Rumblings of a new Obamacare replacement surfaced this week, while scientists and their supporters prepared for Saturday’s—a.k.a. Earth Day’s—nationwide Marches for Science. Our own reporting focused this week on the fallout from high drug prices, with a look at the frustration of families whose children have had trouble gaining access to the first drug ever … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Spinraza Woes, Science March, Baseline Launch & More”
Category: Boston
Request Your Invitation to Xconomy’s Elite Napa Summit June 8-9
Nobel Laureate David Baltimore. Microbiome AND supercomputer pioneer Larry Smarr. Intellectual Ventures’ Nathan Myhrvold. Nicole Glaros of Techstars. These are just a few of the visionary speakers who will be headlining Xconomy’s sixth annual Napa Summit. And if you act fast to request your invitation to this special event, you can join them and … Continue reading “Request Your Invitation to Xconomy’s Elite Napa Summit June 8-9”
Insight Partners Buys Data Backup Business Spanning From Dell EMC
Austin—Spanning, software data backup service owned by Dell EMC, is being sold to New York-based private equity firm Insight Venture Partners. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The newly independent company is changing its name to Spanning Cloud Apps, according to a prepared statement. The company will continue to be based in Austin, TX. Dell … Continue reading “Insight Partners Buys Data Backup Business Spanning From Dell EMC”
Boston Tech Watch: iRobot, Bose, Nasuni, Endurance, Ascend & More
[Updated 4/20/17, 4:26 pm. See below.] Here are some of the latest developments in the Boston-area tech scene: —Bedly, an online housing rental marketplace with offices in Cambridge, MA, and New York, has raised a $2.7 million seed round. The investors include Accomplice, Founder Collective, and individual backers, including Diane Hessan, according to BostInno. [This … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: iRobot, Bose, Nasuni, Endurance, Ascend & More”
UniQure to Yank Pioneering Gene Therapy From Market in Europe
[Updated, 9:33 a.m. ET, see below] It took decades to get the first gene therapy in the Western world to market. And it will apparently take only five years since for that product, a treatment from UniQure for a rare metabolic disorder, to fizzle out after failing commercially. UniQure (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QURE]]), with operations in Amsterdam … Continue reading “UniQure to Yank Pioneering Gene Therapy From Market in Europe”
ZappRx Gets $25M to Push E-Prescription Tools for Specialty Meds
[Corrected 4/20/17, 9:15 a.m. See below.] ZappRx, a Boston-based startup trying to streamline the process of ordering and refilling specialty medications, has raised a $25 million round of funding led by Seattle venture capital firm Qiming US Healthcare Fund. Notably, GV, the venture capital arm of Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOGL]]), is participating in the … Continue reading “ZappRx Gets $25M to Push E-Prescription Tools for Specialty Meds”
“Our Son’s Fate”: Parents Fighting for Kids’ Spine Drug Eye New Data
Melissa Marotta pulled no punches to get her three-year-old son C.J., who has the genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy, access to nusinersen (Spinraza), the first approved drug for his condition. For months, she couldn’t schedule a treatment date at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, and for much of that time, she … Continue reading ““Our Son’s Fate”: Parents Fighting for Kids’ Spine Drug Eye New Data”
Trump Executive Order Adds Uncertainty to Tech Visa Program
Is the U.S. high-skilled visa program, known as H-1B, an essential contributor to the innovation economy or a way for companies to replace American IT workers with immigrants at lower salaries? It’s a debate as old as the program itself, which began in 1990. The Trump administration on Tuesday joined the fray with a long-anticipated … Continue reading “Trump Executive Order Adds Uncertainty to Tech Visa Program”
Are You A Great Marketing Specialist? Xconomy is Hiring
In the past 10 years, Xconomy has grown from a single bureau in Boston to having an editorial presence in 11 innovation clusters across the country. We now hold around 60 events each year, from intimate private dinners to full-day conferences. And we are expanding into podcasting, webinars, special reports, and a host of other … Continue reading “Are You A Great Marketing Specialist? Xconomy is Hiring”
Freebird Snatches $5M to Help Business Travelers Take Flight
One of the newer players in the Boston area’s travel technology sector is fueling its tank with $5 million from investors. The new funding for Cambridge, MA-based Freebird comes from General Catalyst Partners, Accomplice, and entrepreneurs and executives from the travel industry. General Catalyst and Accomplice also led Freebird’s first round of funding, which totaled … Continue reading “Freebird Snatches $5M to Help Business Travelers Take Flight”
The Xconomy Roadmap: Top 15 Innovation Areas to Watch (and Disrupt)
