Clinical Trials in Plain English: TrialAssure Translates for Patients

Software is playing a growing role in clinical trials, and over the years it’s been introduced as a tool to help enroll patients, collect data, and analyze results. But one aspect of clinical trial record-keeping has been stubbornly stuck on paper—the reporting of data to the patients who volunteer for the studies. TrialAssure, a Canton, … Continue reading “Clinical Trials in Plain English: TrialAssure Translates for Patients”

IPO Scorecard: CrowdStrike Gains 70 Percent on First Trading Day

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike delivered the kind of market debut this week that was an unfulfilled dream for the much-anticipated IPOs of Uber and Lyft earlier this year. Sunnyvale, CA-based CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRWD]]) priced 18 million shares of common stock at $34 on Tuesday. Trading began at $63.50 Wednesday, and reached a near-doubling of the company’s … Continue reading “IPO Scorecard: CrowdStrike Gains 70 Percent on First Trading Day”

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”

Synlogic Lands $80M from Ginkgo to Ramp Up “Living Medicines” R&D

[Updated 10:42 a.m., see below.] Synlogic, a developer of so-called “living medicines” comprised of engineered bacteria, is teaming up with synthetic biology company Ginkgo Bioworks in an effort to advance drug candidates to human testing more quickly. Under an agreement announced Wednesday, Cambridge, MA-based Synlogic (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SYBX]]) will use Ginkgo’s technology to design and test … Continue reading “Synlogic Lands $80M from Ginkgo to Ramp Up “Living Medicines” R&D”

Hi Marley Raises $8M From Investors to Streamline Insurance With AI

Insurance tech startup Hi Marley has landed $8.7 million from True Ventures and Underscore VC to extend its conversational AI tools to help people buy and manage their policies. The Boston company is also working with insurance broker Aon (NYSE: [[ticker:AON]]) to move into more complicated sectors of business insurance through a strategic partnership, according … Continue reading “Hi Marley Raises $8M From Investors to Streamline Insurance With AI”

Oncternal Therapeutics Goes Public After Reverse Merger With GTx

Oncternal Therapeutics has joined the growing ranks of San Diego biotechs to go public, but it didn’t go through an IPO to get there. The San Diego-based company said Monday that it completed a reverse merger with GTx, a Memphis, TN biotech whose market value plummeted last fall after its lead drug candidate failed a … Continue reading “Oncternal Therapeutics Goes Public After Reverse Merger With GTx”

InGeneron Adds $23M to Test Stem Cell Therapy for Rotator Cuff Tears

Houston — Stem-cell technology developer InGeneron has added another $23 million to a Series D financing it announced in 2017, bringing the total of the funding round to $43 million. Based in Houston, InGeneron plans to use the money for a clinical study in rotator cuff tendinopathy, a swelling of the tendons and muscles that support … Continue reading “InGeneron Adds $23M to Test Stem Cell Therapy for Rotator Cuff Tears”

Insurance Tech Startup CyberFortress Starts Risk Assessment Service

San Antonio—CyberFortress, an insurance tech startup founded late last year, is graduating from the Plug and Play accelerator and launching a new service that gauges how vulnerable ecommerce businesses are to hacking. The service assesses the risk of an ecommerce business being taken down because of something like a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack or ransomware, … Continue reading “Insurance Tech Startup CyberFortress Starts Risk Assessment Service”

Roundup: Code Jam Detroit, League of Legends, Genomenon, MTRAC, More

As summer tries to make itself known between long bouts of rain, Michigan’s entrepreneurs have been busy dreaming up new products, launching programs, adding new personnel, and more. Read on for details. —Tune into a live webinar at 1 p.m. ET today from Meeting of the Minds called “When Machines Do Everything in Smart Cities: … Continue reading “Roundup: Code Jam Detroit, League of Legends, Genomenon, MTRAC, More”

