A pair of migraine drugs made a splash in biotech news this week with published data suggesting that they can reduce the frequency of headaches. These drugs still await an FDA decision, and their impact on patients over the long term are being watched closely. As many as 38 million Americans suffer from migraines, according … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Migraine Data, Cancer Drug Combos, Azar Hearing & More”
Category: National
Will Foundation’s FDA, CMS Nod Help Cancer DNA Tests Break Through?
In what could be an important step forward for the mainstream acceptance of broad cancer genetic tests, a product from Foundation Medicine has simultaneously won FDA approval and gotten a coverage determination from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Now the question is whether the ruling—the first decision of its kind—will help lead to … Continue reading “Will Foundation’s FDA, CMS Nod Help Cancer DNA Tests Break Through?”
Connect Marks 30th Year of Most Innovative New Product Awards
In its yearly celebration of entrepreneurship and invention, San Diego’s Connect gave its Most Innovative New Product Award to 10 local companies at a dinner gala Thursday evening. Speaking in an interview before the late-night ceremony, Connect CEO Greg McKee said the awards highlighted the diversity of innovation in San Diego—from an oxygen mask that … Continue reading “Connect Marks 30th Year of Most Innovative New Product Awards”
Alexa Roundup: Amazon Improves Its Wish Fulfillment Device
From its earliest days, Amazon has built its business on removing the barriers between people and the things they want to buy. New voice computing technologies and business models unveiled at the company’s annual developer conference in Las Vegas this week represent the continuation of that vision. Alexa and the ecosystem of services and skills … Continue reading “Alexa Roundup: Amazon Improves Its Wish Fulfillment Device”
Former GE CEO Immelt Talks Uber, A.I., and a Rejected Bid for Epic
Artificial intelligence holds promise for healthcare in areas like radiology, but it could be tough sledding for businesses selling narrowly focused products to one customer at a time. The winners in this emerging sector will figure out how to integrate A.I. tools into a broader platform that offers clear value for doctors, hospitals, insurers, and … Continue reading “Former GE CEO Immelt Talks Uber, A.I., and a Rejected Bid for Epic”
As GM Gets Self-Driving Buzz, Autonomous Vehicles Navigate Niches
We still live in the early days of autonomous vehicles. We’re toddlers, technologically speaking, and our algorithms are still learning to walk, er, drive. That’s the impression you get from reading the various recaps of an autonomous car test run that General Motors hosted for journalists this week in San Francisco. Wired’s Aarian Marshall noted … Continue reading “As GM Gets Self-Driving Buzz, Autonomous Vehicles Navigate Niches”
Business Leaders: Foxconn Plant Could Benefit WI Startups, Lure VC
Local startup companies could be among the beneficiaries of a 25 million-square-foot manufacturing facility that Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics assembly giant, intends to build in southeastern Wisconsin, according to state economic development officials. Foxconn, which is perhaps best known as a key supplier for Apple (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]) and other device makers, in July announced plans … Continue reading “Business Leaders: Foxconn Plant Could Benefit WI Startups, Lure VC”
Security Firm ReversingLabs Nabs $25M from JPMorgan Chase, Trident
Online threats are mounting, and so are the investments in Boston-area cybersecurity companies. ReversingLabs is one of the latest to raise money—a $25 million Series A round announced Wednesday, led by Trident Capital Cybersecurity and JPMorgan Chase. Cambridge, MA-based ReversingLabs’ software aims to help businesses and government entities detect advanced security threats and respond to … Continue reading “Security Firm ReversingLabs Nabs $25M from JPMorgan Chase, Trident”
Grab Your Ticket for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6
Time is almost up to grab a seat for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech, Xconomy’s newest event that will feature some of the Bay Area’s top life-science leaders. Register today and save $120 with our Procrastinator’s Special while it lasts. This is an event you don’t want to miss this season, and it’s all … Continue reading “Grab Your Ticket for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6”
Genesis Innovation Group’s New $10M Fund Focuses on Later-Stage Deals
Genesis Innovation Group, a Holland, MI-based collective of venture investors focused on early-stage medical device startups, is raising a new $10 million fund called Cultivate(MD) Capital Fund I. Genesis is not the typical venture capital firm. In an interview earlier this year, CEO Rob Ball said it’s a consulting group consisting of accredited private investors … Continue reading “Genesis Innovation Group’s New $10M Fund Focuses on Later-Stage Deals”
“Responsive” Machine Learning Could Lessen Cybersecurity Tradeoffs
