Lucence, a genomic medicine company developing blood-based tests for cancer screening and treatment selection, announced this week the close of a $20 million Series A funding round led by IHH Healthcare. CEO and founder Min-Han Tan (pictured) says the investment will be used to scale the Singapore-based company’s clinical lab operations—notably in the US, with … Continue reading “Liquid Biopsy Firm Lucence Plans Bay Area Buildout With $20M in Tow”
Category: Boston
Biopharma Execs Remain Optimistic Despite Political Headwinds
Drug pricing debates and uncertainty associated with Brexit are the issues most likely to keep biopharmaceutical executives awake at night. Nevertheless, senior figures remain optimistic about the industry’s prospects in 2020. These are among the major findings of a survey of 500 industry leaders and investors conducted by investment bank Jefferies. “Nearly half of respondents … Continue reading “Biopharma Execs Remain Optimistic Despite Political Headwinds”
France-Based Tissium Boosts US Work After Closing €38.75M Series B
Tissium is targeting Boston’s biotech scene to advance its platform of proprietary biopolymers after building out its manufacturing capabilities in France. Backed by a €38.75 million ($42.78 million) Series B funding round, the company is moving forward with several development programs examining the polymer’s use in various applications. “Since the inception of the company Boston … Continue reading “France-Based Tissium Boosts US Work After Closing €38.75M Series B”
Novo Ventures Commits $25M to Grow Discovery “Greenhouse” in Boston
Novo Ventures has committed up to $25 million (€23 million) over a five-year period to fund seed-stage drug discovery projects at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in a deal which it says will propel it into the Massachusetts biotech community. The new biotech accelerator, dubbed the Novo Broad Greenhouse, will support between five … Continue reading “Novo Ventures Commits $25M to Grow Discovery “Greenhouse” in Boston”
Inozyme Pharma Names Pedro Huertas Chief Medical Officer
Pedro Heurtas has joined Inozyme Pharma as chief medical officer, the same position he held most recently at Sentien Pharmaceuticals. His experience also includes positions at Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme, Shire, and Amicus Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FOLD]]). In other moves, Boston-based Inozyme appointed Gus Khursigara its vice president of medical affairs and clinical operations, and Catherine Nestor … Continue reading “Inozyme Pharma Names Pedro Huertas Chief Medical Officer”
Verseau Therapeutics Names Tim Smith Chief Business Officer
Tim Smith has joined Verseau Therapeutics as its chief business officer. Smith’s experience includes business development roles at Dova Pharmaceuticals, IDEAYA Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IDYA]]), Cleave Biosciences, and Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]). Bedford, MA-based Verseau is developing a type of cancer immunotherapy called macrophage checkpoint modulators. Last month, the company closed $50 million in Series A financing.
With “Inflection Year” Ahead, Ovid Adds Novartis’s Tardio to C-Suite
About five years ago, former Teva Pharmaceutical CEO Jeremy Levin launched Ovid Therapeutics with a plan to develop treatments for rare brain diseases. Now, with the completion of a clinical trial on the horizon anticipated to provide enough data to file for FDA approval, the 55-person biotech has recruited a Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]) executive to … Continue reading “With “Inflection Year” Ahead, Ovid Adds Novartis’s Tardio to C-Suite”
Alkermes Eyes Brain Disorders and Beyond With $100M Deal for Rodin
[Updated 5:55 p.m. See below.] Rodin Therapeutics has limited data from human studies about its neurodegeneration drug, but the company’s new approach to treating brain disorders has proven attractive enough for Alkermes to plunk down $100 million to buy the startup. According to financial terms announced Monday, the cash sum is an upfront payment. Depending … Continue reading “Alkermes Eyes Brain Disorders and Beyond With $100M Deal for Rodin”
ResTORbio’s Respiratory Drug Flunks Phase 3 Test, Shattering Shares