CymaBay Therapeutics Stumbles in NASH Race, Shares Fall

One of the entrants in the ultra-competitive race to develop treatments for the fatty liver disease known nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) suffered a setback in clinical testing today, but the company, Cymabay Therapeutics, still believes its drug could show promise as the study continues. Cymabay (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBAY]]), of Newark, CA, reported interim results from a Phase … Continue reading “CymaBay Therapeutics Stumbles in NASH Race, Shares Fall”

Trust No One: Edgewise Raises $11M to Segment and Secure Networks

[Updated 12:01 pm, 6/11/18. See below.] The retreat underway in cybersecurity from the ramparts of the outward-facing firewall has spurred a crop of tech startups promising answer for the threat of hackers that in many cases can no longer be denied entrance to networks. This fallback stance has been the adoption of a “zero trust” … Continue reading “Trust No One: Edgewise Raises $11M to Segment and Secure Networks”

Polco’s Tools Help Governments Coax Citizens Out of Echo Chambers

[Updated 6/11/19, 7:31 am CT. See below.] Nick Mastronardi is finding success in countering the negative trend of endless partisan bickering by helping local governments gather public sentiments through online polling. Mastronardi (pictured above) is co-founder and CEO of Polco, a company based in Madison, WI, that he says is growing thanks to its ability to … Continue reading “Polco’s Tools Help Governments Coax Citizens Out of Echo Chambers”

Celebrating San Diego Life Sciences: Xconomy Awards Gala Slideshow

We at Xconomy were thrilled to see such a great turnout at our first-ever awards gala in San Diego. About 250 people from the local life sciences community filled a ballroom at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa (see photos above). As Greg Huang, Xconomy’s editor in chief, said in his opening remarks before a … Continue reading “Celebrating San Diego Life Sciences: Xconomy Awards Gala Slideshow”

Salesforce to Boost Analytics Suite With $15.7B Deal to Buy Tableau

[Updated 6/11/19 10:36 a.m. See below.] Salesforce is joining forces with Tableau Software, announcing Monday it plans to acquire Seattle-based Tableau in an all-stock deal valued at $15.7 billion. The transaction would combine one of the world’s largest and best known sales-focused software vendors, San Francisco-based Salesforce, with one of the leading vendors of data visualization … Continue reading “Salesforce to Boost Analytics Suite With $15.7B Deal to Buy Tableau”

With Yale Tech and $12M, Artizan Aims for Root Cause of Gut Disease

A number of startups are targeting the gut microbiome as a way to potentially treat disease, but identifying specific microbes at the root of illness is a challenge. Although software that analyzes troves of biological data helps, the trillions of gut microbes make the research like looking for a needle in a haystack, says James … Continue reading “With Yale Tech and $12M, Artizan Aims for Root Cause of Gut Disease”

Merck Bags Tilos, Adding an Immunotherapy Booster to Its Arsenal

Cancer immunotherapy leader Merck continued to roll up oncology assets with a deal this morning to acquire privately held Tilos Therapeutics. Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) didn’t disclose how much it will pay up front for Tilos, a Lexington, MA, startup developing drugs for cancer, fibrosis, and autoimmune diseases. But the overall payout could reach $773 million … Continue reading “Merck Bags Tilos, Adding an Immunotherapy Booster to Its Arsenal”

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”

Mark Your Calendars: Startup Week Detroit Kicks Off on June 17

Every year, Detroit’s entrepreneurial community comes together for a five-day event encompassing panel discussions, TED talk-style keynote speeches, bootcamps, tech demos, and networking happy hours, all of which are open to the public and free upon registration. Techstars Startup Week Detroit kicks off on June 17, but the registration process is already underway for those … Continue reading “Mark Your Calendars: Startup Week Detroit Kicks Off on June 17”

