Another biopharma executive went before Congress to explain drug price hikes. Unlike Martin Shkreli, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch actually answered questions. Taking heat over the EpiPen scandal, she tried to stick to her script, getting testy when legislators brought up a USA Today story about her mother helping market the life-saving anti-allergy injection to schools. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Mylan Grilled, Duchenne Kids Thrilled, Zuck-Chan & More”
Category: Raleigh-Durham
Agtech Sprouts From North Carolina’s Fertile Ground: A Company Map
Tobacco is still king in North Carolina, the top crop in the nation’s largest tobacco-producing state. But these days, North Carolina tobacco means more than cigarettes. Medicago’s facility in Durham, NC, for example, manufactures vaccines from tobacco plants. And a startup called SynShark has set up a Cornelius, NC, research site where it is testing … Continue reading “Agtech Sprouts From North Carolina’s Fertile Ground: A Company Map”
Soil Health Institute Plants Roots in RTP’s Growing Agtech Hub
Farmers have tinkered with soil for thousands of years, using fertilizers to add nutrients and amendments to adjust its acidity. But soil is more complex than that, says Wayne Honeycutt, CEO of the Soil Health Institute in Research Triangle Park, NC. Science is just scratching the surface of understanding soil’s biological components, the billions of … Continue reading “Soil Health Institute Plants Roots in RTP’s Growing Agtech Hub”
Announcing Xconomy’s Agtech and Food Channel
A core tenet of Xconomy—and the reason behind our broad coverage across information technology, life sciences, energy, and more—is that the most interesting and important innovations often arise from the intersection of different disciplines. One of the most important intersections today is between agriculture, the life sciences, and information technology—as evidenced by the growing field … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy’s Agtech and Food Channel”
Novan Obtains $45,100,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=837ee60b-851e-4586-bc7e-30162ab09d36 Date 9/21/2016 Company Name Novan Mailing Address 4222 Emperor Boulevard Durham, NC 27703 USA Company Description Novan, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVN) is a pharmaceutical company focused on redefining the standard of care in dermatology through the development and commercialization of innovative therapies using the Company’s nitric oxide platform. Website http://www.novantherapeutics.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Novan Obtains $45,100,000 New Funding”
Pharmaceutical Price Controls Might Be Closer Than You Think
Amid the hue and cry over the Mylan EpiPen pricing debacle, Hillary Clinton unveiled her “Plan to Respond to Unjustified Price Hikes for Long-Available Drugs.” Clinton’s plan calls for “dedicated oversight to protect consumers.” To that end she would “convene representatives of federal agencies…to create a dedicated group charged with protecting consumers from outlier price … Continue reading “Pharmaceutical Price Controls Might Be Closer Than You Think”
6fusion Obtains $500,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3d332d36-9ac4-41ed-b7d9-44816356b20b Date 9/20/2016 Company Name 6fusion Mailing Address 1730 Varsity Dr. Raleigh, NC 27606 USA Company Description 6fusion leverages the unprecedented insights gained from IT infrastructure metering to help you understand what the data is telling you and how you can use the data to improve your cost structure, infrastructure efficiency and … Continue reading “6fusion Obtains $500,000 New Funding Round”
Workforce Trends, Economy, & More: Q&A With Alexandria’s Joel Marcus
Think “innovation” and you might picture some scrappy entrepreneurs toiling away in a kitchen or garage, hoping the landlord doesn’t notice what they’re up to. But the reality is that turning science into big business often requires far more sophisticated infrastructure—and the landlord who provides that infrastructure sometimes has one of the best windows into … Continue reading “Workforce Trends, Economy, & More: Q&A With Alexandria’s Joel Marcus”
Biotech Roundup: CRISPR’s 3rd IPO, Gender Diversity, Buyouts & More
Across the nation, and even looking back into the past, health was in the headlines this week. Our presidential candidates were either recovering from pneumonia or talking up their health records. New documents came to light that showed the sugar industry paid for studies downplaying the ties between sugar and heart disease. And the drug-price … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: CRISPR’s 3rd IPO, Gender Diversity, Buyouts & More”
What Startups Can Do About Cyber Attacks
