[Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.] It’s a good thing journalists, pundits, and consultants can’t be held liable for the predictions we … Continue reading “What Is the Future of the Internet? Experts Predict Next 50 Years”
Category: Indiana
What ARPANET’s History Can Teach Us About Cybersecurity
[Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.] The internet nearly came with built-in caller ID. The year was 1972: three years after the … Continue reading “What ARPANET’s History Can Teach Us About Cybersecurity”
Bio Roundup: Merger Drama, FDA Trauma, Big IPOs, CRISPR Fights & More
It was a busy week. If we had to choose a theme, it was all about getting together. Two huge drug companies, AbbVie and Allergan, said they’d be better as one. Two more huge drug companies, Celgene and Bristol-Myers Squibb, learned they would have to leave a big product behind if they want to merge. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Merger Drama, FDA Trauma, Big IPOs, CRISPR Fights & More”
The Path to a More Human Voice Interface
The world is changing fast. Everything is getting connected. The connected home – the smart fridge, the smart thermostat, the smart TV – will soon be a mainstay of a connected world, an era quickly being ushered in by 5G, AI on the edge, and a slew of other enabling technologies. And I believe the … Continue reading “The Path to a More Human Voice Interface”
AbbVie to Pay $63B for Allergan to Prepare for Life Without Humira
[Updated, 10:11 am ET, see below.] Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie this morning agreed to acquire Allergan in a $63 billion deal meant to provide the pharmaceutical giant with enough revenue to brace for the loss of patent protection for the world’s top-selling drug. AbbVie (NYSE: [[ticker:ABBV]]) will pay $188.24 per share in cash and stock for … Continue reading “AbbVie to Pay $63B for Allergan to Prepare for Life Without Humira”
Ford Initiative Will Crowdsource Mobility Solutions in Detroit
It’s been a year since Ford announced it will refurbish a massive abandoned train station in Detroit and transform it into the anchor of its mobility and autonomous vehicle operations, which will eventually house hundreds of employees. This week, the automaker announced a new program called City:One Michigan Central Station Challenge to solicit ideas for … Continue reading “Ford Initiative Will Crowdsource Mobility Solutions in Detroit”
Bio Roundup: Array Bio Acquired, IPO Spree, Sanofi’s Job Cuts & More
[Corrected 6/24/19, 12:08 p.m. See below.] Cancer remains one of the hottest areas for pharma deals and this week saw a big one: Pfizer’s proposed $11.4 billion buyout of Array Biopharma. The announcement comes less than a month after Boulder, CO-based Array announced positive data from a pivotal study of its combination drug in colorectal … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Array Bio Acquired, IPO Spree, Sanofi’s Job Cuts & More”
Four More Through the IPO Door as Life Science Firms Raise $465M
It’s been a strong year for biotech IPOs and Wednesday shaped up to be a particularly busy day as four life science firms debuted on the public markets. So far this year, 72 companies have gone public, according to IPO research firm Renaissance Capital. That total is down 20 percent compared to the same period … Continue reading “Four More Through the IPO Door as Life Science Firms Raise $465M”
Colorectal Cancer Data Spurs Pfizer to Pay $11.4B for Array Bio
[Updated 11:02 a.m. See below.] Array BioPharma touted data less than a month ago that could shift the treatment landscape for some patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The data caught the eye of Pfizer, which just agreed this morning to buy the Boulder, CO, cancer drug maker for $11.4 billion. Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) will pay … Continue reading “Colorectal Cancer Data Spurs Pfizer to Pay $11.4B for Array Bio”
Bio Roundup: Roche-Spark Drags On, GSK Taps CRISPR, Diabetes News & More
Is one of the bigger biopharma acquisitions of the year in trouble? This past week, antitrust regulators once again delayed Roche’s planned $4.8 billion buyout of gene therapy developer Spark Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONCE]]). The US Federal Trade Commission wants yet more information about the buyout, and overseas, the UK Competition and Markets Authority opened a … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Roche-Spark Drags On, GSK Taps CRISPR, Diabetes News & More”
Gener8tor to Make Startups From Scratch in Revamped Milwaukee Program
[Updated 6/14/19, 10:25 am CT. See below.] Gener8tor, a Wisconsin-based organization with a growing network of startup accelerators across the Midwest, is shaking up the format of its flagship Milwaukee program in a bid to catalyze entrepreneurship among locals. Instead of seeking applications from existing startups located around the world, this fall’s Gener8tor program in … Continue reading “Gener8tor to Make Startups From Scratch in Revamped Milwaukee Program”