A resTORbio respiratory drug has failed a late-stage test, and the company is stopping further development of the compound for lung infections in elderly patients. In the first of two Phase 3 studies, resTORbio on Friday released preliminary data showing that its drug, RTB101, did not beat a placebo. Though the Boston-based company won’t proceed … Continue reading “ResTORbio’s Respiratory Drug Flunks Phase 3 Test, Shattering Shares”
Biotech Roundup: Gottlieb v. Juul, Solid Slumps, Avidity Gets $100M & More
Lung injuries connected to the use of electronic cigarettes have topped 2,000 and killed 40 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s still unclear whether the cases are tied to legally sold products or devices modified by e-cigarette users, but the CDC this week identified a “potential toxin of concern”—Vitamin E … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Gottlieb v. Juul, Solid Slumps, Avidity Gets $100M & More”
Daré to Add Microchip-Based Birth Control to Women’s Health Portfolio
The list of activities our smartphones can control grows daily. Transfer money? It’s simple. Order groceries? That, too. Turn off the bedroom lights? Check. How about contraception? Advancing new forms of birth control is a central focus at Daré Bioscience (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DARE]]), a San Diego-based biopharma company that’s built a pipeline of experimental devices and … Continue reading “Daré to Add Microchip-Based Birth Control to Women’s Health Portfolio”
Startup X-37 Raises $14.5M to Expand on AI-Powered Drug Discovery
Launched just last year, artificial intelligence-powered drug discovery company X-37 now has raised $14.5 million in Series A financing to expand its development programs. Co-founded by Atomwise and a team from Velocity Pharmaceutical Development, the San Francisco, CA-based company uses Atomwise’s AI platform for structure-based drug design to screen chemical compounds against pharmaceutical targets. DCVC … Continue reading “Startup X-37 Raises $14.5M to Expand on AI-Powered Drug Discovery”
Bayer and Dewpoint Ink Deal for Drugs R&D at New Frontier of Biology
[Updated, 12:15 p.m. See below.] Inside of a cell, some proteins and RNA are concentrated in liquid droplets that assemble in formation during a variety of cellular functions. Dewpoint Therapeutics is making headway understanding the role these droplets play in disease, and that work now has Bayer as a research partner. Bayer and Dewpoint on … Continue reading “Bayer and Dewpoint Ink Deal for Drugs R&D at New Frontier of Biology”
NIBR’s Raman Departs for Chief Biz Dev Role at Flagship Pioneering
Prakash Raman has joined venture capital firm Flagship Pioneering in the newly created role of chief business development officer. Raman comes to Cambridge, MA-based Flagship from the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), where he was vice president and global head of business development and licensing. Flagship’s portfolio companies include epigenetics medicines developer Omega Therapeutics … Continue reading “NIBR’s Raman Departs for Chief Biz Dev Role at Flagship Pioneering”
FDA Again Halts Solid Bio’s Duchenne Gene Therapy Clinical Trial
The FDA has stopped a clinical trial testing a Solid Biosciences gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy after a patient developed complications associated with the experimental treatment. Cambridge, MA-based Solid Bio says the problems deemed to be related to the gene therapy included an immune system reaction, a decrease in red blood cells, kidney injury, … Continue reading “FDA Again Halts Solid Bio’s Duchenne Gene Therapy Clinical Trial”
Roche Challenger to Biogen’s SMA Drug Succeeds in Pivotal Study
A Roche drug in development as a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy achieved the main goals of a key study, helping to build the case that the drug could challenge a Biogen therapy already approved for the rare disorder. Roche announced Monday that its drug, risdiplam, met the main goal of showing improvement according to … Continue reading “Roche Challenger to Biogen’s SMA Drug Succeeds in Pivotal Study”
Neuroscience Is Taking the Spotlight at Xconomy’s Bay Area Xchange