In the wake of the Equifax breach and the global WannaCry ransomware outbreak earlier this year, tensions around cybersecurity are running high. According to a recent study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Barkly, seven out of 10 organizations are reporting their security risk has significantly increased during the past 12 months. Only … Continue reading ““Responsive” Machine Learning Could Lessen Cybersecurity Tradeoffs”
With $114M Injection, Semma Continues Quest for Diabetes Cell Therapy
For all the excitement surrounding stem-cell based therapies in the early 2000s, the field still has little to show for it in terms of approved therapies. The many technical challenges of working with stem cells have not, however, deterred Semma Therapeutics, which today announced a whopping $114 million Series B round from a sizable list … Continue reading “With $114M Injection, Semma Continues Quest for Diabetes Cell Therapy”
Drug Prices, Industry Ties Take Spotlight at HHS Nominee Azar Hearing
If Wednesday’s hearing for Health and Human Services Secretary Nominee Alex Azar is any indication, reining in drug prices and insurance premiums are the policy priorities that will guide Congress’s interaction with the department under a new leader. For the better part of the three-hour hearing by the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, … Continue reading “Drug Prices, Industry Ties Take Spotlight at HHS Nominee Azar Hearing”
With Good Data From Rival Migraine Drugs, Doctors Foresee Price Headaches
Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) and Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]) this afternoon are providing the most detailed look yet at two drugs in an emerging class of medicines meant to prevent migraine headaches, rather than just quell their symptoms. While the data for the two drugs, called erenumab (Aimovig, from Amgen and partner Novartis) and fremanezumab (from … Continue reading “With Good Data From Rival Migraine Drugs, Doctors Foresee Price Headaches”
CFO: Exact in ‘Investment Mode,’ Seeks to Advance New Cancer Tests
Shares in Exact Sciences have more than quadrupled in 2017, and the stock’s impressive run has led some analysts to question whether it’s a smart buy at the current price. But Jeff Elliott, Exact’s chief financial officer, says he believes his company is poised for continued growth as it adds laboratory space and works to … Continue reading “CFO: Exact in ‘Investment Mode,’ Seeks to Advance New Cancer Tests”
Pwnie Express Wrangles $8M, Names Board Member DeSisto CEO
[Updated 11/29/17, 4:56 pm. See below.] Pwnie Express, a Boston cybersecurity company that helps businesses detect rogue devices on their networks, has pulled in more venture capital and appointed a new CEO. Pwnie (pronounced “pony”) announced Wednesday it received an $8 million investment and named board member Todd DeSisto as its chief executive. DeSisto takes … Continue reading “Pwnie Express Wrangles $8M, Names Board Member DeSisto CEO”
Microsoft Stays Home, Plans Remodel to Urbanize Headquarters Campus
The Seattle area’s twin technology behemoths—Microsoft and Amazon—have pursued markedly different real estate strategies over the years, driven in part by the changing character of the region as they’ve grown. That divergence was underscored Tuesday by Microsoft’s announcement of a major redevelopment and expansion of its headquarters campus in Redmond, about 16 miles east of … Continue reading “Microsoft Stays Home, Plans Remodel to Urbanize Headquarters Campus”
Medicines Co. Sells Infectious Disease Drugs, Focusing on PCSK9
The Medicines Co. has sold a group of three infectious disease drugs to Melinta Therapeutics for $215 million in cash and $55 million in stock, as well as future royalty payments on the three drugs, which are already on the market. The deal is an effort by Parsippany, NJ-based Medicines Co. (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]) to get … Continue reading “Medicines Co. Sells Infectious Disease Drugs, Focusing on PCSK9”
Hoppy Holidays: HopDrop to Begin Delivering Craft Beer to Doorsteps
Houston—Joining the swelling ranks of booze delivery companies nationwide is HopDrop, which begins a beta launch Friday. The Houston-based startup’s focus is connecting customers with local craft breweries, delivering suds to certain Houston zip codes upon request, within an hour. “Our niche is that the beer we have, you can’t get in a supermarket,” says … Continue reading “Hoppy Holidays: HopDrop to Begin Delivering Craft Beer to Doorsteps”
Saver Rate Ending—Grab Your Ticket to What’s Hot in Cybersecurity
Next week Xconomy will host our second cybersecurity conference, “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity”—and we’re offering you a chance to save $145 if you register now. The afternoon conference features spotlight talks, fireside chats, and panel discussions that will address how top names in cybersecurity are working to advance the field. It all takes place on … Continue reading “Saver Rate Ending—Grab Your Ticket to What’s Hot in Cybersecurity”
Healthcare + A.I. Northwest: The Photos