U-M Leads 10-University Project to Tackle Equity, Inclusion in STEM
Academic researchers have long studied gender and racial disparities in STEM education, but they have not had widespread success in addressing these challenges. A University of Michigan professor and colleagues from 10 universities are hoping to change that. At public research universities like U-M, introductory courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects are the … Continue reading “U-M Leads 10-University Project to Tackle Equity, Inclusion in STEM”
3 Tips to Boost Security, Trust With Increasingly Remote Workforce
Employers are increasingly offering remote work options as a differentiator to attract top talent in today’s competitive hiring market. And, with modern technology at their fingertips, employees have come to expect a seamless working experience whether they’re home, in the office, or on the road. These new expectations, coupled with the increase of contract and … Continue reading “3 Tips to Boost Security, Trust With Increasingly Remote Workforce”
Bio Roundup: ASCO Wrap, Bluebird’s EU Tap, CRISPR Baby Risk & More
Welcome to conference week. That’s not an official moniker, but is there any busier time on the biopharma calendar? As the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting wrapped up in Chicago, the annual BIO conference kicked off in Philadelphia, and a deep dive into diabetes begins today in San Francisco. With half the biopharma world, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ASCO Wrap, Bluebird’s EU Tap, CRISPR Baby Risk & More”
ASCO 2019: The Long Game, Targeted Pills, First-Ever Buzz & More
The American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago has wrapped up for another year. Last week, we featured two stories that you wouldn’t find at the ASCO frenzy: Immunotherapy’s lack of progress in treating breast cancer, and one woman’s risky bet of tens of millions of dollars from her personal fortune to speed drug … Continue reading “ASCO 2019: The Long Game, Targeted Pills, First-Ever Buzz & More”
Eli Lilly’s Approved Migraine Drug Wins FDA OK for Cluster Headache
An Eli Lilly migraine drug that was approved last fall now has the regulatory nod to treat a rarer form of headache that tends to occur in clusters. The FDA on Tuesday approved the Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) drug galcanezumab (Emgality) for episodic cluster headaches, which patients experience as one to four headaches per day, each … Continue reading “Eli Lilly’s Approved Migraine Drug Wins FDA OK for Cluster Headache”
Study: Gene Edits in CRISPR Babies Could Boost Risk of Earlier Death
The Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who revealed last fall that he used CRISPR gene editing to try to make twin newborn girls immune to HIV infection, might have also given them a higher risk of death. That’s according to a new study from University of California, Berkeley data scientists who analyzed the records of more … Continue reading “Study: Gene Edits in CRISPR Babies Could Boost Risk of Earlier Death”
Bio Roundup: Opioids in Court, IPO Parade, Brain Cancer Bet & More
[Corrected 5/31/19, 8:48 am ET. See below.] Pharmaceutical companies that make or market opioids have found themselves in legal hot water, and much of the heat is coming from Oklahoma. This week, a trial began litigating Johnson & Johnson’s responsibility for opioid addiction in the Sooner State. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: [[ticker:JNJ]]) entered the Norman, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Opioids in Court, IPO Parade, Brain Cancer Bet & More”
Agenda Posted for Net@50 on July 16 at MIT Media Lab
Come celebrate milestones the internet has made over the past 50 years at a special event called Net@50 on July 16 in Cambridge, MA, organized by the World Frontiers Forum and Xconomy. An afternoon forum at the MIT Media Lab will explore the big issues and challenges surrounding the internet. And a gala dinner at … Continue reading “Agenda Posted for Net@50 on July 16 at MIT Media Lab”
Can Tiny Drug Doses (and One Woman’s Fortune) Fight the Most Vicious Cancer?
When the brain goes bad, modern medicine is often powerless to help. That’s the case for Alzheimer’s disease, where drug after drug has failed, and the only approved treatments are marginally helpful at best. The same seems increasingly clear for the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme. Its origins are mysterious, … Continue reading “Can Tiny Drug Doses (and One Woman’s Fortune) Fight the Most Vicious Cancer?”
Immunotherapy Is Now Here For Breast Cancer. What Are Its Prospects?
