A suburban healthcare group began selling personal DNA testing kits in San Diego this week, enabling ordinary people to buy an over-the-counter test to determine their predispositon to genetic disease. The Personal Genome Service packages, which retail for $399, were previously only available online. The first DNA kits ordered by San Diego’s Palomar Pomerado Health … Continue reading “Era of Over-the-Counter DNA Diagnostic Test Arrives in San Diego”
Category: National
Merck Makes GlycoFi Center of its Biogenerics Strategy, Biogen Says Tysabri Might Promote Remyelination, Stemgent Teams with Fate, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Stem cells and RNAi were the subject of a couple of interesting alliances announced this week. More on those, and the rest of the week’s New England life sciences news, below. —Alkermes (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]]), a maker of drugs for central nervous system disorders, addiction, and diabetes, signed a lease to move its headquarters from Cambridge, … Continue reading “Merck Makes GlycoFi Center of its Biogenerics Strategy, Biogen Says Tysabri Might Promote Remyelination, Stemgent Teams with Fate, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Gen-Probe Amends Deal to Get Promising Test for Prostate Cancer
Resolving a long-standing dispute, San Diego’s Gen-Probe (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GPRO]]) agreed to invest $5 million in its Canadian partner and to begin clinical trials of its prostate cancer test later this year. The deal gives Gen-Probe a 10 percent stake in Toronto-based DiagnoCure and revises the timeline for developing the test, which had become a sticking … Continue reading “Gen-Probe Amends Deal to Get Promising Test for Prostate Cancer”
Sequenom Discloses Test Data Mishandled; Shares Plunge
Sequenom’s shares plunged nearly 70 percent in after-hours trading today after the San Diego biotech said it was postponing its launch of a Down syndrome test due to “mishandling” of R&D test data. The price of Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]) shares fell from $14.91 at the close to $4.69 at 7:36 p.m. ET. Sequenom had planned … Continue reading “Sequenom Discloses Test Data Mishandled; Shares Plunge”
ZymoGenetics Cuts One-Third of Workforce To Hold Onto Cash
ZymoGenetics, the largest independent biotech company in Washington, said today it is cutting one-third of its workforce to conserve cash. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) said today it is eliminating 161 jobs, or 32 percent, of its staff, which will leave it with about 350 employees. The company said it is cutting costs broadly … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Cuts One-Third of Workforce To Hold Onto Cash”
Massachusetts’ $1B Life Sciences Plan Pumps $3.4M in Loans into Startups
At a time when early-stage investment dollars are hard to come by, the state of Massachusetts is giving several startups their first taste of the commonwealth’s plan to invest $1 billion in the life sciences industry over a 10-year period. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the agency in charge of implementing the $1 billion plan, … Continue reading “Massachusetts’ $1B Life Sciences Plan Pumps $3.4M in Loans into Startups”
Ebola Fighter AVI Biopharma Gears Up for Biodefense Contracts
AVI Biopharma has got Ebola virus on its mind. This horrifying bug from central Africa would only have to infect a few people in the U.S. to cause a real bioterror scare, because it’s so deadly and there’s no cure. The federal government would like to get an effective treatment stockpiled just in case a … Continue reading “Ebola Fighter AVI Biopharma Gears Up for Biodefense Contracts”
Annual VC Meeting Comes to Boston, Early Talk Centers on How to End the IPO Drought
Initial public offering activity among venture-backed companies has fallen off a cliff. That’s a top problem facing the venture capital industry right now, and, as can be imagined, the hot topic of discussion in the early hours today at the National Venture Capital Association’s (NVCA) Annual Meeting in Boston. The mood here at the Westin … Continue reading “Annual VC Meeting Comes to Boston, Early Talk Centers on How to End the IPO Drought”
Urbanspoon Bought by IAC, Will Remain Independent Brand
