Cytokine therapies for cancer aren’t new but they are attracting renewed interest. Some pharmaceutical companies see drug combinations using cytokines as a way to broaden the reach of immunotherapy, which still doesn’t work for the majority of cancer patients. This week, Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) showed how much it believes in cytokines. The Indianapolis drug maker … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Moderna’s Billions, Cytokine Bets, Shire Acquired & More”
Category: Indiana
With $1.6B Armo Buy, Eli Lilly Is the Latest to Bet Big on Cytokines
Eli Lilly is making a splash in the fast-moving, highly competitive field of cancer immunotherapy. With a $1.6 billion cash deal to acquire Armo BioSciences, the Indianapolis company has placed one of the boldest bets yet that cytokine drugs could be critical in expanding immunotherapy’s reach. This morning, Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) agreed to pay $50 … Continue reading “With $1.6B Armo Buy, Eli Lilly Is the Latest to Bet Big on Cytokines”
Roche-Exelixis Study Fails as Mixed Year Continues For Cancer Drug Combos
This year is a big one for cancer drug combinations, and the results, so far, have been mixed. Some combinations have shown they may change how certain cancers are treated. Others are falling flat in clinical testing. The latest to come up short is a regimen of Roche/Genentech and Exelixis cancer drugs that failed a … Continue reading “Roche-Exelixis Study Fails as Mixed Year Continues For Cancer Drug Combos”
Will New Study Cut Guesswork for Depression Medicine Prescriptions?
[Updated 5/7/18, 5pm ET. See below.] Genetic testing that helps guide more precise cancer treatment is making its way into standard practice in major U.S. medical centers. Could the same eventually be true for depression? One test maker thinks it has finally gathered enough evidence to convince psychiatrists to order its product and make more … Continue reading “Will New Study Cut Guesswork for Depression Medicine Prescriptions?”
Venture Firms to New York Wedding Startup Zola: ‘I Do’ to $100M
Most wedding registries are focused on the lead-up to the day of the ceremony. New York startup Zola also sees opportunity in connecting with—and making a sales pitch to—married couples years after they’ve tied the knot. Zola is an “e-commerce business disguised as a wedding company,” said Shan-lyn Ma, the startup’s founder and CEO, in … Continue reading “Venture Firms to New York Wedding Startup Zola: ‘I Do’ to $100M”
Bio Roundup: IDO Fallout, Express Scripts Dumps Amgen, Isaly Out & More
Here’s a case study of how fast things can change in biopharma. For a few years, a type of cancer drug called an IDO inhibitor was all the rage, a promising path to expanding the reach of immunotherapy. Major drug makers were dealing, too. Through acquisitions and alliances, they rolled out a spate of large-scale … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: IDO Fallout, Express Scripts Dumps Amgen, Isaly Out & More”
Cord-Cutting for Kids: Video App Kanopy Adds Free Children’s Shows
If you’ve already liberated yourself from a cable subscription in favor of streaming video services over the Internet, you’re parcelling out your dollars to get the content you want most from services such as Netflix, Hulu, and N.B.A. League Pass. A lesser-known option, Kanopy, offers an unusual streaming subscription deal: Pay nothing, because your university … Continue reading “Cord-Cutting for Kids: Video App Kanopy Adds Free Children’s Shows”
California’s Top Court Sets Tougher New Rules on Hiring “Gig Workers”
California employers who classify their workers as independent contractors will be consulting their lawyers today, says A. Mark Pope, an attorney who helped persuade the state’s highest court to establish sweeping new restrictions on hiring so-called “gig workers.” The California Supreme Court on Monday set new standards that will make it harder for companies in … Continue reading “California’s Top Court Sets Tougher New Rules on Hiring “Gig Workers””
Salesforce, SupplyKick, Springbuk Among Big Winners at Mira Awards
On Saturday, TechPoint, a nonprofit working to grow Indiana’s technology ecosystem, hosted its annual Mira Awards gala. The Miras honor the best and brightest in the Indiana tech community and cover a range of categories. With more than 1,300 attendees, TechPoint says its 19th annual Mira Awards gala was the biggest in the organization’s history. … Continue reading “Salesforce, SupplyKick, Springbuk Among Big Winners at Mira Awards”
Three Lessons Punk Rock Teaches Us About Being a Business Leader
Inspiration comes in many forms, and as an entrepreneur, I found mine early on in an unusual place: punk rock. There are strong parallels between the business of punk rock and startups. When you’re starting a new business venture, you wear many hats—leader, innovator, developer, marketer, HR rep—with very little budget or certainty. You might … Continue reading “Three Lessons Punk Rock Teaches Us About Being a Business Leader”