Drugs that rev up a patient’s immune system have changed how we treat cancers of the skin, lung, and more, offering people whose tumors have spread a chance to live longer than ever thought possible. But until this year, the field had nothing for breast cancer, which kills more women than any other cancer type. … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Is Now Here For Breast Cancer. What Are Its Prospects?”
Second US Gene Therapy, Approved for Rare Muscle Disease, to Cost $2M
The FDA today has made Zolgensma, a Novartis treatment for the rare genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy, the second approved gene therapy in the US. The news marks a milestone for SMA patients, who have only one other approved medicine available. But it comes with a cost: At $2.125 million, Zolgensma’s price tag creates a … Continue reading “Second US Gene Therapy, Approved for Rare Muscle Disease, to Cost $2M”
Bio Roundup: Zolgensma Watch, Brain Cancer Blues, Peloton Payout & More
Patients, doctors, family members, and drug-price watchdogs continued to wait for the expected approval of Zolgensma, a Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]) gene therapy for the rare inherited disease spinal muscular atrophy. Originally developed at a children’s hospital in Ohio, Zolgensma will be a litmus test for the nascent field. If approved this week or next, it … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Zolgensma Watch, Brain Cancer Blues, Peloton Payout & More”
Despite Industrial Tech’s Growing Sophistication, US Adoption Lags
This week, Detroit is hosting SME’s RAPID + TCT event, a conference and trade show dedicated to additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing. It’s the first time the conference, which draws attendees from across the world, has been held in Detroit since 2014. Maria Conrado, SME’s senior event manager, says the conference has grown … Continue reading “Despite Industrial Tech’s Growing Sophistication, US Adoption Lags”
Bio Roundup: Generic Drugs Graft, ASCO Ahead, ElevateBio Rises & More
Generic drugs are supposed to give consumers more choices and a counterweight to more costly branded medications. During his tenure as FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb often spoke about generics as a market force that could help tame climbing drug prices. But such tools only work when companies play fair. A lawsuit is now claiming that … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Generic Drugs Graft, ASCO Ahead, ElevateBio Rises & More”
ASCO Abstracts: Breast Cancer, Precision Treatments in the Spotlight
The world’s biggest annual cancer conference is just around the corner. Data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting each year can change medical practice and make or break companies whose drugs are under the microscope. That’s what makes even the “abstracts,” or snippets of data revealed a few weeks before the meeting, … Continue reading “ASCO Abstracts: Breast Cancer, Precision Treatments in the Spotlight”
Milestones of Innovation 17: ‘Golden Spike’ Heralds Era of Cheap Steel
One hundred fifty years ago May 10, around mid-day, railroad promoters from two coasts clumsily drove the final spikes of America’s first transcontinental railroad near Promontory Point, Utah. Two of the spikes used that day were made of gold. The blows themselves triggered a telegraphic message to the world. The joining of the Central Pacific … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 17: ‘Golden Spike’ Heralds Era of Cheap Steel”
Tech Ethics, Regulation & Strategy: Here’s the Napa Summit Agenda
With Uber’s long-awaited IPO, Facebook’s mounting controversies, and ongoing debates over drug pricing and safety issues, come a great responsibility. A big story in the innovation community now is about the ethics and regulation of tech and life sciences. What are the right ways to safeguard the public, hold corporations accountable, and maintain economic growth? … Continue reading “Tech Ethics, Regulation & Strategy: Here’s the Napa Summit Agenda”
Bio Roundup: Rare Disease Showdowns, Prices on TV, Dealmania & More
The market for drugs for rare or “orphan” diseases continues to grow. An April report from Evaluate Pharma predicted sales of orphan drugs to rise 12 percent a year between now and 2024, when they will account for an estimated 20 percent of worldwide prescription drug sales. The field has gotten so competitive that multiple … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Rare Disease Showdowns, Prices on TV, Dealmania & More”
Why Investors Are Turning to the Midwest—and How to Keep them Coming
For decades, venture capital investors have targeted the East and West coasts to find and fund their next big startup growth company. The result? Two thirds of VC deals and dollars are currently, as of the first quarter of 2019, held in three states—California, New York, and Massachusetts—in three regions of the U.S. Trailing those … Continue reading “Why Investors Are Turning to the Midwest—and How to Keep them Coming”
Two Days, Five Biotech IPOs, and $359M Raised for Clinical Trials