It’s an acquisition that is truly surprising to no one, but now it’s official: Seattle-based Urbanspoon, the online restaurant guide, has been bought by New York-based IAC (NASDAQ GS: [[ticker:IACI]]) for an undisclosed amount. Urbanspoon will stay an independent brand based in Seattle, and will report to Jay Herratti, who heads up some of IAC’s … Continue reading “Urbanspoon Bought by IAC, Will Remain Independent Brand”
Great (Algae) Expectations, and San Diego’s Plans for Creating a Big Green Cluster
Expectations were high at UC San Diego yesterday as the city’s academic, business, and political leaders gathered to announce the formation of SD-CAB, the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology. Steve Kay, UCSD’s dean of biological sciences and SD-CAB’s founding director, told the audience the single point of the center was to position San Diego … Continue reading “Great (Algae) Expectations, and San Diego’s Plans for Creating a Big Green Cluster”
Isis, Alnylam to Collaborate on Single-Stranded RNA Drugs; Deal Could Add Up to $31 Million to Isis’ Coffers
Biotech stalwarts in two of Xconomy’s home regions, Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) of Carlsbad, CA, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) of Cambridge, MA, said today that they’ve agreed to share techniques devised by Isis for using single-stranded RNA interference (ssRNAi) to silence genes in the body that cause disease. Under the agreement, Alnylam will owe … Continue reading “Isis, Alnylam to Collaborate on Single-Stranded RNA Drugs; Deal Could Add Up to $31 Million to Isis’ Coffers”
Seattle Innovators, It’s Time to Rock: WTIA and Xconomy Team Up for Battle of the Tech Bands
The Seattle music scene is one of those cliches that people around the country always ask me about, along with the coffee and the weather. But I don’t mind, not one bit. From Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, from the Presidents of the USA to Death Cab for Cutie and Fleet Foxes, the … Continue reading “Seattle Innovators, It’s Time to Rock: WTIA and Xconomy Team Up for Battle of the Tech Bands”
Stylefeeder’s Execs on How to Do A Lot with A Little—Part 2
Yesterday we published Part 1 of our interview with Philip Jacob, founder of Cambridge, MA-based StyleFeeder, and Shergul Arshad, the startup’s vice president of business development. The two men talked about the remarkable growth of the personalized shopping site, which has taken in $3.5 million in venture capital since 2007 and is already profitable. In … Continue reading “Stylefeeder’s Execs on How to Do A Lot with A Little—Part 2”
GI Dynamics Adds Device to Gut Liner to Increase Weight Loss
GI Dynamics made a lot of noise late last year about the ability of its gut-lining device to help patients struggling with weight problems and Type 2 diabetes to drop pounds while reducing their blood sugar. The device, called the EndoBarrier, is a 2-foot-long flexible sleeve that is placed in the small intestine. Recently the … Continue reading “GI Dynamics Adds Device to Gut Liner to Increase Weight Loss”
Prize Capital Moves Closer to Creating $10 Million Algae Fuel Prize
Fourteen years after Peter Diamandis proposed the idea of creating the X Prize to spur development of low-cost spaceflight, San Diego-based Prize Capital said today it has entered the final phase of creating a $10 million prize to encourage advances in algae biofuels technologies. As part of the final planning process, Prize Capital founder and … Continue reading “Prize Capital Moves Closer to Creating $10 Million Algae Fuel Prize”
No Devil in Details: Dendreon Data Stands Up to Scrutiny from Doctors, Investors
Suspense has been building for two weeks about just how good Dendreon’s big clinical trial results were going to be, and when the results finally came out today, fans of the company had nothing to be disappointed about. Earlier in the day, we reported what readers needed to remember about the context of this trial, … Continue reading “No Devil in Details: Dendreon Data Stands Up to Scrutiny from Doctors, Investors”
Tysabri May Promote Healing Around Nerves, Study Says
Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) and its partner, Elan, catch a lot of heat because their fastest-growing drug for multiple sclerosis is associated with a rare, potentially fatal brain infection called PML. But today they are pushing back a bit with a study that suggests the drug may provide an important benefit to balance … Continue reading “Tysabri May Promote Healing Around Nerves, Study Says”
Carlsbad Device Helped Detect Swine Flu
Health officials say it’s crucial to uncover a flu outbreak early, and stories on Science magazine’s ScienceInsider blog and in the San Diego Union-Tribune reveal how technology developed in the San Diego area helped local officials do just that during the current swine flu outbreak. The Ibis T5000 biosensor system, which allows rapid identification and … Continue reading “Carlsbad Device Helped Detect Swine Flu”
Life Technologies, Geospiza Form Cloud Computing Deal for Scientists to Dig Into Genome
Genome sequencing instruments have gotten so much faster and cheaper over the years that they have created a new problem for scientists—digging through mountains of data on DNA, and maintaining these stores of data. So today, Carlsbad, CA-based Life Technologies and its Applied Biosystems division have formed a partnership with Seattle-based Geospiza to help researchers … Continue reading “Life Technologies, Geospiza Form Cloud Computing Deal for Scientists to Dig Into Genome”
Dendreon Immune-Booster for Prostate Cancer Extends Survival 4.1 Months
[[Updated with analyst comment 2:25 pm Eastern]] Dendreon’s immune-stimulating therapy for prostate cancer, called Provenge, was able to improve median survival time by 4.1 months, and lowered the risk of death by 22.5 percent, according to long-awaited clinical trial results presented today. Side effects were consistent with previous trials, involving fever and chills that lasted … Continue reading “Dendreon Immune-Booster for Prostate Cancer Extends Survival 4.1 Months”
Kiva’s Robots Serve Smaller Companies at Andover’s Quiet Logistics
Visiting a warehouse equipped with Kiva Systems‘ robotic fulfillment technology is a spooky experience: the little orange robots scoot about in busy silence, toting shelves full of products to human pickers who move the right products into boxes for shipping. There are no grinding, beeping forklifts, and not even much conversation, since there are so … Continue reading “Kiva’s Robots Serve Smaller Companies at Andover’s Quiet Logistics”
NewPath Picks Up $30M, Asemblon Raises $2.9M, Amazon Buys Lexcycle, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was another busy week for deals in the Northwest, with lots of action in cloud computing software, mobile, and healthcare. Xconomy even got into the act, inking a partnership with The Seattle Times (see below). —Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) acquired Lexcycle, an e-book startup based in Portland, OR, and Austin, TX. No financial terms were … Continue reading “NewPath Picks Up $30M, Asemblon Raises $2.9M, Amazon Buys Lexcycle, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Ardea Forms Partnership With Bayer to Develop Cancer Inhibitors
San Diego-based Ardea Biosciences (Nasdaq: [[ticker:RDEA]]) says it has reached a licensing and drug development agreement with German drug giant Bayer HealthCare for a class of small molecule cancer drugs known as MEK (mitogen-activated ERK kinase) inhibitors. Aredea says its lead MEK inhibitor, RDEA119, is believed to play an important role in cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis … Continue reading “Ardea Forms Partnership With Bayer to Develop Cancer Inhibitors”
A Good Day for Pond Scum: San Diego’s Emerging Algae-Based Industries Set Heavy Schedule
Efforts to build a new technology cluster of algae-based industries in the region—and to make San Diego a center of excellence in algal biotechnology—are coming together in an unusual series of events today. “I’m calling it algae day in San Diego,” says Rick Halperin, project manager for the regional algae initiative, a virtual organization formed … Continue reading “A Good Day for Pond Scum: San Diego’s Emerging Algae-Based Industries Set Heavy Schedule”
StyleFeeder’s Execs on How to Do A Lot With A Little
StyleFeeder is that rarest of animals: a profitable Web 2.0 company, and on the East Coast to boot. It may also have one of the largest ratios of users to employees of any Web business: more than a million registered members, served by a grand total of only six full-time employees. I met all six … Continue reading “StyleFeeder’s Execs on How to Do A Lot With A Little”