Why “Micro-Learning” is the New Diploma For Today’s Jobseekers
You’d be hard-pressed to find a workplace today where using technology isn’t an integral part of the job, whether it’s an AI-powered recruiting tool, special coding software for app development, or even just Google Sheets that help workers keep track of budgets. Whether you’re applying for a position in marketing or in the field of … Continue reading “Why “Micro-Learning” is the New Diploma For Today’s Jobseekers”
City Staffers Share Innovation Insights at Smart Cities Accelerator
In cities across the United States, the benefits of bike-sharing and electric scooters that can be easily rented with a smartphone app have often been overshadowed by controversy. In Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, for example, complaints flooded into city offices earlier this year about the proliferation of “dockless” bikes cluttering sidewalks, handicap parking, … Continue reading “City Staffers Share Innovation Insights at Smart Cities Accelerator”
Bill Gates on Saving Babies, Educating Kids, and Picking a Major
On a sunny spring afternoon, William Henry Gates III strolled into the Harvard University science center. Several hundred students and invited guests were waiting for him in the auditorium. Security was tight, but not overly so (he’s used to it). Gates was there Thursday for a conversation with Frank Doyle, Harvard’s dean of engineering and … Continue reading “Bill Gates on Saving Babies, Educating Kids, and Picking a Major”
Bio Roundup: CRISPR Tests, Parkinson’s Questions, Opioid Bills & More
Politics is more partisan than ever these days, but the opioid crisis might be one of the few issues where elected officials find common ground. This week, members of Congress exercised a bipartisan effort in both chambers to advance dozens of measures proposing various approaches to fighting the opioid epidemic. A Senate committee voted unanimously … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Tests, Parkinson’s Questions, Opioid Bills & More”
What President Trump Gets Wrong About Amazon’s Effect on the Economy
For the past week or so, President Trump has been deriding Amazon as a destroyer of jobs and the main reason many retail companies are failing. Unfortunately, this is a very one-sided and uninformed view of how Amazon is changing our economy. I run a retail operation that sells almost exclusively on Amazon. Since its … Continue reading “What President Trump Gets Wrong About Amazon’s Effect on the Economy”
After $1.5M Series A, Upper Hand Plans to Grow Sports Management Biz
Upper Hand, the Indianapolis startup focused on sports management software and business services, announced earlier this month that it has snagged $1.5 million in Series A funding from Houston, TX-based Park Ten Capital. Company co-founder and CEO Kevin MacCauley came to the sports management sector a few years ago after a stint coaching Little League.“I … Continue reading “After $1.5M Series A, Upper Hand Plans to Grow Sports Management Biz”
FDA Panel Splits on Lilly Arthritis Drug, Backs Lower of Two Doses
Eli Lilly said enough to convince an FDA advisory panel that its experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug is effective in treating the inflammatory disorder. But on safety, the independent experts were not uniformly persuaded, and they voted to recommend approval only for the lower of two doses. It’s the second time the Lilly drug is up … Continue reading “FDA Panel Splits on Lilly Arthritis Drug, Backs Lower of Two Doses”
Techstars Alexa Firms Address Settings Where Voice Is ‘Most Natural’
Smart speakers are becoming increasingly common in our homes. Users can instruct these devices to order takeout, give the weather forecast, or turn on or off various Internet-connected devices. The Consumer Technology Association estimates that nearly 44 million voice-enabled assistants will be sold this year in the United States. Unit sales rose 279 percent from … Continue reading “Techstars Alexa Firms Address Settings Where Voice Is ‘Most Natural’”
Using Analytics, Fitcode Aims to Connect Shoppers to Jeans That Fit
There are few things more universal in wardrobes the world over than blue jeans. But they are also the number one item that is returned by online shoppers, says Rian Buckley, founder and CEO of Fitcode. “Fit is the number one purchase driver and reason to return,” she says. For many of us, the idea … Continue reading “Using Analytics, Fitcode Aims to Connect Shoppers to Jeans That Fit”
Bio Roundup: Hope for Lungs, Bradner’s Complaint, FDA Nods & More
The biggest news this week was in oncology, hands down. Merck showed that its immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) might become a common option for many patients newly diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, but the bigger picture is that the field is moving fast. While pembrolizumab notched the headline-grabbing data, others are also working to develop options … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Hope for Lungs, Bradner’s Complaint, FDA Nods & More”