Vertex Pharma Shells Out $420M to Move Into Muscular Dystrophy

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is committing $420 million in a pair of deals that expand the company’s research scope to experimental genetic treatments for two forms of muscular dystrophy. Boston-based Vertex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) announced late Thursday that it reached an agreement to pay $245 million up front to acquire Exonics, a company using gene editing techniques to … Continue reading “Vertex Pharma Shells Out $420M to Move Into Muscular Dystrophy”

Boston Tech Watch: IKEA and Ori, Skyworks and Huawei & Massport and Turo

[Updated 6/7/19, 9:50 am. See below.] Quite a range of topics in this week’s batch of Boston technology news: robot furniture, male fertility, airport car rental spats, as well as the usual deals and acquisitions. Read on for more: —Boston-headquartered robotics startup Ori Living and IKEA are collaborating on a line of furniture for small … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: IKEA and Ori, Skyworks and Huawei & Massport and Turo”

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”

Agtech Startup GroGuru Gets Audience Kudos at EvoNexus Demo Day

Three wildly different startups among those incubating at EvoNexus, a La Jolla, CA-based nonprofit organization that supports early-stage tech companies, earned top marks from the audience at a pitch contest this week. EvoNexus typically hosts a “Demo Day” event twice per year to highlight the top startups currently housed in its incubator. The event is … Continue reading “Agtech Startup GroGuru Gets Audience Kudos at EvoNexus Demo Day”

Grail’s Cook Steps Down, Former Juno Executive Bishop Named CEO

Grail CEO Jennifer Cook has stepped down from the cancer diagnostics developer and its board of directors. Menlo Park, CA-based Grail said Thursday that Cook left due to “family health reasons.” Hans Bishop, a Grail director since last August, was appointed Cook’s successor in the chief executive role. He will also remain on Grail’s board. … Continue reading “Grail’s Cook Steps Down, Former Juno Executive Bishop Named CEO”

Synapse Banks $33M to Grow its Automated Back Office for Fintechs

Prominent venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has jumped in to back San Francisco startup Synapse, which has assembled a plug-in infrastructure to process financial transactions for banks as well as fintech startups. Andreessen led a Series B fundraising round that yielded $33 million for Synapse, which handles payments from checking accounts and credit cards, … Continue reading “Synapse Banks $33M to Grow its Automated Back Office for Fintechs”

Michigan-Israel Biz Group’s Website Maps State’s Startup Ecosystem

Efforts by Michigan’s economic development officials to strengthen ties to Israeli companies over the past few years have apparently borne fruit. The Great Lake State is the first in the nation to partner with Israel’s Start-Up Nation Central on a free website that aims to map Michigan’s startup ecosystem and build bridges to the Israeli … Continue reading “Michigan-Israel Biz Group’s Website Maps State’s Startup Ecosystem”

Rocket Engines & Startup Fuel: NM, Abodo, & More WI Headlines

It’s time to catch up on recent Wisconsin innovation news, including more funding for startups and expanded production of rocket engines in the Madison area. Read on for more details. —Northwestern Mutual said it’s pumping $150 million into its second in-house venture capital fund. The Milwaukee-based insurance and wealth management services giant invested $50 million … Continue reading “Rocket Engines & Startup Fuel: NM, Abodo, & More WI Headlines”

Cerf, Kahn, Perlman, Hillis & More at Net@50: Get Tix to Historic Event

How did the internet arise to change the world—and where is it heading? Given the state of technology and society, what are the best ways to curtail the spread of misinformation (among other challenges) and the harm it can bring? At the World Frontiers Forum and Xconomy, we can’t promise to cover everything, but we … Continue reading “Cerf, Kahn, Perlman, Hillis & More at Net@50: Get Tix to Historic Event”

Carmera Scores Lear Partnership, Adds Ex-Waymo Exec to Advisory Team

The month of May was big for Carmera, a startup in New York City developing high-definition maps for use in autonomous vehicles. The company rolled out a new development partnership with auto supplier Lear, and it landed a big name advisor and investor with Shaun Stewart, the former chief business officer of self-driving technology business … Continue reading “Carmera Scores Lear Partnership, Adds Ex-Waymo Exec to Advisory Team”