Xconomy convened an outstanding group of innovators in healthcare and artificial intelligence for a half-day conference in Seattle earlier this month. As testament to the excitement around this topic, our event was sold-out with a lengthy waiting list. Those who made it in the door of Cambia Grove, our event host, were rewarded with a wide-angle … Continue reading “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest: The Photos”
VCs Put More Dollars Into Exosomes as Codiak Bio Lands $76M
Codiak BioSciences, the startup run by former Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) research chief Doug Williams, has rung up its third big round of cash in two years. The Cambridge, MA, company has closed a $76.5 million Series C round from a large group of investors, among them founding backers Flagship Pioneering and Arch Venture Partners, and … Continue reading “VCs Put More Dollars Into Exosomes as Codiak Bio Lands $76M”
R.I.P. TechShop: Makerspace Closes All U.S. Locations Due to Bankruptcy
On Oct. 30, I received the usual weekly email from TechShop, the makerspace just outside of Detroit in Allen Park, MI, informing me of upcoming events and membership deals. Just two weeks later, an email from TechShop CEO Dan Woods hit my inbox announcing that all 10 wholly owned locations in the U.S. would shut … Continue reading “R.I.P. TechShop: Makerspace Closes All U.S. Locations Due to Bankruptcy”
Joining Trend, WI Creates New Business Entity: Benefit Corporations
On Monday, Wisconsin enacted legislation allowing companies to incorporate as benefit corporations. Although this may sound like routine, small-time legislative business, it is just as significant as major policy initiatives being debated in the halls of Congress. On issues from net neutrality to workers’ rights, corporations are perceived to—and often do—engage in practices that maximize … Continue reading “Joining Trend, WI Creates New Business Entity: Benefit Corporations”
Boston Tech Watch: Casa IPO Plan, Rapid7 HQ, Optimus Deal & More
[Updated 11/29/17, 1:33 pm. See below.] Now that everyone has sufficiently recovered from their turkey comas, it’s time to catch up on some recent headlines from the Boston-area tech scene: —Casa Systems could be the area’s second tech IPO of 2017, if it follows through on plans disclosed in a recent SEC filing. The Andover, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Casa IPO Plan, Rapid7 HQ, Optimus Deal & More”
Prognos Adds $20.5M for A.I. That Aims to Diagnose Diseases Earlier
This year, money has been funneling into companies that apply artificial intelligence to healthcare, from diagnostics to speech recognition software. The latest recipient is New York-based Prognos, which says it just closed a $20.5 million Series C round from a group of prominent insurers, drug makers, and venture capital investors. Prognos’s A.I.-related software aims to … Continue reading “Prognos Adds $20.5M for A.I. That Aims to Diagnose Diseases Earlier”
Chemo Tops Pfizer, Merck KGaA Drug in Big Stomach Cancer Test
Pfizer and Merck KGaA’s bid to have a stomach cancer treatment that could leapfrog rival immunotherapies has fallen short. The companies announced Tuesday that a Phase 3 study testing avelumab (Bavencio) didn’t do better than chemotherapy at extending the lives of patients with gastric cancer. The drug was given to patients whose cancer could not … Continue reading “Chemo Tops Pfizer, Merck KGaA Drug in Big Stomach Cancer Test”
As Automation Disrupts Everything, Michigan Must Seize Opportunity
Detroit is buzzing again. Optimism about the city’s future is high. Unemployment in the state of Michigan is under 4 percent, approaching 20-year lows, and is lower than the national average. There’s lots to be excited about, and I share that excitement 100 percent. In fact, it’s part of the reason why I recently moved … Continue reading “As Automation Disrupts Everything, Michigan Must Seize Opportunity”
Selocial Allows Fans and Bands to Discover, Publicize Indie Music
David “Stock” Baird is a songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur who spends a lot of time thinking of new and better ways for independent musicians to get paid for their work. He found a way to connect his passions by creating Selocial, a social network and music discovery tool that went live earlier this month. It … Continue reading “Selocial Allows Fans and Bands to Discover, Publicize Indie Music”
BetterLesson Collects $10M to Push Teacher Development Software
As more K-12 schools adopt technologies meant to help deliver an education customized to each student, the methods for coaching teachers are becoming more digital and personalized, too. The latest sign comes from BetterLesson, a Cambridge, MA-based edtech company that today announced it raised a $10 million Series B funding round to expand the use … Continue reading “BetterLesson Collects $10M to Push Teacher Development Software”
Eyeing Phase 2 Study of CNS Drug, Promentis CEO Plots Path Forward
Promentis Pharmaceuticals has for years publicly discussed its goal of commercializing a drug that uses a particular brain chemistry-regulating mechanism to treat central nervous system disorders. But it wasn’t until last week that the Milwaukee-based biotech revealed that the first clinical trial of its lead drug compound is aimed at treating trichotillomania, a chronic condition … Continue reading “Eyeing Phase 2 Study of CNS Drug, Promentis CEO Plots Path Forward”