Want to Find Stellar Software Engineers in the Midwest? Here’s How
It may seem obvious that companies in the Midwest face challenges attracting and retaining talent, given our weather and location far from the coasts. One need only to look at college football recruiting, after all, to see how the average annual snowfall on campus matters almost as much as last season’s win/loss record. To some … Continue reading “Want to Find Stellar Software Engineers in the Midwest? Here’s How”
Safety Concerns Linger for Lilly’s Arthritis Drug as FDA Panel Looms
FDA staffers have expressed significant concerns about the side effects tied to Eli Lilly’s experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib (Olumiant), which is once again up for review after the agency rejected it last year. Next week, a panel of independent experts will convene to evaluate the merits of baricitinib. The FDA looks to these advisory … Continue reading “Safety Concerns Linger for Lilly’s Arthritis Drug as FDA Panel Looms”
Facebook: Lip Service to Privacy Is Over
As publicity-shy Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before both houses of Congress last week amid an avalanche of criticism about the dearth of user privacy on the world’s biggest social media network, it became crystal clear that the entire social media industry has entered a new and perilous phase. Trust in all social media … Continue reading “Facebook: Lip Service to Privacy Is Over”
Cancer Wrap: Blueprint, Checkmate, More AACR News & Phase 3 Blues
The big headlines from the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Chicago were all about the battle over the latest lung cancer data, and for good reason. Lung cancer remains the deadliest cancer, but the Phase 3 data suggest that treatment options for some of the direst cases could soon rapidly expand. There were … Continue reading “Cancer Wrap: Blueprint, Checkmate, More AACR News & Phase 3 Blues”
DemandJump Raises $6M for Marketing Tech Focused on Where, Not Who
DemandJump, the Indianapolis-based marketing software startup, has raised a $6 million Series A round of financing. Investing in the round were Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Fund, Flyover Capital, Cultivation Capital, 4G Ventures, Sigma Prime Ventures’ managing director Bob Davoli, and Hyde Park Venture Partners. Since the company was founded in 2015, it has … Continue reading “DemandJump Raises $6M for Marketing Tech Focused on Where, Not Who”
U.S. Funding for Biomedical Research Takes Upturn
At the end of March, Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill to fund federal agencies for the rest of the fiscal year and avert another government shutdown. The 2,232-page legislation included a $3 billion funding increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the second largest in the health agency’s history. Other research and … Continue reading “U.S. Funding for Biomedical Research Takes Upturn”
For More Lung Cancer Patients, the Promise of No Chemo Looms Larger
[Editor’s note: Ben Fidler co-authored this report.] A decade from now, it’s possible that immunotherapy will have made a big dent in lung cancer, which is by far the deadliest type of the disease. Drugs from several companies have worked their way forward, initially for patients who have failed chemotherapy, and now, in some cases, … Continue reading “For More Lung Cancer Patients, the Promise of No Chemo Looms Larger”
Bio Roundup: Lung Cancer Showdown, Gene Therapy Deals, IPO Busts
This weekend, cancer immunotherapy will once again take biopharma’s center stage. At one of the year’s big cancer meetings, investors, researchers, and many others will have a close eye on a group of presentations touting new lung cancer regimens that combine immunotherapies with other treatments. The presentations could shift the dynamics of the fast-moving landscape, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Lung Cancer Showdown, Gene Therapy Deals, IPO Busts”
Assembly Biosciences Picks Papkoff for Chief Scientific Officer
Assembly Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ASMB]]) has appointed Jackie Papkoff senior vice president and chief scientific officer, microbiome. Papkoff most recently was a senior vice president for Cambridge, MA-based Evelo Biosciences. Carmel, IN-based Assembly is developing treatments for disorders associated with the human microbiome. Last year, Assembly began a collaboration agreement with Allergan (NYSE: [[ticker:AGN]]) to develop … Continue reading “Assembly Biosciences Picks Papkoff for Chief Scientific Officer”
No “Pink Tax”: Billie, a Shave Club for Women, Raises $6M
[Corrected, 4/11/18, 4:48 p.m. ET. See below.] Billie, a direct-to-consumer seller of monthly shaving and body care products subscriptions, has raised $6 million in new funding. The New York-based startup, which launched in November, previously raised $2.5 million. This latest round of funding was led by Silverton Partners in Austin and included existing investors Female … Continue reading “No “Pink Tax”: Billie, a Shave Club for Women, Raises $6M”
