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”
Category: Raleigh-Durham
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”
LabCorp CEO David King to Retire, Adam Schechter Named Successor
David King, president and CEO of LabCorp (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]) since 2007, is retiring. The Burlington, NC-based diagnostics and laboratory testing company said that after King retires on Oct. 31, he will become executive director of the company’s board of directors. LabCorp’s current lead independent director, Adam Schechter, will succeed King as president and CEO on … Continue reading “LabCorp CEO David King to Retire, Adam Schechter Named Successor”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
Agenda Posted for Net@50 on July 16 at MIT Media Lab
Come celebrate milestones the internet has made over the past 50 years at a special event called Net@50 on July 16 in Cambridge, MA, organized by the World Frontiers Forum and Xconomy. An afternoon forum at the MIT Media Lab will explore the big issues and challenges surrounding the internet. And a gala dinner at … Continue reading “Agenda Posted for Net@50 on July 16 at MIT Media Lab”
Can Tiny Drug Doses (and One Woman’s Fortune) Fight the Most Vicious Cancer?
When the brain goes bad, modern medicine is often powerless to help. That’s the case for Alzheimer’s disease, where drug after drug has failed, and the only approved treatments are marginally helpful at best. The same seems increasingly clear for the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme. Its origins are mysterious, … Continue reading “Can Tiny Drug Doses (and One Woman’s Fortune) Fight the Most Vicious Cancer?”
Immunotherapy Is Now Here For Breast Cancer. What Are Its Prospects?
Drugs that rev up a patient’s immune system have changed how we treat cancers of the skin, lung, and more, offering people whose tumors have spread a chance to live longer than ever thought possible. But until this year, the field had nothing for breast cancer, which kills more women than any other cancer type. … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Is Now Here For Breast Cancer. What Are Its Prospects?”
Second US Gene Therapy, Approved for Rare Muscle Disease, to Cost $2M
The FDA today has made Zolgensma, a Novartis treatment for the rare genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy, the second approved gene therapy in the US. The news marks a milestone for SMA patients, who have only one other approved medicine available. But it comes with a cost: At $2.125 million, Zolgensma’s price tag creates a … Continue reading “Second US Gene Therapy, Approved for Rare Muscle Disease, to Cost $2M”
Bio Roundup: Zolgensma Watch, Brain Cancer Blues, Peloton Payout & More
Patients, doctors, family members, and drug-price watchdogs continued to wait for the expected approval of Zolgensma, a Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]) gene therapy for the rare inherited disease spinal muscular atrophy. Originally developed at a children’s hospital in Ohio, Zolgensma will be a litmus test for the nascent field. If approved this week or next, it … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Zolgensma Watch, Brain Cancer Blues, Peloton Payout & More”
Sebastian Thrun and Udacity Launch New Self-Driving Nanodegree
[Corrected 5/21/19, 11:04 am. See below.] Sebastian Thrun first made his mark on autonomous vehicle development at the dawn of that industry, when he led a Stanford team whose robot car Stanley won the $2 million DARPA Grand Challenge in 2005 by racing driverless through the Mojave Desert for 132 miles. These days, Thrun seems … Continue reading “Sebastian Thrun and Udacity Launch New Self-Driving Nanodegree”
Bio Roundup: Generic Drugs Graft, ASCO Ahead, ElevateBio Rises & More
Generic drugs are supposed to give consumers more choices and a counterweight to more costly branded medications. During his tenure as FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb often spoke about generics as a market force that could help tame climbing drug prices. But such tools only work when companies play fair. A lawsuit is now claiming that … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Generic Drugs Graft, ASCO Ahead, ElevateBio Rises & More”
ASCO Abstracts: Breast Cancer, Precision Treatments in the Spotlight
The world’s biggest annual cancer conference is just around the corner. Data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting each year can change medical practice and make or break companies whose drugs are under the microscope. That’s what makes even the “abstracts,” or snippets of data revealed a few weeks before the meeting, … Continue reading “ASCO Abstracts: Breast Cancer, Precision Treatments in the Spotlight”