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”

Apple Touts New Privacy Moves as Antitrust Probes Loom for Big Tech

Both the House leadership and the Trump administration are preparing to challenge the power of Google, Facebook, and other big tech companies by launching antitrust investigations into their allegedly anticompetitive business practices, as the Washington Post detailed it this week. But the growing concern about the pervasive control of tech giants in arenas such as … Continue reading “Apple Touts New Privacy Moves as Antitrust Probes Loom for Big Tech”

Highspot Snags $60M to Help Sales Professionals Refine Their Pitches

Highspot, a startup developing collaborative software for sales and marketing teams at large companies, announced Tuesday it has raised $60 million from investors. San Francisco-based Iconiq Capital led the Series D funding round, and was joined by new investor Sapphire Ventures, Highspot says. Other participants included return backers Madrona Venture Group, OpenView, Shasta Ventures, and … Continue reading “Highspot Snags $60M to Help Sales Professionals Refine Their Pitches”

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”

What’s Hot in Boston Biotech 2019: The Photos

From gene therapy’s renaissance to the uncertain future of Alzheimer’s treatments, it’s a challenging but exciting time in the life sciences. Xconomy’s recent What’s Hot in Boston Biotech forum gathered a stellar group of industry leaders to dissect and reflect on many of the sector’s most urgent issues—and have a bit of fun, too. Check … Continue reading “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech 2019: The Photos”

Bayer and Arvinas Join Forces in $115M Pharma & Ag Research Alliance

Bayer is committing $115 million to Arvinas in a partnership focused on turning the biotech’s technology for getting rid of harmful proteins into new products for both human health and agriculture. According to the deal announced Tuesday, the German life sciences and agtech giant will pay New Haven, CT-based Arvinas (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARVN]]) more than $60 … Continue reading “Bayer and Arvinas Join Forces in $115M Pharma & Ag Research Alliance”

Inhibrx, Fresh Off $40M Funding to Advance Cancer Drugs, Eyes IPO

Two weeks after raising $40 million to push ahead with its drug development programs, Inhibrx submitted paperwork to the SEC revealing that it aims to raise money in the public market, too. The La Jolla, CA-based company, which is developing protein drugs targeting cancer and other diseases, was founded in 2010. Read more about the … Continue reading “Inhibrx, Fresh Off $40M Funding to Advance Cancer Drugs, Eyes IPO”

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”

LevelTen Energy Raises $20.5M to Facilitate Clean Power Purchases

LevelTen Energy, a startup that helps corporations make renewable energy purchases, has raised $20.5 million from investors. The Seattle-based company says it plans to use some of the new money to fund product development, make new hires, and expand into Europe. Prelude Ventures, a cleantech-focused venture firm based in San Francisco, led the Series B … Continue reading “LevelTen Energy Raises $20.5M to Facilitate Clean Power Purchases”

Bluebird Bio’s Gene Therapy for Blood Disease Wins European Approval

Bluebird Bio has won regulatory approval for its first gene therapy, a treatment for the rare blood disease beta thalassemia. Cambridge, MA-based Bluebird said Monday that the European Commission’s regulatory nod for its therapy, Zynteglo, is a conditional approval, meaning the decision was made with less data than typically required for new drugs. Such approvals … Continue reading “Bluebird Bio’s Gene Therapy for Blood Disease Wins European Approval”

From Farm to (Financial) Table: Holt Ventures Partner Meg Paulus

San Antonio—Meg Paulus gets a sense of comfort when she walks around the campus of her work at Holt Cat, a San Antonio-based heavy equipment and engine dealer focused on Caterpillar tractors. Paulus grew up in rural southeast Wisconsin where she raised sheep and chickens and showed them off at annual 4-H fairs. Those memories … Continue reading “From Farm to (Financial) Table: Holt Ventures Partner Meg Paulus”