It will be hard to top last year’s flurry of biotech companies joining the public markets, but this week is shaping up to be the busiest for life science IPOs in recent memory. Five biotechs priced their IPOs and at least one more is coming. According to IPO research firm Renaissance Capital, 47 IPOs have … Continue reading “Two Days, Five Biotech IPOs, and $359M Raised for Clinical Trials”
SMA, Migraine Data Lead Neuro Highlights from AAN Meeting
The American Academy of Neurology meeting in Philadelphia is rolling on through the end of this week. There has been plenty of news to digest already. New clinical data could herald cutting-edge treatments for migraine, the rare disease spinal muscular atrophy, the deadly neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and more. Xconomy previewed the conference last … Continue reading “SMA, Migraine Data Lead Neuro Highlights from AAN Meeting”
Bio Roundup: Head and Spine Previews, Biogen Moves, IPO Dreams & More
America continues to suffer from healthcare headaches. Our convoluted private-public insurance system was under scrutiny this week from Democrats, holding a “Medicare for All” hearing in the House, and from Republicans, as several GOP-led states and the Trump administration asked a federal court to sweep away Obamacare. Several companies also want to reduce headaches. This … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Head and Spine Previews, Biogen Moves, IPO Dreams & More”
At Big Neuro Meeting, Migraine Drug Competitors to Make Oral Arguments
The first new class of migraine drugs in decades won FDA approval last year. But the companies who commercialized these new therapies and their potential competitors are already planning new, more convenient versions, taken as pills instead of injectoins just below the skin, and they will present key data in the next few days at … Continue reading “At Big Neuro Meeting, Migraine Drug Competitors to Make Oral Arguments”
Beyond Meat’s IPO Bags $241M to Make Plant-Based Burgers Mainstream
A Beyond Meat burger is coming to a location near you—and soon. The food technology company’s upsized IPO has raised $241 million to finance plans to bring its plant-based “meat” to more grocery stores and restaurants across the country. Beyond Meat priced its IPO Wednesday evening at $25 per share, which was the high end … Continue reading “Beyond Meat’s IPO Bags $241M to Make Plant-Based Burgers Mainstream”
SMA Moment: Will Gene Therapy Shift Treatment, Costs of Muscle Disease?
This is a big moment for people diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a rare and potentially lethal genetic disorder that destroys muscles. For decades, there was no way to change the trajectory of their disease. They now have one marketed medicine, and this month, chances are they’ll have another: a gene therapy that … Continue reading “SMA Moment: Will Gene Therapy Shift Treatment, Costs of Muscle Disease?”
Retailers, Startups Work to Offer Efficient E-Commerce Delivery
The on-demand delivery war in retail is on. In its quarterly earnings call Thursday, Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) announced it would switch to one-day shipping for Prime members, halving the time the 100 million-plus people who subscribe to the service must wait before receiving their purchases. The Seattle e-commerce giant told analysts the move would cost around … Continue reading “Retailers, Startups Work to Offer Efficient E-Commerce Delivery”
Ford, Lincoln Owners Can Get Amazon Packages Delivered to Their Cars
Many of us know that anxious feeling that comes when Amazon texts a notification that it has delivered your package, except you’re nowhere near home at the time to receive it. The mind races: is the package sitting out in plain view for would-be thieves to notice? Will it be destroyed by a passing downpour? … Continue reading “Ford, Lincoln Owners Can Get Amazon Packages Delivered to Their Cars”
Elanco Bolsters Pet Products Pipeline With $234M Deal for Aratana
Drugs that treat dogs and cats are some of Elanco’s fastest growing products, and the animal health company is poised to make that category even bigger through a deal to buy pet medicines developer Aratana Therapeutics. Greenfield, IN-based Elanco (NYSE: [[ticker:ELAN]]) announced Friday an agreement to acquire Aratana (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PETX]]) in a stock deal valued … Continue reading “Elanco Bolsters Pet Products Pipeline With $234M Deal for Aratana”
Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Strategy, Drug Price Convo, NASH News & More
The road to every new drug approval is littered with the remains of earlier failures. Biopharmaceutical companies don’t like to talk about the failures. But it’s earnings season now, so some of them don’t have much choice. Biogen’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) earnings call this week was the first since its Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab failed in a Phase … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Strategy, Drug Price Convo, NASH News & More”
To Help Boost Female-led Startups, More Women Join Investor Ranks