Dendreon Clinical Trial Primer: What You Need to Know About Today’s Provenge Data
Dendreon said it made history a couple weeks ago, when its drug for stimulating the immune system to fight cancer cells was found to be the first of its kind to help men with prostate cancer live longer. Today, we’ll find out just how strong the medical evidence is to support that claim. The Seattle … Continue reading “Dendreon Clinical Trial Primer: What You Need to Know About Today’s Provenge Data”
Microsoft Aims to Help Scientists Move Past Excel, Make Sense of Gene Data Overload
Biologists are living in an era of information overload, and Microsoft says it’s making an effort to help them cut through the noise. The Redmond, WA-based software firm is introducing a new program today called Amalga Life Sciences, designed to help lab scientists make sense of the vast reams of genomic data piling up from … Continue reading “Microsoft Aims to Help Scientists Move Past Excel, Make Sense of Gene Data Overload”
Drug Maker Phenomix Lays Off 16 Employees
Phenomix, the privately held San Diego biotech that Luke profiled in February, has laid off 16 employees, according to a spokeswoman for the company. I contacted Phenomix after Xconomy received a tip concerning possible layoffs, and was referred by the company to Pam Lord of the San Diego office of Porter Novelli Life Sciences, who … Continue reading “Drug Maker Phenomix Lays Off 16 Employees”
Amazon Startups Sink, Microsoft Profits Plummet, Sony Scraps with Xbox: Seattle Tech Highlights
There has been lots of activity in the Seattle tech blogosphere (gotta use that word once or twice a year) in the past few days. Some of the most compelling news is about the big local companies and how they’re dealing with major strategic challenges in this economic sandstorm. So far, they have avoided huge … Continue reading “Amazon Startups Sink, Microsoft Profits Plummet, Sony Scraps with Xbox: Seattle Tech Highlights”
Venture Funds Did Badly in 2008—But Maybe Not That Badly
We all know that just about every type of financial performance index for the last year showed a sharp turn downward. This definitely held true for venture capital. The National Venture Capital Association and Thomson Reuters today released Q4 2008 venture capital performance numbers showing that VC funds as a whole—early, balanced, and later stage … Continue reading “Venture Funds Did Badly in 2008—But Maybe Not That Badly”
Obama’s Science and Technology Advisory Council Includes Holdren, Molina, Mundie
President Obama announced today the members of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, in remarks made at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. Some members were announced previously, but this is the first time the full council was presented publicly. Obama cited the distinguished council’s “diversity of experience and views,” … Continue reading “Obama’s Science and Technology Advisory Council Includes Holdren, Molina, Mundie”
Down is the New Up: Two Suggestions for How CEOs Can Cope With the Downturn
For the last six months VCs thought they were really funny whenever they used the phrase “flat is the new up.” This crept into the VC lexicon at the beginning of the current crisis to refer to the small victories investors boasted about when raising capital for their portfolio companies. Actually the reality is quite … Continue reading “Down is the New Up: Two Suggestions for How CEOs Can Cope With the Downturn”
Histogen, Back in Startup Mode, Launches Skin Care Products
Our last installment concerning Histogen ended in a cliffhanger. As I reported in February, Histogen CEO Gail Naughton was scrambling to raise funding after a patent infringement lawsuit was filed against her biotech company by SkinMedica, a rival based in nearby Carlsbad, CA. The lawsuit led a group of angel investors to back away from … Continue reading “Histogen, Back in Startup Mode, Launches Skin Care Products”
OVP Invests $1.5M in Cloud Data Storage Startup, Symform