It is a time of great transitions in the technology and business world. Key advances in areas like machine intelligence, agriculture, and healthcare seem poised to transform society—and everyday life. But it can be hard to keep up with the latest news in fields as disparate as cybersecurity, food tech, and cancer therapeutics—let alone understand … Continue reading “The Xconomy Roadmap: Top 15 Innovation Areas to Watch (and Disrupt)”
Want to Communicate Your Science? First, Step Back
Think for a moment about the words and phrases that life science researchers and executives use on a daily basis. I’m talking about the seemingly simple phrases like “investigational drug,” “novel target,” “immunotherapy,” “clinical trial,” “in vitro,” and “therapeutic window.” There are hundreds more. Those of us who work in life sciences are comfortable with … Continue reading “Want to Communicate Your Science? First, Step Back”
Cancer Drugmaker G1 Therapeutics Makes IPO Pitch To Wall Street
Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Novartis were first to gain regulatory approval with drugs that block a pair of enzymes important to tumor growth in breast cancer. Clinical-stage biotech G1 Therapeutics has a different approach to those same enzymes and will ask investors in the public markets to get on board. Research Triangle Park, NC-based G1 … Continue reading “Cancer Drugmaker G1 Therapeutics Makes IPO Pitch To Wall Street”
Why Bots Aren’t the Real AI Disruption: The Quiet Rise of Headless AI
Editor’s note: This piece was originally posted on Textio’s company blog. “Hey Siri, how’s the weather today?” “OK Google, remind me to pay the power bill.” “Alexa, tell me a joke!” Bots are eating the world. Whether you are an enterprising app developer building the essential software to bring a virtual Taylor Swift into your … Continue reading “Why Bots Aren’t the Real AI Disruption: The Quiet Rise of Headless AI”
Bio Roundup: CRISPR Appeal, Bristol Deals, Stock Pumping & More
It may have been a short holiday week, but there was plenty of news on the CRISPR front. In the ongoing battle for rights to the landmark gene editing technology, the faction led by the University of California appealed the U.S. decision in favor of the Broad Institute. Elsewhere, Bristol-Myers Squibb flipped assets, a top … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Appeal, Bristol Deals, Stock Pumping & More”
Boston Tech Watch: The Engine, E Ink, GE, OM1, Mobiquity & More
It’s time to catch up on some recent Boston tech headlines: —The Engine, a new startup accelerator program and investment fund launched by MIT, has raised more than $150 million for its first venture fund. MIT committed $25 million, and the rest of the capital came from a mix of pension funds, endowments, wealthy individuals, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: The Engine, E Ink, GE, OM1, Mobiquity & More”
Boston Firms Demo New Robots & Evolving Human-Machine Relationships
[Updated 4/17/17, 11:20 am. See below.] The breadth of New England’s robotics sector was on display Wednesday night at an event in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood, where startups showed off technologies for human transportation, schlepping products around warehouses and factories, underwater exploration, sweeping floors, and more. The showcase was part of the monthly Mass Innovation Nights … Continue reading “Boston Firms Demo New Robots & Evolving Human-Machine Relationships”
On Tap For “What’s Hot” on May 11: Opioid Crisis, Immigration & More
We’re just a month away from Xconomy’s latest biotech bash in Boston, so it’s time to dish some details on the program. For “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” on May 11 at Biogen’s headquarters in Cambridge, MA, we’re focusing on the big issues in life sciences—both in Boston and across the country. The opioid epidemic, … Continue reading “On Tap For “What’s Hot” on May 11: Opioid Crisis, Immigration & More”
Bristol Flips Remnants of Adnexus, iPierian to Roche, Biogen For $470M
Priorities change over time for drugmakers, as evidenced today by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The company announced two separate deals for experimental drugs that no longer fit its strategy—both of which were remnants of old acquisitions and a past plan to zero in on genetic diseases. In one deal, Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) has sent Biogen (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]), of … Continue reading “Bristol Flips Remnants of Adnexus, iPierian to Roche, Biogen For $470M”
Lyndra’s Long-Acting Drug Delivery Technology Lands $23M Investment
One of the challenges in drug development is making formulations that have a long-lasting therapeutic effect. Implantable products that release a drug slowly over time offer one way to deliver medication for longer than a day, but such long-acting effects have been more difficult to achieve with pills. Drug delivery startup Lyndra has developed technology … Continue reading “Lyndra’s Long-Acting Drug Delivery Technology Lands $23M Investment”
Cinch, at Nexus of Fintech and A.I., Wants to Be Your Personal CFO