Houston—Men have long leveraged their networks to succeed in business, and the tech industry has been no exception. Women, finding themselves outside of the club, are now creating their own networks to do the same. Katelyn O’Shaughnessy already had a solid track record, selling TripScope, a travel startup she co-founded in 2013, to Travefy two … Continue reading “To Help Boost Female-led Startups, More Women Join Investor Ranks”
Midwest Growth Capital Symposium to Feature VC University Seminar
Later next month, the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) will kick off its 38th annual two-day event dedicated to showcasingthe region’s high-growth companies to a cadre of local and out-of-town investors. During the symposium, 32 companies actively seeking funding will pitch to an audience of more than 500 attendees. There will also be a tech … Continue reading “Midwest Growth Capital Symposium to Feature VC University Seminar”
Teva’s Approved Migraine Drug Fails Again to Blunt Rarer Headache
With a second big clinical failure, Teva Pharmaceutical is abandoning efforts to extend the use of its approved migraine drug to the treatment of cluster headaches, a rarer form of headache that typically affects one side of the head around the eye or the temple. Teva (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]) said Tuesday that an interim analysis of … Continue reading “Teva’s Approved Migraine Drug Fails Again to Blunt Rarer Headache”
SPECIAL REPORT: 2019 Blockchain Outlook — Reality Check
After a breakout year in 2017, the blockchain sector suffered a series of blows in 2018, from crashing cryptocurrency prices to increased regulatory scrutiny of crypto ventures and deepening skepticism about whether the technology was actually useful. Now, the industry has entered a crucial phase where blockchain developers need to overcome the limitations of the … Continue reading “SPECIAL REPORT: 2019 Blockchain Outlook — Reality Check”
Can We Afford to Be Cured? A Conversation With ICER’s Steve Pearson
[Corrected, 4/23/19, 7:10 p.m. See below.] New cell and gene therapies bring the possibility of cures once hardly imaginable. But the potential cures could also cost millions of dollars, like Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]), the owner of the gene therapy Zolgensma, has suggested in advance of an imminent FDA approval decision. As public backlash against high … Continue reading “Can We Afford to Be Cured? A Conversation With ICER’s Steve Pearson”
Bio Roundup: Nationwide’s Rise, a Surgeon’s Quest, CRISPR USA & More
Persistence and perseverance were the themes of two of our top stories this week. First there’s the story of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The Columbus, Ohio, hospital chose to invest in gene therapy when the field was in its darkest days. After some ups and downs, the team it put in place helped advance some of … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Nationwide’s Rise, a Surgeon’s Quest, CRISPR USA & More”
$100M for Talaris Gives Surgeon a Shot to Reinvent Organ Transplants
When Novartis dissolved its gene and cell therapy unit a few years ago, a bunch of projects the Swiss pharma giant had incubated were tossed aside. One of them was the work of surgeon Suzanne Ildstad, who has spent decades trying to develop a new way to improve the health outcomes of patients who need … Continue reading “$100M for Talaris Gives Surgeon a Shot to Reinvent Organ Transplants”
How an Ohio Kids’ Hospital Quietly Became Ground Zero for Gene Therapy
[Updated, 4/22/19, see below] If a once-modest regional hospital and its new biotech allies have their way, the capital of Ohio could one day rival America’s other biomedical hubs. “Our goal is to make Columbus the center of the universe for gene therapy,” says Doug Ingram, CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics. Sarepta (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) is based … Continue reading “How an Ohio Kids’ Hospital Quietly Became Ground Zero for Gene Therapy”
Thwarting Opposition, Bristol Gets Shareholder OK for $74B Celgene Buyout
The early opposition has turned out to be just noise. Shareholders of Bristol-Myers Squibb today approved the pharma giant’s planned buyout of Celgene, paving the way for a deal that will create one of the largest biopharma organizations in the world, and send ripples throughout the sector. Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) said Friday that more than … Continue reading “Thwarting Opposition, Bristol Gets Shareholder OK for $74B Celgene Buyout”
Bio Roundup: EASL Does It, Alnylam’s BFF, Gene Therapy Deals & More
A major conference devoted to liver disease kicked off with updates from the race for approval of the world’s first drug to treat a form of advanced liver disease called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. The gene therapy field continued to attract venture cash and industry interest, and it was a busy week in Washington for … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: EASL Does It, Alnylam’s BFF, Gene Therapy Deals & More”