With New Data, Drug Combos, Lung Cancer Experts Scramble to Keep Pace
When oncologist Renato Martins finished his medical training, advanced lung cancer was almost certainly a quick death sentence. “I knew, by name, every patient who had survived two years,” he says. Thanks in large part to the arrival of cancer immunotherapy, things are much different today. While lung cancer remains by far the leading cause … Continue reading “With New Data, Drug Combos, Lung Cancer Experts Scramble to Keep Pace”
InterVision Buys Bluelock, Plans to Grow Disaster Recovery Services
Bluelock, the Indianapolis “disaster-recovery-as-a-service” startup, has been acquired by InterVision, a managed IT consultancy headquartered in St. Louis, MO, and Santa Clara, CA. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bluelock CEO Christopher Clapp says he and one of the company’s founders will be using Bluelock’s sale “as an opportunity to do a … Continue reading “InterVision Buys Bluelock, Plans to Grow Disaster Recovery Services”
Expectations Rise on Q1 Surge in Venture Funding; and Top 10 Deals
[Updated 4/11/18 10:13 am. See below.] Venture capital investors poured more than $28.2 billion into U.S. companies during the first three months of 2018—marking the strongest single quarter in at least a dozen years, according to the Venture Monitor Report released today by Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The $28.2 billion that … Continue reading “Expectations Rise on Q1 Surge in Venture Funding; and Top 10 Deals”
E-Commerce Startups Open Door to Endless Virtual Closet
The sharing economy is moving into our bedroom closets. We already apply this idea to transportation (Uber vs. taxi) and vacation accommodations (Airbnb vs. hotel). Now, thanks to a growing number of e-commerce companies, the ability to share goods and services is being applied to our wardrobes through programs that offer clothing rentals for a … Continue reading “E-Commerce Startups Open Door to Endless Virtual Closet”
Xconomy Roadmap 2018: Top 15 Innovation Areas to Watch
With the first quarter in the books, it’s time to step back and lay out Xconomy’s editorial map for the rest of the year. As readers know, we strive to cover a wide range of innovation sectors, from tech and life sciences to healthcare and education—all with a mix of on-the-ground reporting, daily news stories, … Continue reading “Xconomy Roadmap 2018: Top 15 Innovation Areas to Watch”
BioCrossroads Report: Life Science Sector Thriving, With Room to Grow
BioCrossroads, Indiana’s public-private initiative to grow the state’s life sciences sector, has a new report highlighting the industry’s economic activity in 2017 based on data from Indiana University. According to the report, Indiana’s life sciences sector continues to expand in a couple of key areas, including the number of companies created, the number of new … Continue reading “BioCrossroads Report: Life Science Sector Thriving, With Room to Grow”
Bio Roundup: Ex-Kiters Say Allo, NASH Cash & Data, Alkermes No & More
Happy Friday, everyone. We’ll start this week with biotech deals, one featuring a couple of CAR-T heavyweights who have re-emerged after selling Kite Pharma for $12 billion. They will try to shepherd to market a different type of the promising cancer immunotherapy: allogeneic T cells that come from donors, not from a patient’s own blood. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Ex-Kiters Say Allo, NASH Cash & Data, Alkermes No & More”
Cleaner Vehicles Help Make Smarter Cities
Two of the most popular terms in urban planning today are smart cities and clean energy. These concepts naturally go hand-in-hand. As cities get smarter, they use energy more efficiently and in a more controllable fashion, and they are better able to incorporate intermittent clean energy sources. Cities, and the power grids that support them, … Continue reading “Cleaner Vehicles Help Make Smarter Cities”
Lilly Licenses Sigilon’s Cell Encapsulation Tech for Diabetes Therapy
A day after Pfizer decided to step back from the development of a universal cell therapy for cancer, Eli Lilly is jumping in, this time for diabetes. Lilly is licensing cell encapsulation technology from Cambridge, MA biotech Sigilon Therapeutics to develop an off-the-shelf, or “allogeneic”, cell therapy to treat type 1 diabetes. The two companies … Continue reading “Lilly Licenses Sigilon’s Cell Encapsulation Tech for Diabetes Therapy”
Fatty Liver Disease Now Global, Terns Pharma Aims for NASH in China
In the race to treat the fatty liver disease known as NASH, brought on by the modern obesity epidemic, much of the attention has focused on the U.S. But a new biotech company is looking at China. Terns Pharma has raised $30 million from the Asian venture arm of Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) and said … Continue reading “Fatty Liver Disease Now Global, Terns Pharma Aims for NASH in China”