Marlin Equity Partners to Acquire Austin-based Bazaarvoice for $521M
Austin—Software maker Bazaarvoice (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BV]]) is being sold to Marlin Equity Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, in a deal valued at more than $500 million. As part of the acquisition, Austin, TX-based Bazaarvoice, which makes software for online and social media marketing, will go back to being a private company. The transaction is … Continue reading “Marlin Equity Partners to Acquire Austin-based Bazaarvoice for $521M”
Agenda Posted for Xconomy’s What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6
Next month, Xconomy will convene an elite group of biotech executives, researchers, and investors from the San Francisco Bay Area to discuss how they are building new organizations and bringing new projects and products forward to address major healthcare challenges. We have a full roster of speakers for the Dec. 6 event. The full agenda … Continue reading “Agenda Posted for Xconomy’s What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6”
As AMD Race Tightens, Regeneron’s Second Eye Drug Combo Falls Short
Another attempt to use a combination of drugs to improve upon the current treatments for age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly, has failed. The news is a setback for Tarrytown, NY-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:REGN]]), which is trying to fend off the competition for its most successful drug, a … Continue reading “As AMD Race Tightens, Regeneron’s Second Eye Drug Combo Falls Short”
Xconomy’s Diversity Award Winners Show How to Foster an Inclusive Workforce
How did Joan Reede, Harvard Medical School’s head of diversity, decide to pursue a medical career? Credit television. As a young girl, Reede says she was interested in nursing. Her aunt was a nurse and she thought nursing was a woman’s job. But while in junior high, she stumbled upon the popular 1960s TV medical … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Diversity Award Winners Show How to Foster an Inclusive Workforce”
After Successful Pilot, Apprenti Expands Tech Training Program
Those of us who keep tabs on the tech world hear a lot about the challenges of hiring and retaining IT talent. According to a forecast by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1.3 million new computer programming and computer support specialist jobs will be created across the country by 2022, and as businesses … Continue reading “After Successful Pilot, Apprenti Expands Tech Training Program”
ClimaCell Bags $15M to Predict Weather from Wireless Network Signals
Local meteorologists might avoid being the butt of so many jokes, if the latest crop of weather technology startups have their way. A number of young companies are trying to improve the methods for tracking and predicting the weather. Some are tackling the problem from space, like Spire Global, whose network of small satellites gather … Continue reading “ClimaCell Bags $15M to Predict Weather from Wireless Network Signals”
Health IT Firm Cariloop Expands to Include Wider Group of Caregivers
Dallas—A little over a year ago, Michael Walsh rethought his assumptions in using technology to disrupt the eldercare market. He switched the objective of his company, Cariloop, from connecting seniors to appropriate care centers—using analytics software to make the match—to focusing on the family members around them who were navigating a new process figuring out … Continue reading “Health IT Firm Cariloop Expands to Include Wider Group of Caregivers”
Keyo’s Identity Verification Tools Highlight Latest Gener8tor Class
Smartphone makers like Apple, Google, and Samsung have in recent years introduced services allowing users to pay for coffee, food, and other items using their mobile devices. But several upstart companies, including Chicago-based Keyo, are betting that consumers will ultimately gravitate toward technologies that allow them to make purchases without having to take their wallets … Continue reading “Keyo’s Identity Verification Tools Highlight Latest Gener8tor Class”
Cytokinetics Pivots to Another ALS Drug After Phase 3 Failure
Cytokinetics’ bid to offer a new drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was dealt a setback after the company’s lead experimental treatment for the disease failed in a late-stage clinical trial. The results mean the end for tirasemtiv, one of the drugs furthest along in clinical development for the muscle-weakening condition also known as Lou … Continue reading “Cytokinetics Pivots to Another ALS Drug After Phase 3 Failure”
Cardiovate Adds $650K for Device Aiming to Replace Clogged Arteries
San Antonio — Medical device maker Cardiovate has closed a $1 million seed round of funding from an existing group of investors to help it begin a year-long animal study on a scaffold that the company believes can regenerate vascular tissue—which is especially useful for repairing blocked arteries. Founded in 2012 by a student and … Continue reading “Cardiovate Adds $650K for Device Aiming to Replace Clogged Arteries”
Two Weeks Til What’s Hot in Cybersecurity: Startups Can Win Tickets!