For most of Sean Collins’s 35 years in the financial services industry, his work has “made large corporations richer,” he says. He’s proud of that work. But he’s excited that now, as co-founder and CEO of Boston startup Cinch Financial, he’s building technology that aims to help regular people manage their money and gain stronger … Continue reading “Cinch, at Nexus of Fintech and A.I., Wants to Be Your Personal CFO”
Full Harvest Raises $2M to Make Ugly Fruit and Veggies Valuable
Consumers take it for granted, but the fruits and vegetables they see in grocery stores are the best of the lot. Tons of perfectly edible produce doesn’t make it to stores and is instead thrown away each season simply because the items are unappealing to the eye. Agtech startup Full Harvest wants to cut down … Continue reading “Full Harvest Raises $2M to Make Ugly Fruit and Veggies Valuable”
With Ovid IPO, Ex-Teva CEO Levin Pitches Neuro Drug Plan to Wall Street
Ex-Teva Pharmaceutical and Bristol-Myers Squibb executive Jeremy Levin is once again on the verge of running a publicly traded company—this time, a small startup biotech. Startup Ovid Therapeutics, which Levin formed in New York a few years ago to develop treatments for rare brain diseases, has just filed paperwork outlining an IPO. The move isn’t … Continue reading “With Ovid IPO, Ex-Teva CEO Levin Pitches Neuro Drug Plan to Wall Street”
JLabs’s Tom Luby Talks About Houston’s Potential as a Biotech Hub
Houston—Much is made over the difference between the Houston biotech ecosystem and those on the East and West coasts. Places like Cambridge, MA’s Kendall Square are so dense with scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors eager to play matchmaker, lab space is becoming near impossible to secure, says Tom Luby of JLabs, an innovation incubator run by … Continue reading “JLabs’s Tom Luby Talks About Houston’s Potential as a Biotech Hub”
Frequency Nabs $32M, Will Push Hearing-Loss Drugs To Human Studies
Hearing loss, which affects millions of Americans with no effective drugs to fight it, has become a ripe field for biotech investment. The latest example is Frequency Therapeutics, which sprung from MIT earlier this year and has just corralled a big round of funding. The Woburn, MA-based startup has raised a $32 million Series A … Continue reading “Frequency Nabs $32M, Will Push Hearing-Loss Drugs To Human Studies”
Emulate’s “Organ-on-a-Chip” Tech Picked for FDA Research Partnership
[Updated 4/11/17, 9:44 a.m. See below.] Experimental drugs encounter their earliest tests in petri dishes and animals, but these tests can fall short of predicting what happens in humans. The life sciences industry has been pursuing what many hope is a better way: packing human cells into tiny chips developed as stand-ins for organs. This … Continue reading “Emulate’s “Organ-on-a-Chip” Tech Picked for FDA Research Partnership”
The Otonomy Story and the Human Impact of Innovation
[Editor’s note: Jay Lichter will discuss his personal odyssey in drug development on April 19 at The Xconomy Forum on the Human Impact of Innovation. Online registration is here.] I am a pharmaceutical scientist and a biotech venture capitalist. I start companies that are focused on creating new drugs. So when my doctor told me … Continue reading “The Otonomy Story and the Human Impact of Innovation”
Boston CEO, May 30-31, 2017
Boston-area CEOs, high-level decision makers, industry leaders in private equity and VC in the life sciences arena attend this networking forum. Presentations and panels feature CEOs from the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies. (450+ C-level attendees)
OncoMed Shares Sink as One Drug Fails, Bayer Kicks Back Two Others
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals got a double dose of bad news on Monday. For the second time, one of its stem cell drugs has failed to help pancreatic cancer patients. And what’s more, partner Bayer has passed on options to two of its other cancer drugs. Redwood City, CA-based OncoMed (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMED]]) said this morning that demcizumab, … Continue reading “OncoMed Shares Sink as One Drug Fails, Bayer Kicks Back Two Others”
Pillar’s Russ Wilcox Talks VC, Data Control, Moving Beyond Screens
Russ Wilcox is a jack-of-all-trades in the Boston startup community. In the mid-1990s, Wilcox worked on speech recognition software at PureSpeech. He later co-founded and became CEO of E Ink, an e-reader display maker that took off after it was chosen as the screen for the Amazon Kindle. E Ink was sold in 2009 to … Continue reading “Pillar’s Russ Wilcox Talks VC, Data Control, Moving Beyond Screens”
Bio Roundup: Gottlieb Talks Vax, Acorda’s Axe, Adams, 23andMe & More
In the nation’s capital, healthcare and life sciences were on center stage. Or stages, actually. On Capitol Hill, FDA commissioner nominee Scott Gottlieb, the drug industry’s favorite pick, told senators his extensive industry ties wouldn’t cloud his judgment or create conflicts. At a downtown convention center, Joe Biden slammed the Trump administration’s budget-cutting plans. And … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Gottlieb Talks Vax, Acorda’s Axe, Adams, 23andMe & More”
AACR Review: Biden Fired Up, Incyte Doubles Up, BMS Up And Down
