner, Merck, for beginning a mid-stage study of deforolimus for patients with advanced prostate cancer. The treatment, an oral pill, is being tested against other forms of cancer through the Merck partnership.

Vertex Cystic Fibrosis Drug Improves Breathing for 28 Days

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has some good news this morning on its experimental drug for cystic fibrosis. The treatment, taken an oral pill, helped patients breathe better for 28 days, at both a high and low dose, than did a placebo. The drug didn’t appear to cause any serious side effects. The findings for VX-770 were from … Continue reading “Vertex Cystic Fibrosis Drug Improves Breathing for 28 Days”

Archemix Looks to Hitch Eli Lilly to Aptamer Express in New Deal

Archemix has added to its growing list of pharmaceutical collaborators one of the biggest names in the business, inking a licensing and options deal with Indianapolis-based drug giant Eli Lilly (NYSE:[[ticker:LLY]]). The agreement gives licenses to unspecified Lilly technology to Archemix, and it provides options to Lilly to evaluate Archemix’s signature aptamer therapeutics and to … Continue reading “Archemix Looks to Hitch Eli Lilly to Aptamer Express in New Deal”

New England’s Top Third-Quarter Venture Deals—the List

In contrast to the big drops in Xconomy’s sister regions of the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, venture deals in New England seemed to hold up pretty well in the third quarter. All told, as Greg reported Saturday, the region’s venture capitalists ponied up some $834 million for 117 deals during the period. That was … Continue reading “New England’s Top Third-Quarter Venture Deals—the List”

Synta Snags $25M From GSK, GT Solar and Evergreen Solar Sell More Solar Stuff, Predictive Biosciences Foresees $22M, & More Boston-Area Deals News

Last week had a little bit of everything for Boston-area deals watchers. —Lexington, MA-based cancer drug developer Synta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SNTA]]) got a $25 million payday from partner GlaxoSmithKline. The payment was tied to reaching milestones in the development of a drug called elesclomol, which is in late-stage testing as a treatment for metastatic melanoma. … Continue reading “Synta Snags $25M From GSK, GT Solar and Evergreen Solar Sell More Solar Stuff, Predictive Biosciences Foresees $22M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

The Lights Are Still On (Think Energy and Biotech Investments), but the Party’s Over for Many U.S. Venture Deals

The venture-capital numbers for the U.S. are out for the third quarter of 2008, and they don’t quite reflect the turmoil in the broader financial markets—at least not yet. Total venture investment in U.S. companies in Q3 amounted to $7.1 billion in 907 deals, which is down 7 percent from the second quarter of this … Continue reading “The Lights Are Still On (Think Energy and Biotech Investments), but the Party’s Over for Many U.S. Venture Deals”

Big Solar Contracts for Evergreen, GT Solar

In separate announcements yesterday, New England solar equipment suppliers Evergreen Solar and GT Solar said they’d won big contracts from companies in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. Marlborough, MA-based Evergreen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ESLR]]), which manufactures silicon solar panels using a proprietary “string ribbon” process, said that it had signed one contract with North American solar … Continue reading “Big Solar Contracts for Evergreen, GT Solar”

Downturn is Perfect Time for Startups, Paul Graham Says

Paul Graham may be the founder of famed Mountain View, CA- and Cambridge, MA-based startup academy Y Combinator, but he’s almost as well known for his monthly essays about the technology business. His latest edition, out today, argues that it’s no harder to get a technology startup off the ground during bad economic times than … Continue reading “Downturn is Perfect Time for Startups, Paul Graham Says”