We are only two weeks away from “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity”—and we’re offering you a chance to save $145 on regular registration. Join us for an afternoon of spotlight talks, fireside chats, and panel discussions that will delve into a variety of cutting-edge cybersecurity topics. It all takes place on Tuesday, December 5, at WGBH’s … Continue reading “Two Weeks Til What’s Hot in Cybersecurity: Startups Can Win Tickets!”
Genomenon Creates Automated, Evidence-Based Cancer Gene Panel
Genomenon, a University of Michigan spinout developing analytics and data visualization software for the genomics industry, last week announced it has created an evidence-based cancer gene panel using automated machine learning techniques. Gene panels are used by clinicians to analyze mutations in patient samples. Genomenon’s panel was produced using its software tool, the Mastermind Genomic … Continue reading “Genomenon Creates Automated, Evidence-Based Cancer Gene Panel”
Promentis, Stem Cells, Foxconn, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
A recently launched clinical study, highway lanes for autonomous vehicles, and a ruling in an intellectual property-focused court case are among these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —Promentis Pharmaceuticals, a Milwaukee-based developer of drugs designed to modify brain chemistry to treat central nervous system disorders, said it has started a Phase 1 clinical study … Continue reading “Promentis, Stem Cells, Foxconn, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
What Steps Should NY Biotech Take in 2018? Share Your View on Dec. 11
Change takes time. Particularly in the life sciences, where a single drug’s journey from idea to market can consist of more than a decade of small, yet critical steps. For New York, then, aspirations to become a region known for its biotech industry are—and always have been—a long game in which every year and bit … Continue reading “What Steps Should NY Biotech Take in 2018? Share Your View on Dec. 11”
Acorda Scraps One Parkinson’s Drug, Puts Its Cash Behind Another
Acorda Therapeutics said Monday that it will stop work on an experimental treatment for Parkinson’s disease, spelling the end for a drug the Ardsley, NY, company added to its pipeline last year in a $363 million deal. The announcement follows the recent emergence of safety problems for the Acorda (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACOR]]) drug, tozadenant. Acorda said … Continue reading “Acorda Scraps One Parkinson’s Drug, Puts Its Cash Behind Another”
Locus Robotics Gets $25M to Help Warehouse Owners Compete With Amazon
As we head into holiday shopping season, here’s some news on the e-commerce warehouse front. Locus Robotics, based in Wilmington, MA, says it has secured $25 million in Series B funding led by Scale Venture Partners. The new money brings Locus Robotics’ total venture haul to at least $33 million. Founded in 2015, Locus Robotics makes … Continue reading “Locus Robotics Gets $25M to Help Warehouse Owners Compete With Amazon”
Lacking Details, Roche Touts Drug Combo’s Success in Lung Cancer
[Corrected 10:15 a.m., 11/20/17. See below.] Roche’s Genentech division reported this morning that its cancer immunotherapy drug, atezolizumab (Tecentriq), has succeeded in a clinical study that could help change the standard of care for people with a certain type of lung cancer. The South San Francisco, CA-based Genentech said late Sunday night that in a … Continue reading “Lacking Details, Roche Touts Drug Combo’s Success in Lung Cancer”
Ed Kaye on Sarepta’s Duchenne Quest, Rising to CEO & His New Startup
[Updated, 2:45 pm ET, see below] Ed Kaye never thought he’d run a biotech —until waking up one day in 2015 realizing not only that he could, but that Sarepta Therapeutics, where he was chief medical officer at the time, may fall apart if he didn’t. In March 2015, Kaye (pictured) was one of many … Continue reading “Ed Kaye on Sarepta’s Duchenne Quest, Rising to CEO & His New Startup”
Cengage Defends Value of Digital Course Materials Amid Print Decline
Textbook publishers are making progress on shifting their businesses from print to mostly digital products. Now comes the hard part: figuring out how to reverse revenue declines when your business is built on digital course offerings that are generally much cheaper than books. Take Cengage, one of the largest education publishers. Digital products now comprise … Continue reading “Cengage Defends Value of Digital Course Materials Amid Print Decline”