The American Association for Cancer Research held its annual meeting this week in Washington, DC, a convenient venue for former Vice President Joe Biden to deliver a broadside against the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts in science funding. For Biden, it’s personal. In the final year of the Obama administration, he championed a push for … Continue reading “AACR Review: Biden Fired Up, Incyte Doubles Up, BMS Up And Down”
Check Out What’s Hot in Boston Biotech on May 11: Saver Rate Ends Today
Time is running out to get a discount on Xconomy’s annual Boston biotech bash, “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech.” We’re putting together a huge star-studded lineup of local biotech leaders to discuss some of the top issues, trends, and emerging technologies, set to shape life sciences in the years to come. Join us on May … Continue reading “Check Out What’s Hot in Boston Biotech on May 11: Saver Rate Ends Today”
Some Cause for Optimism in Hired’s Research on Gender Wage Gap
Amid the ongoing conversation about gender discrimination in the tech industry, and recent sexual harassment claims against some of its biggest names, here’s some sort-of good news about women in tech: When companies make job offers to both men and women, women receive lower salary offers 63 percent of the time for the same job, … Continue reading “Some Cause for Optimism in Hired’s Research on Gender Wage Gap”
After a Turbulent Decade, A123 Plans New $40M Campus—and Layoffs
Livonia, MI-based A123 Systems, the maker of lithium-ion batteries primarily for use in electric cars, has once again pruned its operations to fit global cleantech demand. On Monday, the company announced plans to invest $40 million in a new, consolidated corporate headquarters, manufacturing center, and engineering base on 32 acres in Novi, MI, despite the … Continue reading “After a Turbulent Decade, A123 Plans New $40M Campus—and Layoffs”
Zavante Plans FDA Filing After Antibiotic Hits Clinical Trial Goals
As bacteria develop resistance to older antibiotics, doctors are clamoring for new options that work on these drug- resistant strains. Zavante Therapeutics has been researching one drug as a possible alternative and, with results from a key clinical trial now in hand, the company is preparing to file for FDA approval early next year. San … Continue reading “Zavante Plans FDA Filing After Antibiotic Hits Clinical Trial Goals”
Over 8,000 Uber & Lyft Drivers Fail New MA Background Checks
More than 8,200 Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts have failed a new and more stringent state background check, according to multiple media reports. Massachusetts officials said Wednesday that 8,206 of the 70,789 applicants—more than 11 percent—were rejected, according to media reports. The most common reasons included having a suspended driver’s license or being licensed … Continue reading “Over 8,000 Uber & Lyft Drivers Fail New MA Background Checks”
FDA Nominee Scott Gottlieb To Anti-Vaccine Crowd: Get Over It
In what passes for a short hearing these days in Washington, DC, the Trump White House’s pick to run the Food and Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, spent less than three hours fielding questions from a Senate committee Wednesday morning. Amid predictable splits between Republican praise for his past industry experience and Democrat fire over potential … Continue reading “FDA Nominee Scott Gottlieb To Anti-Vaccine Crowd: Get Over It”
CarGurus IPO, Harmonix Layoffs, Turing Award & More Boston Tech News
[Updated 4/5/17, 12:07 pm. See below.] It’s time to catch up on some of the latest happenings in the Boston tech scene: —CarGurus, a Cambridge, MA-based company that runs an online car marketplace, has hired banks to help lead an initial public offering, according to reports by Axios and Reuters, which quoted anonymous sources. Reuters … Continue reading “CarGurus IPO, Harmonix Layoffs, Turing Award & More Boston Tech News”
InTeahouse Accelerator Wants Startups to Think Globally, Build Locally
There’s a new startup accelerator program in town, and it’s got an international flavor. This week, InTeahouse announced the launch of its “InSeven” investment program that will provide capital, office space, and other resources to startups working in robotics, advanced materials, life sciences, cleantech, telecommunications, new media, and financial technology. In a crowded field of … Continue reading “InTeahouse Accelerator Wants Startups to Think Globally, Build Locally”
Slowdown Continues in First-Quarter VC Funding—and Top 10 Deals
Is a caution flag flying? While U.S. venture firms refueled last year by raising a near-record $51.6 billion, they also eased off the throttle in terms of their investment activity during the first quarter of 2017, according to data released today by Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). According to the latest … Continue reading “Slowdown Continues in First-Quarter VC Funding—and Top 10 Deals”
Ex-Allergan Exec, Patel, Takes Head Seat at Relay Therapeutics
Cambridge, MA-based Relay Therapeutics has named Sanjiv Patel, Allergan’s former chief strategy officer, its CEO. Patel takes over for interim CEO and Third Rock Ventures partner Alexis Borisy, whose firm combined with D.E. Shaw to put $57 million into Relay in September. Borisy now chairs Relay’s board of directors.