Seattle-based Symform, a small company that provides data storage and backup in the Internet cloud, is announcing today a $1.5 million Series A financing from OVP Venture Partners in Kirkland, WA. This is the first new investment OVP has announced this year; the firm made six follow-on investments last quarter. Managing directors Mark Ashida and … Continue reading “OVP Invests $1.5M in Cloud Data Storage Startup, Symform”
Qualcomm and Broadcom End Patent War, Ink $891M Settlement and Cross-Licensing Deal
San Diego wireless giant Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) and Irvine, CA-based Broadcom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BRCM]]) said last night they have agreed to end their wide-ranging patent war and enter a broad cross-licensing deal. As part of the global settlement, which terminates litigation in federal court as well as formal disputes before trade commissions in Europe and South … Continue reading “Qualcomm and Broadcom End Patent War, Ink $891M Settlement and Cross-Licensing Deal”
Avila Therapeutics May Have Found “Achilles’ Heel” of Hepatitis C Virus
Avila Therapeutics emerged from stealth mode in December and told Xconomy about its secret sauce to systematically create permanent, covalent bonds with protein disease targets. Now the Waltham, MA-based biotech (pronounced AH-vill-uh) reports that its experimental drug for hepatitis C virus may be able to wipe out multiple variations and mutated forms of the virus. … Continue reading “Avila Therapeutics May Have Found “Achilles’ Heel” of Hepatitis C Virus”
Psylin Neurosciences—-Amylin’s Pysch-Drug Offspring—Nearing First Clinical Trial
There are still great voids in understanding the effects of even approved psychiatric drugs. But there’s no doubt that the business of selling antidepressants and the like can be extremely lucrative. Psylin Neurosciences—a joint venture of San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals and New York drug research firm PsychoGenics—is very much a product of both of those … Continue reading “Psylin Neurosciences—-Amylin’s Pysch-Drug Offspring—Nearing First Clinical Trial”
No Resolution in Amylin’s Talks With Dissident Investors Carl Icahn and Eastbourne Capital, Anadys Sees Promise in Treatment for Hepatitis C, Chumby Makes Moves into Europe, & Other San Diego BizTech News
We saw the proxy battle for control of San Diego’s Amylin Pharmaceuticals heat up last week, amid signs that wireless technology giant Qualcomm is in peace talks to settle a wide-ranging patent dispute with Broadcom, its Southern California chip-making rival. We also got some new insights into venture capital activity in San Diego, and in … Continue reading “No Resolution in Amylin’s Talks With Dissident Investors Carl Icahn and Eastbourne Capital, Anadys Sees Promise in Treatment for Hepatitis C, Chumby Makes Moves into Europe, & Other San Diego BizTech News”
Newspapers Need Less Paper, More Kindle to Survive, Says Madrona’s Tom Alberg
The death spiral of the newspaper industry is one of the big business stories of 2009, right up there with the free fall of the U.S. auto industry. It’s especially close to my heart as someone who learned the journalism trade at newspapers (including The Seattle Times) before taking the online leap. So when Greg … Continue reading “Newspapers Need Less Paper, More Kindle to Survive, Says Madrona’s Tom Alberg”
Cleaner Water Through Biotech? 349Q Kills Water-Borne Microbes with RNAi
“Biotechnology” and “water purification” aren’t usually themes that you hear mentioned in the same sentence. There are plenty of biotech startups aiming to use cutting-edge molecular approaches like RNA interference (RNAi) to develop profitable new drugs—but fewer people, if any, talk about how these technologies might help people in developing countries where safe drinking water … Continue reading “Cleaner Water Through Biotech? 349Q Kills Water-Borne Microbes with RNAi”
Vertex’s Telaprevir Passes Test in Tough-To-Treat Hepatitis C Patients
Vertex’s telaprevir is starting to stand the test of time. The experimental drug for hepatitis C is showing today that it can cure about half of the patients who failed to respond to standard treatments. That’s about triple the cure rate for patients who tried a second round of the existing drugs. The latest findings … Continue reading “Vertex’s Telaprevir Passes Test in Tough-To-Treat Hepatitis C Patients”
Oprah Grabs Some Bacon Salt; Seattle Startup Is Freaking Out