These are heady times for neuroscience research. Startups developing new approaches to brain disorders are raising money to advance their discoveries toward clinical trials. One failed neuro drug is getting another shot. On Nov. 19 in San Francisco, we’ll hold the latest in our Xchange event series. What’s Next in Neuroscience Therapies will take a … Continue reading “Neuroscience Is Taking the Spotlight at Xconomy’s Bay Area Xchange”
Anemia Drug From Acceleron Pharma and Celgene Wins FDA Approval
[Updated 6:41 p.m. See below.] A drug that Celgene and Acceleron Pharma developed to treat low red blood cell levels in patients who have a rare blood disorder now has regulatory clearance to enter the market. The FDA on Friday approved luspatercept (Rebloyzl) for patients who have beta thalassemia, an inherited disorder that leads to … Continue reading “Anemia Drug From Acceleron Pharma and Celgene Wins FDA Approval”
Bio Roundup: Feds Sue Gilead, Biogen Eyes China, CRISPR’d Kidneys & More
During the state of the union address this year, President Trump pledged to end HIV transmission within the next decade. A key part of that plan is an HIV prevention drug made by Gilead Sciences. That drug has now become the center of a patent dispute between the Foster City, CA, drug maker and the … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Feds Sue Gilead, Biogen Eyes China, CRISPR’d Kidneys & More”
Rubius Exec Dowden Departs for Entrada Chief Operating Officer Post
Entrada Therapeutics has appointed Nathan Dowden to serve as its chief operating officer. He joins Boston-based Entrada from Rubius Therapeutics, where he was senior vice president of strategy and corporate development. Entrada is developing drugs that that use cell-penetrating peptides to bring a therapy into a cell. Last year, the biotech raised $59 million in … Continue reading “Rubius Exec Dowden Departs for Entrada Chief Operating Officer Post”
eGenesis Lands $100M to Advance CRISPR-ed Pig Kidney to Human Test
Biotech startup eGenesis, which is applying gene editing to animal organs in order to make them suitable for human transplant, has raised $100 million to ramp up work on its kidney program and bring it into human testing. The Series B round of funding was led by the investment arm of Fresenius Medical Care, a … Continue reading “eGenesis Lands $100M to Advance CRISPR-ed Pig Kidney to Human Test”
Arkuda Unveils $44M and a Protein Restoration Approach to Dementia
The onset of one of the most devastating forms of dementia often comes with a misdiagnosis. Personality and behavioral changes in a patient can spark a hypothesis of depression or psychosis. Memory problems rouse suspicion of Alzheimer’s disease. By the time a physician determines frontotemporal dementia as the cause, the disease is well on its … Continue reading “Arkuda Unveils $44M and a Protein Restoration Approach to Dementia”
3 Changes We Should Make to Address the Gender Pay Gap in Medicine
Women in medicine earn about 20 percent less than men. That is a problem for multiple reasons. It is, of course, not fair to the women who go through the same training and have the same skills as their male counterparts. Worse still, if well-qualified women are discouraged from entering the profession because of this … Continue reading “3 Changes We Should Make to Address the Gender Pay Gap in Medicine”
AstraZeneca Chooses China for R&D and AI Centers, $1B Biotech Fund
AstraZeneca says it will establish centers for drug research and artificial intelligence development in China. The pharmaceutical giant has also set up a $1 billion fund to foster biotech innovation in that country. The move—which was announced at the China International Import Expo this week—will see AstraZeneca found a global R&D center in Shanghai’s central … Continue reading “AstraZeneca Chooses China for R&D and AI Centers, $1B Biotech Fund”
Biogen Adds Two More Biosimilars in $100M Deal with Samsung Bioepis
Biogen is bolstering its strategy of selling biosimilars—lower-cost versions of biological drugs that are losing patent protection—with a $100 million deal for rights to two eye products. The drug maker is also expanding its biosimilar scope to include China. Cambridge, MA-based Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) struck the deal with Samsung Bioepis, its joint venture with Samsung … Continue reading “Biogen Adds Two More Biosimilars in $100M Deal with Samsung Bioepis”
GE Healthcare Opens Startup Labs at Former AstraZeneca UK R&D Site