A cybersecurity report by Ponemon Institute, in association with Keeper Security, found that in the 12 months leading up to June 2016, 55 percent of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) experienced a cyber attack, while 50 percent encountered data breaches involving customer and employee information. These statistics belie the common notion that cybercriminals attack only … Continue reading “What Startups Can Do About Cyber Attacks”
How to Teach Computational Thinking
Computational thinking is going to be a defining feature of the future—and it’s an incredibly important thing to be teaching to kids today. There’s always lots of discussion (and concern) about how to teach traditional mathematical thinking to kids. But looking to the future, this pales in comparison to the importance of teaching computational thinking. … Continue reading “How to Teach Computational Thinking”
Aerie Shares Rocket As Glaucoma Drug Hits Mark in Phase 3
For people dealing with the creeping blindness of glaucoma, the most effective treatments are eye drops called prostaglandin analogues, or PGAs. They’re not a cure, but taken chronically, they’re the best way to slow the progression of the disease, which is why they’ve been the standard of care for glaucoma for more than two decades. … Continue reading “Aerie Shares Rocket As Glaucoma Drug Hits Mark in Phase 3”
Fund Worth Up To $100M Seeks to Increase Diversity in Tech Workforce
A first-of-its-kind fund has launched with the mission to increase diversity in the tech industry by removing financial barriers and increasing access to tech education for anyone interested in pursuing it. The Tech Opportunity Fund is a partnership between the Iron Yard and Code Fellows, which offer tech training, and the financial literacy organization Operation … Continue reading “Fund Worth Up To $100M Seeks to Increase Diversity in Tech Workforce”
Phononic Devices Lands $30,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5e6db8b4-e9ee-4264-986b-c90a09ad3b3f Date 9/13/2016 Company Name Phononic Devices Mailing Address 800 Capitola Drive Durham, NC 27713 USA Company Description Phononic Devices is commercializing advanced thermoelectric materials and device concepts exclusively licensed from the University of Oklahoma designed to dramatically improve the efficiency of heat-to-electric energy conversion, and conversely, efficient use of electricity for … Continue reading “Phononic Devices Lands $30,000,000 New Funding”
How We Won $50,000 in SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Contest
Recently, the student accelerator program mystartupXX, a joint program of UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management and the Jacobs School of Engineering, won a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Growth Accelerator Fund Competition winner. We were one of 68 winners announced Aug. 31 in the nationwide contest. This was … Continue reading “How We Won $50,000 in SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Contest”
Bio Roundup: Cancer Wishes and Shopping Lists, Allergan Pricing & More
[Corrected, 9/12/16, 4:28 p.m. See below.] What do cancer experts want? The moon, perhaps. As part of the Obama administration’s “cancer moonshot” program, a panel of scientists this week presented a set of broad, ambitious recommendations to speed up the pace of cancer research, treatment, and prevention. The scientific goals, writ large, included nationwide data … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Cancer Wishes and Shopping Lists, Allergan Pricing & More”
Tyler Jacks, Cancer Moonshot Panel Co-Chair, Discusses Roadmap
The Obama administration wants to speed up cancer research with its “Cancer Moonshot” program—packing 10 years’ worth of work on prevention and treatment programs into five is one of its rallying cries. Agreeing on what to do, and how to do it, is the first step. The FDA agreed this summer to reorganize the way … Continue reading “Tyler Jacks, Cancer Moonshot Panel Co-Chair, Discusses Roadmap”
The Power of Polymers
Throughout history, innovative humans have developed technology to overcome or adapt to challenges in the natural world. As it turns out, some of our most important advances were actually inspired by a naturally occurring group of materials: polymers. Derived from Greek words meaning “many parts,” the word polymer refers to a large molecule composed of … Continue reading “The Power of Polymers”
Immunotherapy Clinical Tests Spur Hope, and Plenty of Headaches
Thanks to remarkable results in a small group of patients, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, cancer immunotherapy has spurred talk of once impossible-to-imagine cures and has gained its share, perhaps more than its share, of hype. But immunotherapy is also creating new challenges and exacerbating old ones for doctors, patients, and researchers. These new … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Clinical Tests Spur Hope, and Plenty of Headaches”