Virta Health Hauls in $45M to Expand “Diabetes-Reversing” Software
Virta Health, a startup that is taking a software approach to treating diabetes rather than pills or injections, has raised $45 million in funding to support its technology. San Francisco-based Virta says its software “reverses” diabetes through behavioral changes that reduce the biological measures of the disease. The company’s software platform, accessible via a mobile … Continue reading “Virta Health Hauls in $45M to Expand “Diabetes-Reversing” Software”
How Next-Gen Chipmakers Are Raising Money, Taking On Tech Giants
The advent of big fundraising rounds for startup chip innovators—a class shunned by most venture capital firms only a few years ago—seems to mark a turnaround in recent VC attitudes about semiconductor investments. But it turns out VCs weren’t the only driving force behind the change in fundraising prospects for the young companies now inventing … Continue reading “How Next-Gen Chipmakers Are Raising Money, Taking On Tech Giants”
Getting Personal: Retailers Use New Tech to Court Individual Shoppers
“Personalized shopping” has long been the guiding light for retailers. But in the age of Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]), traditional stores have been searching for the best way to digitize what was once a person-to-person process. “Internet shopping is now across mobile and Web, and now, the [question] is, ‘How do we create great experiences for … Continue reading “Getting Personal: Retailers Use New Tech to Court Individual Shoppers”
Bio Roundup: Biotech IPOs, Migraine Progress, Takeda Woos Shire & More
If the recent IPO activity seems to be on overdrive, it’s not your imagination. The number of companies filing to go public in the U.S. in the first quarter was up 44 percent compared to the same period a year ago, according to data compiled by consulting and accounting firm EY. Life science companies accounted … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Biotech IPOs, Migraine Progress, Takeda Woos Shire & More”
The Edge or the Cloud? It Depends on the App
There’s no arguing that the cloud has transformed the way organizations deal with data and apps. It has freed IT departments from constantly provisioning and managing storage, while bringing overall costs down. For these reasons and more, companies everywhere are moving more and more data and compute tasks to the cloud every day. It’s important, … Continue reading “The Edge or the Cloud? It Depends on the App”
Among Facebook’s Woes, EU’s Strict Privacy Laws May Loom Largest
In a continuing effort to regain the trust of its disillusioned users, Facebook on Wednesday announced new privacy controls where settings can be made from a central menu, rather than by tunneling through as many as 20 screens. As Facebook unveiled the sweeping revisions, though, it also made a striking admission: The company knew it … Continue reading “Among Facebook’s Woes, EU’s Strict Privacy Laws May Loom Largest”
Going Downhill: Roam Robotics’ Exoskeleton Supports Aging Skiers
Robotics has found its way to the ski slopes. San Francisco-based Roam Robotics has developed an exoskeleton, worn on the legs, that the company says will improve skiers’ endurance and safety while they blaze down trails. For skiers 45 or older, Roam says, the exoskeleton can provide vital support for aging knees that might be … Continue reading “Going Downhill: Roam Robotics’ Exoskeleton Supports Aging Skiers”
Invanti Seeks Entrepreneurs to Help Crack America’s Toughest Problems
When Maria Gibbs and Dustin Mix were working on degrees at the University of Notre Dame a few years ago, they noticed a gap in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. They were used to attacking big problems as part of their university research, but they weren’t seeing similar issues being addressed by entrepreneurs, which they felt … Continue reading “Invanti Seeks Entrepreneurs to Help Crack America’s Toughest Problems”
Are You Being Deliberate About Diversity in Your Investment Portfolio?
“We looked, but we couldn’t find any companies to acquire led by women or founders of color.” “I want to hire diverse talent, but it’s impossible to find.” “It’s not my fault that the financial sector doesn’t have a more varied talent pool or deals to make with non-white males.” I have heard all of … Continue reading “Are You Being Deliberate About Diversity in Your Investment Portfolio?”
FTC Opens New Probe: Revisits Its Old Charges On Facebook Privacy Practices
Among the host of legal woes Facebook is now confronting amid news about the misuse of its member profiles in election politics: The Federal Trade Commission revealed Monday that it is investigating the social media giant’s privacy practices. The FTC decision comes in the wake of recent reports about the ease with which political consulting … Continue reading “FTC Opens New Probe: Revisits Its Old Charges On Facebook Privacy Practices”