Bavarian Nordic’s Heery Joins Precision Bio as Chief Medical Officer
Christopher Heery has joined Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DTIL]]) as chief medical officer, the same position he held at his former company, Bavarian Nordic. Heery’s experience also includes time at the National Cancer Institute where he was head of the clinical trials group of the laboratory of tumor immunology and biology. Durham, NC-based Precision Bio completed … Continue reading “Bavarian Nordic’s Heery Joins Precision Bio as Chief Medical Officer”
Endpoint Security Company CrowdStrike Files Publicly for IPO
CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity company that identified the two Russian government-linked hacker groups that invaded the Democratic National Committee (DNC)’s network during the 2016 presidential campaign, filed publicly for an initial public offering on Tuesday. Sunnyvale, CA-based CrowdStrike sells cloud-based security software and related services by subscription to businesses. Founded in 2011, the company adapted traditional … Continue reading “Endpoint Security Company CrowdStrike Files Publicly for IPO”
ElevateBio Gets $150M to Grow a Crop of Gene & Cell Therapy Startups
When a biotech startup is ready to test an experimental therapy it faces a pricey choice: Should it make its drug in-house, or hire a contract manufacturer? The decision is particularly expensive for companies developing complex gene and cell therapies, which need to make large batches of engineered viruses to test their work. A new … Continue reading “ElevateBio Gets $150M to Grow a Crop of Gene & Cell Therapy Startups”
Milestones of Innovation 17: ‘Golden Spike’ Heralds Era of Cheap Steel
One hundred fifty years ago May 10, around mid-day, railroad promoters from two coasts clumsily drove the final spikes of America’s first transcontinental railroad near Promontory Point, Utah. Two of the spikes used that day were made of gold. The blows themselves triggered a telegraphic message to the world. The joining of the Central Pacific … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 17: ‘Golden Spike’ Heralds Era of Cheap Steel”
Tech Ethics, Regulation & Strategy: Here’s the Napa Summit Agenda
With Uber’s long-awaited IPO, Facebook’s mounting controversies, and ongoing debates over drug pricing and safety issues, come a great responsibility. A big story in the innovation community now is about the ethics and regulation of tech and life sciences. What are the right ways to safeguard the public, hold corporations accountable, and maintain economic growth? … Continue reading “Tech Ethics, Regulation & Strategy: Here’s the Napa Summit Agenda”
Bio Roundup: Rare Disease Showdowns, Prices on TV, Dealmania & More
The market for drugs for rare or “orphan” diseases continues to grow. An April report from Evaluate Pharma predicted sales of orphan drugs to rise 12 percent a year between now and 2024, when they will account for an estimated 20 percent of worldwide prescription drug sales. The field has gotten so competitive that multiple … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Rare Disease Showdowns, Prices on TV, Dealmania & More”
Uber Completes $8.1B Public Market Debut in Spite of Tumultuous Past
[Updated 5/10/19, 5 pm ET. See below.] Ride-hailing giant Uber secured $8.1 billion in new capital late Thursday as it priced an initial public offering that set its market capitalization at $82.4 billion, according to calculations by The New York Times and other news outlets. Uber announced late Thursday it will sell 180 million shares … Continue reading “Uber Completes $8.1B Public Market Debut in Spite of Tumultuous Past”
Two Days, Five Biotech IPOs, and $359M Raised for Clinical Trials
It will be hard to top last year’s flurry of biotech companies joining the public markets, but this week is shaping up to be the busiest for life science IPOs in recent memory. Five biotechs priced their IPOs and at least one more is coming. According to IPO research firm Renaissance Capital, 47 IPOs have … Continue reading “Two Days, Five Biotech IPOs, and $359M Raised for Clinical Trials”
SMA, Migraine Data Lead Neuro Highlights from AAN Meeting
The American Academy of Neurology meeting in Philadelphia is rolling on through the end of this week. There has been plenty of news to digest already. New clinical data could herald cutting-edge treatments for migraine, the rare disease spinal muscular atrophy, the deadly neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and more. Xconomy previewed the conference last … Continue reading “SMA, Migraine Data Lead Neuro Highlights from AAN Meeting”
Pendo Adds to Analytics, Engagement Software With Receptive Purchase