Allergan Dips Toes into Gene Therapy With $60M Retrosense Buy
The attempt to commercialize gene therapy has been a multi-decade roller coaster, but its current upswing continues. Today Allergan, a company best known for skin and eye care products, has acquired a startup developing gene therapies for a range of eye diseases. The deal is pocket change for a company that brought in over $4 … Continue reading “Allergan Dips Toes into Gene Therapy With $60M Retrosense Buy”
Overcoming the Cybersecurity Skills Gap
For several years now, the “cybersecurity skills gap” has been a top challenge for organizations. The statistics are well-vetted, and they tell a clear story: —There are many unfilled security jobs: The industry is facing 1.5 million unfilled IT security jobs globally by 2020. —The hiring problem is getting harder to figure out: Ninety-two percent of businesses say it’s … Continue reading “Overcoming the Cybersecurity Skills Gap”
Qualcomm and AT&T Partner to Use Wireless Network for Drone Flights
After signaling that it plans to operate drones via cellular technologies, San Diego-based Qualcomm says today it is working with AT&T to use commercial wireless networks for test flights beyond an operator’s visual line of sight. Qualcomm said in April it had received FAA authorization to operate drones in restricted airspace around its San Diego … Continue reading “Qualcomm and AT&T Partner to Use Wireless Network for Drone Flights”
Bio Roundup: RIP Roger Tsien, Novartis CAR-T Wheel, Zika News & More
A man who helped shed light—fluorescent light—on biology died far too early, at the age of 64. Nobel Prize winner Roger Tsien, a UC San Diego chemist, passed away in Oregon this week. No cause of death has been announced. He helped turn a jellyfish protein into an invaluable lab tool that every researcher knows … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: RIP Roger Tsien, Novartis CAR-T Wheel, Zika News & More”
Four Ways to Stay Safe While Using Public Wi-Fi
No matter how hard we try to unplug on vacation, most of us simply don’t—or can’t—disconnect. The availability of free Wi-Fi is sometimes too hard to resist. While we’re in a carefree state of mind, it’s especially easy to bend the rules. Even when using Wi-Fi at a familiar business, you could be putting your … Continue reading “Four Ways to Stay Safe While Using Public Wi-Fi”
The XX Factor: Fixing Biotech’s Gender Imbalance in the C-Suite
Women continue to be vastly under-represented in management and executive-level positions throughout the life science industry—an inequity that came into the spotlight earlier this year when a biotech consulting firm hired female models to improve the male-female ratio at its convention after-party. The catalyzing event sparked a much-needed debate into a serious challenge that has … Continue reading “The XX Factor: Fixing Biotech’s Gender Imbalance in the C-Suite”
Bio Roundup: Mylan’s Shock, Hillary’s 3%, Duchenne Lessons & More
It was the tweet heard around the biotech world, again. Mylan bumped up the price of the EpiPen 400 percent, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton responded with a tirade against drug price hikes, and—much like when Clinton railed against drug pricing last year—biotech indexes promptly plummeted more than 3 percent. Last year, Clinton’s target was Martin … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Mylan’s Shock, Hillary’s 3%, Duchenne Lessons & More”
Duchenne Lessons: Advocates For Rare Spinal Disease Have Eyes on FDA
[Updated, 1:09 pm ET, see below] Heather and Jessica Tomko will tell you that they’re nothing alike. They’ve got different interests, different tastes in movies, television, and music. If Jessica hates a gift, Heather probably loves it. Heather just scored tickets to see the Broadway show Hamilton and can’t wait. Jessica sighs. “You can’t get … Continue reading “Duchenne Lessons: Advocates For Rare Spinal Disease Have Eyes on FDA”
Novan Files for IPO to Finance ‘Nitric Oxide on Demand’ Skin Drugs
Novan, a company researching ways to harness nitric oxide for drugmaking, has filed for an initial public offering to fund clinical work on treatments for an array of skin conditions. Durham, NC-based Novan set a preliminary target of $60 million for the IPO, a figure that may change as the company works through how many … Continue reading “Novan Files for IPO to Finance ‘Nitric Oxide on Demand’ Skin Drugs”
Who’s to Blame for Inflated Health Insurance Costs?
How often would you go to the doctor if you had to pay for a big chunk out of pocket—or how about if it was completely free? The amount of health care we consume depends on how good our health insurance is. Now, two economists, David Powell and Dana Goldman, have looked at what factors … Continue reading “Who’s to Blame for Inflated Health Insurance Costs?”