Boston Startup Exit Data Show Region’s Shift From Tech to Healthcare
The Boston area has become arguably the best place in the world to start a biotech company. Meanwhile, the region is still a leading tech hub, but its stature has diminished somewhat in recent years, with many of the most successful and well-known software companies getting built on the West Coast. That’s the narrative you’ll … Continue reading “Boston Startup Exit Data Show Region’s Shift From Tech to Healthcare”
With Fresh Pneumonia Data, Paratek To Seek 2018 Antibiotic Approval
The need for new antibiotics to battle drug-resistant bacteria is rising, and Paratek Pharmaceuticals has news that could give doctors a new weapon. Boston-based Paratek (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRTK]]) reports that its antibiotic, omadacycline, has hit all its main and secondary goals in a study of 774 patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia. It is the second of two … Continue reading “With Fresh Pneumonia Data, Paratek To Seek 2018 Antibiotic Approval”
Sarepta Appoints Catherine Stehman-Breen Chief Medical Officer
Catherine Stehman-Breen is moving to Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) to become the Cambridge, MA, company’s chief medical officer. Stehman-Breen previously served as vice president of clinical development and regulatory affairs for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:REGN]]), a Tarrytown, NY, biotech. Before joining Regeneron in 2015, Stehman-Breen held several posts at Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]).
Cydan, NEA’s Orphan Drug Experiment, Pays Off in $200M Vtesse Deal
Four years into its existence, Cydan Development, New Enterprise Associates’ orphan drug startup accelerator, has notched its first big win. Vtesse, the first company to emerge from Cydan, has been sold in a deal valued at $200 million. Sucampo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SCMP]]), a Rockville, MD-based maker of a drug to treat various bowel conditions, will … Continue reading “Cydan, NEA’s Orphan Drug Experiment, Pays Off in $200M Vtesse Deal”
New Blood: Biotech CEOs Bring Fresh Experience to Houston Ecosystem
Houston—A number of Houston biotech companies have new leadership at the helm. These leadership changes include a few executives like Lonnel Coats, CEO of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LXRX]]), who have relocated to Houston from the East and West coasts—homes of more established and successful biotech ecosystems. “We had the ability to move the company to … Continue reading “New Blood: Biotech CEOs Bring Fresh Experience to Houston Ecosystem”
Vecna Reorganizes, Pushes Logistics Robots in Hot Market
Vecna, a longtime developer of robotics and other technologies, has over the past year reorganized itself into three separate businesses as it seeks outside investment for the first time, says co-founder Daniel Theobald. The company is starting to talk with potential investors about backing its logistics robots business, Theobald says. That business sells various types … Continue reading “Vecna Reorganizes, Pushes Logistics Robots in Hot Market”
To Infinity and Beyond: Julian Adams on Missteps and His New Job
Julian Adams left Boston pharma Millennium Pharmaceuticals in 2003 having accomplished a rare feat. A medicinal chemist by training, Adams helped shepherd along a drug known as bortezomib (Velcade) that was the first-ever approved inhibitor of the proteasome, the cell’s garbage disposal unit. It was an approach most people thought would never work. “Everybody was … Continue reading “To Infinity and Beyond: Julian Adams on Missteps and His New Job”
How Battling New Epidemics Helps Fight Age-Old Killers
Washington state has reported nearly 300 cases of mumps this winter and experts predict this may be the state’s worst flu season in years, a stark reminder of how dangerous even familiar viruses can be. While the Ebola and Zika outbreaks have dominated the headlines in recent years, they are part of a paradigm we … Continue reading “How Battling New Epidemics Helps Fight Age-Old Killers”