Seattle VC Watch: EndoGastric, Dolly, MDmetrix, SeekOut & More

Let’s catch up on some of the notable funding rounds raised by Seattle-area tech and life sciences companies in May: —EndoGastric Solutions, a Redmond-based business developing minimally invasive medical devices, said it raised $14.5 million from investors. EndoGastric’s devices treat gastroesophegeal reflux disease, which can cause chronic heartburn and injury to the esophageal lining. The … Continue reading “Seattle VC Watch: EndoGastric, Dolly, MDmetrix, SeekOut & More”

Boston Tech Watch: LearnLaunch, Starry, Bodeswell, HqO & Pillo

A wave of funding crashed on Boston startups this week, as well as a major acquisition of a cybersecurity and threat intelligence company. Read on for more of this week’s Boston-area tech news. —Kytopen, a Cambridge, MA-based technology company engineering testing and manufacturing systems for cell therapy, raised $3.6 million in seed funding from MIT’s … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: LearnLaunch, Starry, Bodeswell, HqO & Pillo”

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”

Quantum Computing 101: Brilliant, Google, Microsoft Training Workers

From Microsoft and IBM to Alphabet’s unit X and Canada’s D-Wave Systems, companies are racing to build powerful quantum computers that may solve problems beyond the capacity of the most sophisticated conventional processors, and do it much faster. It’ll be some years before such uber-computers are robust and reliable enough for broad commercial use. But … Continue reading “Quantum Computing 101: Brilliant, Google, Microsoft Training Workers”

Wayne State Is MI Mobility Institute’s First Educational Partner

The Michigan Mobility Institute, an organization working to create a new crop of mobility professionals with skills in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, and other related fields, has chosen its inaugural educational partner. Jessica Robinson, the institute’s executive director, says Wayne State University’s College of Engineering will lead development of a graduate-level advanced mobility education curriculum. … Continue reading “Wayne State Is MI Mobility Institute’s First Educational Partner”

Sante, GST, BackTracks, 101 Commerce, Plug and Play, & More TX Tech

Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —Healthcare venture firm Sante Ventures has closed a $250 million fund, its third. Sante’s Fund III has commitments from 32 investors, which includes half of previous investors joining in the new fund, according to Kevin Lalande, Sante’s co-founder and managing director. The Austin-based … Continue reading “Sante, GST, BackTracks, 101 Commerce, Plug and Play, & More TX Tech”

Vertex Selects Drug Combo, a Potential Therapy for 90% of CF Patients

[Updated, 12:57 p.m. See below.] Vertex Pharmaceuticals is already a leader in cystic fibrosis therapies. The company is placing its bet on an experimental drug that could strengthen its dominant position. Vertex said it will file for regulatory approval of VX-445, an experimental drug that the company estimates could treat up to 90 percent of … Continue reading “Vertex Selects Drug Combo, a Potential Therapy for 90% of CF Patients”

With $35M, Whole Biome Eyes 2020 Launch of Medical Food for Diabetes

Diabetes treatments available today include shots and pills intended to restore the hormone balance that leads to healthy blood sugar levels. Whole Biome aims to accomplish the same thing—but with a capsule that targets the gut microbiome. Whole Biome is preparing to launch its product early next year. To support those plans, the San Francisco-based … Continue reading “With $35M, Whole Biome Eyes 2020 Launch of Medical Food for Diabetes”

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?”

To Catch Early Cancer, and Rivals, Thrive Banks on Hopkins Blood Test

The earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the odds of survival, and the race is on to detect the earliest traces of the disease from an otherwise healthy person’s blood sample. A new entrant in that race has emerged today. Thrive Earlier Detection has raised $110 million in financing from biotech investors Third Rock Ventures … Continue reading “To Catch Early Cancer, and Rivals, Thrive Banks on Hopkins Blood Test”