Blue Gas Marine Charts Course to Disrupt Boating Fuels Market
Drivers complain about the ups and downs of gasoline prices, but they’ve got nothing on boaters. Marine fuel costs more, and boats burn through a lot more of it. While motorists measure their fuel efficiency in miles per gallon, boaters tally gas consumption in gallons per hour. “It takes $200 worth of fuel just for … Continue reading “Blue Gas Marine Charts Course to Disrupt Boating Fuels Market”
In Wake Of Infamous Biotech Party, 20 Women Join New Exec Training
[Updated 8/24/16, 1 a.m. See below.] A new program to prepare high-ranking women in the biotech industry for corporate board seats has unveiled its first class of 20. In other circumstances the five-day workshop, scheduled this fall at George Washington University in the nation’s capital, might go unnoticed among the sea of executive training programs … Continue reading “In Wake Of Infamous Biotech Party, 20 Women Join New Exec Training”
Why Resilient Teams Are More Important Than Big Ideas
How important is having a “big idea” for startups? Ideas can generate a lot of buzz and capture attention from investors and potential customers, but long-term success really depends on the capabilities of the team. It’s often said that investors typically look for an “A” team with a “B” idea rather than a “B” team … Continue reading “Why Resilient Teams Are More Important Than Big Ideas”
How a War on Climate Change Could Restore Economic Growth in America
What’s the biggest, scariest threat facing the United States right now? I know for sure that it’s not immigration, free trade, or “radical Islamic terrorism.” And I’m going to resist the easy answer that it’s Donald Trump. But I have a hard time deciding which of these two very real challenges is more urgent: a) … Continue reading “How a War on Climate Change Could Restore Economic Growth in America”
Intelligence + Maturity = Better Leaders
There are plenty of smart executives in the world, but they often make poor leaders. That’s because it takes both intelligence and maturity to excel at leadership. And when I say maturity, I don’t necessarily mean age, although generally more life experience is helpful. Maturity is the ability to manage oneself in challenging situations and to … Continue reading “Intelligence + Maturity = Better Leaders”
Bio Roundup: FDA Says No, PCSK9 Value Fight, CRISPR Intrigue & More
When the Olympics roll around, many watchers get into a sport they previously hadn’t thought much about. This time for me, it’s volleyball. The men’s and women’s games, both indoor and beach versions, are fast, aggressive, with lightning-quick adjustments and subtle teamwork required every time a ball is dug out and popped in the air. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: FDA Says No, PCSK9 Value Fight, CRISPR Intrigue & More”
Pharma’s Productivity Problem: Finding More Blockbuster Drugs
A recent Wall Street Journal article that raised the possibility of Biogen as the target of another huge pharma buyout cited the lack of productivity as a major driver of M&A in the pharmaceutical industry. The authors made the point that, given the size of companies today, a single garden-variety blockbuster hardly moves the needle. … Continue reading “Pharma’s Productivity Problem: Finding More Blockbuster Drugs”
Xylem Moves Into Smart Metering Business with $1.7B Sensus Deal
Water technology company Xylem is getting into the business of real-time monitoring of water and energy consumption through a $1.7 billion deal to acquire smart meter company Sensus. Rye Brook, NY-based Xylem (NYSE: [[ticker:XYL]]) announced the agreement—an all cash deal—this morning. Sensus, based in Raleigh, NC, sells to utilities hardware and software used for so-called … Continue reading “Xylem Moves Into Smart Metering Business with $1.7B Sensus Deal”
Metabolon Obtains $15,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7abe0e25-d91a-4ada-b50e-6aa74bf4d41c Date 8/15/2016 Company Name Metabolon Mailing Address 617 Davis Dr. Durham, NC 27713 USA Company Description Metabolon has quickly become a leader in the discovery of biomarkers using metabolomics. Located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Metabolon is based in a biotechnology epicenter. Website http://www.metabolon.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Metabolon Obtains $15,000,000 New Financing Round”
Bio Roundup: Precision Med and Google, Heron, Lilly, Sarepta & More
The wait continues. An FDA ruling on a Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug from Sarepta Therapeutics—which could be the first ever approved for the disease—has been imminent for a while now, yet Labor Day is fast approaching and still the saga drags on. Speculation abounds, from analysts and pundits, each giving different opinions as to whether … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Precision Med and Google, Heron, Lilly, Sarepta & More”
Metabolon Nabs $15M from Essex Woodlands for Precision Medicine Push