[Updated April 25 with this behind-the-scenes video clip of the Oprah interview] I just got off the phone with Justin Esch of South Seattle-based Bacon Salt. He and fellow founder Dave Lefkow went on The Oprah Winfrey Show this morning, and were in their office watching the 7-8 minute segment, which just aired on the … Continue reading “Oprah Grabs Some Bacon Salt; Seattle Startup Is Freaking Out”
Gov. Gregoire’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund Survives Budget Axe
One of Gov. Chris Gregoire’s prime strategies for economic development was threatened with a death sentence, but it looks like the plan will survive after all, albeit in diminished form. The House compromise budget released online calls for $38 million in funding for the Life Sciences Discovery Fund over the next two-year budget cycle. This … Continue reading “Gov. Gregoire’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund Survives Budget Axe”
How Not to Work for The Man: Jonathan Sposato on Life at Picnik, Microsoft, and Google
Every once in a while, you meet an entrepreneur who rocks your world. I mean, most of them are impressive, but as they say on ESPN, Jonathan Sposato is ridiculous. And so is the rest of his team at Picnik, an online photo-editing startup based near Pike Place Market in Seattle. A lot has been … Continue reading “How Not to Work for The Man: Jonathan Sposato on Life at Picnik, Microsoft, and Google”
Seattle Has Performed CPR on Global Health, Says Famed Doctor Paul Farmer
You know you’re a global health rock star when you can tease the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on its home turf and get away with it. That was what Paul Farmer did last night as the keynote speaker for the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute’s Passport to Global Health fundraiser. Farmer is best known as … Continue reading “Seattle Has Performed CPR on Global Health, Says Famed Doctor Paul Farmer”
Let’s Talk About Tomorrow, People—at Next Week’s Xconomy Biotech Forum
My mental soundtrack the last few weeks has been heavily weighted toward Ziggy Marley’s cheestastic “Tomorrow People,” and I’ll tell you one of the reasons why: I’m getting really excited about our upcoming Xconomy Forum, called Tomorrow’s Biotech—Innovators and Innovations. I’ll confess to not quite getting what Mr. Marley meant by this idea of tomorrow … Continue reading “Let’s Talk About Tomorrow, People—at Next Week’s Xconomy Biotech Forum”
Boston-area Mobile Investments Spike to $215 Million in First Quarter
Investors put $215 million into mobile technology companies in the Boston area in the first quarter of 2009, according to figures released today by Mobile Monday Boston, the local chapter of the global association for mobile professionals. That’s the largest amount raised by the mobile sector in the last five quarters, and it went to … Continue reading “Boston-area Mobile Investments Spike to $215 Million in First Quarter”
Cleantech Venture Investors See Potential Boon in Federal Stimulus Funding
If there was a theme in the first session of the Cleantech Capital Summit that convened in San Diego yesterday, it’s that government spending on cleantech projects in 2009 will easily dwarf whatever investments in “green” deals the VC industry can muster. No surprise there. As we reported over the weekend, total U.S. venture investing … Continue reading “Cleantech Venture Investors See Potential Boon in Federal Stimulus Funding”
Cutting the Cable: It’s Easier Than You Think
In a column published last July, I vacillated publicly about whether it was time to stop paying extortionate rates to my local cable provider, Comcast, for the privilege of watching 17 minutes of commercials with every hour of programming. Well, it took me a while, but in early March I finally cut the cord. I … Continue reading “Cutting the Cable: It’s Easier Than You Think”
Biogen Idec To Show Off MS Drugs at Seattle Neurology Meeting
Biogen Idec is the world’s largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs, and to keep it that way, the company needs to stay on the good side of neurologists. So when a large number of these docs get together for a scientific meeting, it’s time to start wooing. This is at the top of Biogen’s agenda … Continue reading “Biogen Idec To Show Off MS Drugs at Seattle Neurology Meeting”