The doors have opened at a GE Healthcare-supported open-access lab for startups at AstraZeneca’s former global center for oncology research and development at Alderley Park, the largest bioscience research campus in the UK. The AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]) site in Macclesfield, UK, housed 3,500 staff and was instrumental in developing a number of its cancer drugs … Continue reading “GE Healthcare Opens Startup Labs at Former AstraZeneca UK R&D Site”
Why Steve Kafka Left Third Rock Ventures for Up-and-Comer Section 32
Section 32, which invests in healthcare and life sciences companies with a technology component, has added a third managing partner. The small venture capital firm was started in San Diego about two years ago by Bill Maris, who, during his time at Google, founded and led its corporate venture capital arm, now part of parent … Continue reading “Why Steve Kafka Left Third Rock Ventures for Up-and-Comer Section 32”
Checkmate Pharma Names Kleem Chaudhary Chief Business Officer
Kleem Chaudhary has been appointed chief business officer of Cambridge, MA-based Checkmate Pharmaceuticals. He was most recently head of business development & licensing at Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]). Chaudhary’s experience also includes positions at Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:TAK]]) and Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]). Checkmate’s lead drug CMP-001, a type of cancer drug called an oligonucleotide, is in … Continue reading “Checkmate Pharma Names Kleem Chaudhary Chief Business Officer”
Entasis’s Isaacs to Retire, Altarac Appointed Chief Medical Officer
David Altarac has been appointed chief medical officer of Entasis Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ETTX]]). He will succeed Robin Isaacs, who will retire from the Waltham, MA-based company at the end of the year. Entasis said Isaacs will continue to serve as an advisor. Altarac’s experience includes senior roles at Shire, NeoStem, and Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]). Entasis, … Continue reading “Entasis’s Isaacs to Retire, Altarac Appointed Chief Medical Officer”
Biotech Roundup: Novartis on Hold, AMAG Vote, Neuro News & More
The brain has stymied many efforts to develop new neuroscience drugs, leading a number of big pharmaceutical companies to pull back on such R&D work. This week, Amgen joined them. Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) is ending its research and early development programs in neuroscience, the company announced during a conference call to discuss third-quarter financial results. … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Novartis on Hold, AMAG Vote, Neuro News & More”
Pinteon Gets $17M to Tackle Tau in Alzheimer’s, Other Brain Diseases
Beta amyloid grabs most of the headlines and research dollars for Alzheimer’s disease, but efforts to develop drugs targeting that brain protein have largely come up short. Pinteon Therapeutics is trying for a better outcome with drugs that block tau, a different protein that, despite also being associated with Alzheimer’s, has garnered much less attention. … Continue reading “Pinteon Gets $17M to Tackle Tau in Alzheimer’s, Other Brain Diseases”
Roche to Pay Dicerna Pharma $200M to Team Up on Hepatitis B Drug
Dicerna Pharmaceuticals’ research on medicines intended to stop a gene from producing a disease-causing protein has caught the eye of Roche, which is paying the company $200 million up front for global rights to its early-stage hepatitis B virus infection drug. According to deal terms announced Thursday, Dicerna (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DRNA]]) could earn up to $1.47 … Continue reading “Roche to Pay Dicerna Pharma $200M to Team Up on Hepatitis B Drug”
FDA Halts Novartis Gene Therapy Study Amid Animal Safety Concerns
Novartis must stop enrollment of a clinical trial testing its gene therapy for a rare, muscular disorder after safety concerns surfaced in data from an animal study. The FDA put a partial clinical hold on a Phase 1/2 study testing the therapy, Zolgensma, Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]) announced Wednesday. The decision doesn’t halt the study entirely; … Continue reading “FDA Halts Novartis Gene Therapy Study Amid Animal Safety Concerns”
Editas Medicine Appoints Judith Abrams Chief Medical Officer