Pendo, an analytics business whose software helps companies study user behavior and feedback, has acquired a UK-based startup called Receptive Software. Pendo declined to disclose terms of the deal. Raleigh, NC-based Pendo aims to help its customers—ranging from tech startups to big businesses—make decisions about the design and user experiences of its products. In addition … Continue reading “Pendo Adds to Analytics, Engagement Software With Receptive Purchase”
Bio Roundup: Head and Spine Previews, Biogen Moves, IPO Dreams & More
America continues to suffer from healthcare headaches. Our convoluted private-public insurance system was under scrutiny this week from Democrats, holding a “Medicare for All” hearing in the House, and from Republicans, as several GOP-led states and the Trump administration asked a federal court to sweep away Obamacare. Several companies also want to reduce headaches. This … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Head and Spine Previews, Biogen Moves, IPO Dreams & More”
At Big Neuro Meeting, Migraine Drug Competitors to Make Oral Arguments
The first new class of migraine drugs in decades won FDA approval last year. But the companies who commercialized these new therapies and their potential competitors are already planning new, more convenient versions, taken as pills instead of injectoins just below the skin, and they will present key data in the next few days at … Continue reading “At Big Neuro Meeting, Migraine Drug Competitors to Make Oral Arguments”
Beyond Meat’s IPO Bags $241M to Make Plant-Based Burgers Mainstream
A Beyond Meat burger is coming to a location near you—and soon. The food technology company’s upsized IPO has raised $241 million to finance plans to bring its plant-based “meat” to more grocery stores and restaurants across the country. Beyond Meat priced its IPO Wednesday evening at $25 per share, which was the high end … Continue reading “Beyond Meat’s IPO Bags $241M to Make Plant-Based Burgers Mainstream”
SMA Moment: Will Gene Therapy Shift Treatment, Costs of Muscle Disease?
This is a big moment for people diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a rare and potentially lethal genetic disorder that destroys muscles. For decades, there was no way to change the trajectory of their disease. They now have one marketed medicine, and this month, chances are they’ll have another: a gene therapy that … Continue reading “SMA Moment: Will Gene Therapy Shift Treatment, Costs of Muscle Disease?”
Retailers, Startups Work to Offer Efficient E-Commerce Delivery
The on-demand delivery war in retail is on. In its quarterly earnings call Thursday, Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) announced it would switch to one-day shipping for Prime members, halving the time the 100 million-plus people who subscribe to the service must wait before receiving their purchases. The Seattle e-commerce giant told analysts the move would cost around … Continue reading “Retailers, Startups Work to Offer Efficient E-Commerce Delivery”
Ford, Lincoln Owners Can Get Amazon Packages Delivered to Their Cars
Many of us know that anxious feeling that comes when Amazon texts a notification that it has delivered your package, except you’re nowhere near home at the time to receive it. The mind races: is the package sitting out in plain view for would-be thieves to notice? Will it be destroyed by a passing downpour? … Continue reading “Ford, Lincoln Owners Can Get Amazon Packages Delivered to Their Cars”
Finding Your Startup Lawyer: What Every Entrepreneur Should Know
Successful management of any new enterprise, regardless of industry, is a process demanding of concerted effort to realize opportunity with a finite set of resources. As an entrepreneur, perfecting your vision, securing and managing funds, building a team, marketing and selling, and executing on plan, all while navigating unexpected obstacles, likely occupy your every day. … Continue reading “Finding Your Startup Lawyer: What Every Entrepreneur Should Know”
Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Strategy, Drug Price Convo, NASH News & More
The road to every new drug approval is littered with the remains of earlier failures. Biopharmaceutical companies don’t like to talk about the failures. But it’s earnings season now, so some of them don’t have much choice. Biogen’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) earnings call this week was the first since its Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab failed in a Phase … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Biogen’s Strategy, Drug Price Convo, NASH News & More”
To Help Boost Female-led Startups, More Women Join Investor Ranks
Houston—Men have long leveraged their networks to succeed in business, and the tech industry has been no exception. Women, finding themselves outside of the club, are now creating their own networks to do the same. Katelyn O’Shaughnessy already had a solid track record, selling TripScope, a travel startup she co-founded in 2013, to Travefy two … Continue reading “To Help Boost Female-led Startups, More Women Join Investor Ranks”