Metabolon, a company that makes diagnostics tests that analyze the biochemical processes related to metabolism, has raised $15 million in new funding from healthcare investment firm Essex Woodlands to advance its precision medicine efforts. Research Triangle Park, NC-based Metabolon specializes in metabolomics, the study of substances related to the body’s metabolism. With the new funding, … Continue reading “Metabolon Nabs $15M from Essex Woodlands for Precision Medicine Push”
Productivity in Your Pocket
The app that you use is the one in your pocket. Today, larger mobile screens and touch interfaces are allowing people to do real work—not just e-mail—with the computer they have, wherever they are. It started with the Blackberry in the early 2000s. Like a dream, or a nightmare, e-mail—which is still the go-to work … Continue reading “Productivity in Your Pocket”
As U.S. Looks to Launch Precision Health Study, Google’s Role Emerges
The U.S. government has ambitious plans for a long-term health study with one million Americans, and one of the world’s most powerful tech companies has a big part to play, including the storage of all the data on its “cloud” servers. Google’s parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) and its wholly owned biotech R&D group, Verily … Continue reading “As U.S. Looks to Launch Precision Health Study, Google’s Role Emerges”
How Will Apple Innovate Beyond the iPhone 7? With Next-Gen Siri
Apple’s iPhone 7 is due out next month. According to the Wall Street Journal, PFWTMs (“people familiar with the matter”) say the new device will look pretty much the same as the iPhone 6s. The biggest change: no more headphone plug. Customers who want to listen to music or podcasts on their iPhones will need … Continue reading “How Will Apple Innovate Beyond the iPhone 7? With Next-Gen Siri”
California Agency Awards Humacyte $9.9M for Blood Vessel Technology
Humacyte hopes its regenerative medicine approach to blood vessels can offer a better and longer-lasting alternative to synthetic implants used to replace blocked veins. Now it has $9.9 million more to support its work in late-stage clinical trials. The Durham, NC-based biotech company said Monday that it has received $9.9 million from the California Institute … Continue reading “California Agency Awards Humacyte $9.9M for Blood Vessel Technology”
Biotech Roundup: Biogen Rumors, Theranos, Electro-Drugs & More
Biogen was once again all over the biotech newswire this week. First came a positive surprise; data that could set the stage for the first-ever drug approved for spinal muscular atrophy, a rare and debilitating muscle disease. Then came the rumor mill: Companies may or may not be approaching Biogen about a sale, and Biogen … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Biogen Rumors, Theranos, Electro-Drugs & More”
Why Teenagers Make Great Entrepreneurs
What is the ideal age to start a company? It’s a question that often circulates in the business press and on tech blogs. Entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have weighed in from time to time and their answers tend to fall into two camps. The first group advocates for the 20s as the optimal time. That’s … Continue reading “Why Teenagers Make Great Entrepreneurs”
Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash
In May and June, the financial industries that serve low-income Americans began to change in big ways. First, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed new rules for payday lenders. The first banned lenders from withdrawing money directly from their customers’ bank accounts, while the second restricted their ability to lend by imposing credit limits. Then … Continue reading “Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash”
Shire Steps Back in Hemophilia Gene Therapy Race, Scraps Baxalta Drug
When Shire bought Baxalta earlier this year, one of the programs it inherited was a treatment that, at one point, was the leader in an emerging race to treat hemophilia with gene therapy. Competition has changed the landscape significantly, however, and now Shire has tossed that program onto the scrap heap. On a conference call … Continue reading “Shire Steps Back in Hemophilia Gene Therapy Race, Scraps Baxalta Drug”
Look Beyond Football to Fight Concussions
The New York Times reported last week that the NFL and USA Football had publicized inaccurate statistics about the efficacy of a training program called Heads Up Football in preventing concussions in youth football players. Officials at USA Football had to concede that they did not review the data from the study carefully and did not … Continue reading “Look Beyond Football to Fight Concussions”
More Gene Therapy Momentum as Startup Avrobio Grabs $25M From Atlas, SV
Gene therapy developers are on bit of a roll. Last week saw the release of promising data on gene therapies for hemophilia and the acquisition by Pfizer of a startup dedicated to the technology. And now another recently launched company, Avrobio, just grabbed a $25 million round of funding. The Cambridge, MA-based company was formally … Continue reading “More Gene Therapy Momentum as Startup Avrobio Grabs $25M From Atlas, SV”