Judith Abrams has joined Editas Medicine as (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EDIT]]) chief medical officer. She most recently worked at EMD Serono Research and Development Institute as the franchise lead in immunology and neurology, global drug safety innovation. Her experience includes positions at CorMedix, Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]), and Novo Nordisk (NYSE: [[ticker:NVO]]). Cambridge, MA-based Editas is developing gene-editing … Continue reading “Editas Medicine Appoints Judith Abrams Chief Medical Officer”
Disc Medicine Launches With $50M to Advance New Anemia Treatments
Red blood cells need iron to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, and having too little or too much can lead to serious health problems. When iron levels go awry, the number of healthy red blood cells circulating in the bloodstream shrinks, causing a condition called anemia. Disc Medicine, a … Continue reading “Disc Medicine Launches With $50M to Advance New Anemia Treatments”
Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Reversal, FDA Moves Fast, a CF Cocktail & More
Earlier this year, it seemed that companies testing Alzheimer’s disease treatments based on a long-held hypothesis as to its cause—brain deposits of a protein called beta amyloid—were giving up the ghost. Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) was among them. The drug maker had stopped testing of a drug developed to target amyloid plaque after a Phase 3 … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Reversal, FDA Moves Fast, a CF Cocktail & More”
Driving Growth 2020: How to Structure your Organization for Customer Success
From the event organizer: Wednesday, 11/20/2019, 1PM-5PM Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02142 Acquisition. Adoption. Retention. Growth. All-important attributes to the customer journey. There is a lot of untapped potential for the typical marketing leader if they look at Customer Lifecycle Marketing instead of strictly ToFu (Top of … Continue reading “Driving Growth 2020: How to Structure your Organization for Customer Success”
Ex-Nightstar Exec Ozden Joins Akouos as Chief Development Officer
Rabia Ozden has joined Akouos as chief development officer. She was most recently the chief medical officer of gene therapy developer Nightstar Therapeutics, which was acquired by Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) earlier this year for $800 million. Boston-based Akouos is developing gene therapies to address inherited forms of hearing loss.
Former Quartet, Knewton Exec David Liu Joins Sonde Health as CEO
Sonde Health, a company developing technology to monitor and diagnose people by analyzing their speech, has appointed David Liu to serve as CEO. Liu is the former president and chief operating officer at Quartet, a company applying technology to mental healthcare. His experience also includes serving as president and chief operating officer of education technology … Continue reading “Former Quartet, Knewton Exec David Liu Joins Sonde Health as CEO”
Akcea Therapeutics Promotes Kyle Jenne to Chief Commercial Officer
Akcea Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKCA]]) has promoted Kyle Jenne to chief commercial officer. Jenne joined Boston-based Akea in 2017 as US commercial head. His appointment comes month after a corporate shakeup that led to the departure of three executives. Akcea is working to commercialize inotersen (Tegsedi), a drug approved by the FDA last year as a … Continue reading “Akcea Therapeutics Promotes Kyle Jenne to Chief Commercial Officer”
Rheos Medicines Taps Barbara Fox as Chief Executive
Barbara Fox is the new CEO of Rheos Medicines. She was most recently chief executive of Tilos Therapeutics, which was acquired by Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) earlier this year. Fox succeeds interim Rheos CEO Abbie Celniker, a partner at Third Rock Ventures. Celniker will remain chair of the Rheos board of directors. Cambridge, MA-based Rheos emerged … Continue reading “Rheos Medicines Taps Barbara Fox as Chief Executive”
Xconomy Awards Boston 2019 Honors Best in Life Sciences: Slideshow
The third annual Xconomy Awards Boston Gala was the biggest and most spectacular yet. More than 450 people from across the life science ecosystem came out to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center last month to celebrate the finalists over dinner and drinks, find out who got to take home the awards, and reconnect with … Continue reading “Xconomy Awards Boston 2019 Honors Best in Life Sciences: Slideshow”
Biogen Reverses Course on Alzheimer’s Drug Analysis, Plans FDA Filing
Six months after Biogen stopped work on a closely watched experimental Alzheimer’s disease treatment, the neuroscience drug developer is reviving it with plans to file for FDA approval. Aducanumab’s Phase 3 failure in March was viewed as yet another nail in the coffin for the so-called “amyloid hypothesis”—the theory that by breaking up or clearing … Continue reading “Biogen Reverses Course on Alzheimer’s Drug Analysis, Plans FDA Filing”
Vertex Stock Up on Quick FDA OK For 3-Drug Cystic Fibrosis Therapy
The FDA on Monday approved a Vertex Pharmaceuticals cystic fibrosis treatment that combines three drugs, a decision that comes three months after the company submitted its application and five months before the agency’s deadline to finish its review. The Boston-based company saw its stock price rise 4 percent on the news to $185. The Vertex … Continue reading “Vertex Stock Up on Quick FDA OK For 3-Drug Cystic Fibrosis Therapy”
Backed by $50M, Verseau Launches to Reprogram Immune Cells Against Cancer
Cancer therapies that harness the immune system don’t work for all patients. Verseau Therapeutics aims to bring cancer immunotherapy to more people by targeting a type of immune cell present in the vast majority of tumors and directing it to fight the disease. Verseau launched Monday backed by $50 million in financing. The Bedford, MA-based … Continue reading “Backed by $50M, Verseau Launches to Reprogram Immune Cells Against Cancer”
Enzyvant Adds Compass’s Jeb Ledell as Its Chief Operating Officer
Enzyvant, a Cambridge, MA-based rare disease drug developer, has appointed Jeb Ledell as its chief operating officer. Ledell previously held COO roles at Cambridge-based Compass Therapeutics and at Horizon Discovery Group, a genomics company in the UK. Enzyvant’s lead candidate, RVT-802, a regenerative treatment for pediatric congenital athymia, is expected to receive an FDA decision in … Continue reading “Enzyvant Adds Compass’s Jeb Ledell as Its Chief Operating Officer”
Pyxis Oncology Taps MedImmune’s Herbst as Chief Scientific Officer
Pyxis Oncology, an immuno-oncology company developing antibody drugs to restore activity to dysfunctional T cells, has appointed Ronald Herbst as its chief scientific officer. Herbst joins the Boston-based company from the AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]) global biologics R&D arm, MedImmune, where he was vice president of research and development and head of oncology research.
Bio Roundup: Ichnos Emerges, Beyond CAR-T, BridgeBio Bails & More
New brand-name drugs typically grab the life science headlines. A venture capital firm will invest tens of millions to develop one and a pharmaceutical company hopes to recoup hundreds of millions by selling it. But a shortage of one particular chemotherapy is showing the crucial role generic drugs play in healthcare. This week, The New … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Ichnos Emerges, Beyond CAR-T, BridgeBio Bails & More”
Healx Bags $56M to Advance Affordable, AI-Based Orphan Drugs
Atomico, a European venture capital firm, has helped persuade Cambridge, UK-based Healx to return to the capital market a year earlier than anticipated. The biotech has just raised $56 million in Series B funding to bankroll its mission to use AI and machine learning to create affordable rare disease treatments. It is not surprising that … Continue reading “Healx Bags $56M to Advance Affordable, AI-Based Orphan Drugs”
Nuance & Microsoft Team Up on Conversational AI for Doctors’ Offices
Nuance Communications’ plan to lighten the clerical burden on physicians is coming into focus, and it involves an assist from tech giant Microsoft. Nuance (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]), the 27-year-old speech recognition technology pioneer, in February revealed it’s developing a device that would sit in exam rooms and listen to conversations between doctors and patients. The system’s … Continue reading “Nuance & Microsoft Team Up on Conversational AI for Doctors’ Offices”