Announcing Net@50: The Roots and Future of the Internet
The first short message went out over Arpanet, the precursor to the internet, 50 years ago this year—and it changed everything. Much of the change has been wonderful—as the internet has revolutionized communication, commerce, and access to information, in the process transforming and improving the lives of billions of people. But as we are ever … Continue reading “Announcing Net@50: The Roots and Future of the Internet”
Join Xconomy for Our 8th Annual Napa Summit, June 13-14
Google. Amazon. Genentech. Those are some of the companies you’ll hear from at this year’s Napa Summit, the Xconomy Retreat on Technology, Jobs, and Growth. This is our most special event of the year—the eighth year we’ve held it—and it’s limited to about 100 VIP guests. We’ll tackle big trends, challenges, and opportunities in areas … Continue reading “Join Xconomy for Our 8th Annual Napa Summit, June 13-14”
SPECIAL REPORT: 2019 Blockchain Outlook — Reality Check
After a breakout year in 2017, the blockchain sector suffered a series of blows in 2018, from crashing cryptocurrency prices to increased regulatory scrutiny of crypto ventures and deepening skepticism about whether the technology was actually useful. Now, the industry has entered a crucial phase where blockchain developers need to overcome the limitations of the … Continue reading “SPECIAL REPORT: 2019 Blockchain Outlook — Reality Check”
Can We Afford to Be Cured? A Conversation With ICER’s Steve Pearson
[Corrected, 4/23/19, 7:10 p.m. See below.] New cell and gene therapies bring the possibility of cures once hardly imaginable. But the potential cures could also cost millions of dollars, like Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]), the owner of the gene therapy Zolgensma, has suggested in advance of an imminent FDA approval decision. As public backlash against high … Continue reading “Can We Afford to Be Cured? A Conversation With ICER’s Steve Pearson”
Bio Roundup: Nationwide’s Rise, a Surgeon’s Quest, CRISPR USA & More
Persistence and perseverance were the themes of two of our top stories this week. First there’s the story of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The Columbus, Ohio, hospital chose to invest in gene therapy when the field was in its darkest days. After some ups and downs, the team it put in place helped advance some of … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Nationwide’s Rise, a Surgeon’s Quest, CRISPR USA & More”
It’s Tough to Find Drugs to Bind to RNA: Arrakis Nabs $75M to Help
Arrakis Therapeutics has been scouting elusive pharmaceutical quarry: small molecules able to “drug” RNA, the molecular messengers that carry the genetic instructions for proteins. Most drugs in use today act on proteins. But CEO Michael Gilman says targeting the genetic blueprints could prevent RNA from translating those instructions into disease-causing proteins in the first place. … Continue reading “It’s Tough to Find Drugs to Bind to RNA: Arrakis Nabs $75M to Help”
$100M for Talaris Gives Surgeon a Shot to Reinvent Organ Transplants
When Novartis dissolved its gene and cell therapy unit a few years ago, a bunch of projects the Swiss pharma giant had incubated were tossed aside. One of them was the work of surgeon Suzanne Ildstad, who has spent decades trying to develop a new way to improve the health outcomes of patients who need … Continue reading “$100M for Talaris Gives Surgeon a Shot to Reinvent Organ Transplants”
Hatteras Launches New Fund With $94M for Life Science Investments
Hatteras Venture Partners is kicking off its latest fund with $94 million it plans to deploy to life sciences startups. The cash committed so far is the first closing of a fund that Hatteras says could reach up to $200 million. It’s the sixth fund for Durham, NC-based Hatteras. The venture capital firm invests throughout … Continue reading “Hatteras Launches New Fund With $94M for Life Science Investments”
How an Ohio Kids’ Hospital Quietly Became Ground Zero for Gene Therapy
[Updated, 4/22/19, see below] If a once-modest regional hospital and its new biotech allies have their way, the capital of Ohio could one day rival America’s other biomedical hubs. “Our goal is to make Columbus the center of the universe for gene therapy,” says Doug Ingram, CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics. Sarepta (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) is based … Continue reading “How an Ohio Kids’ Hospital Quietly Became Ground Zero for Gene Therapy”
Lyft, Uber, and the Changing Disclosure Rules For Unicorn IPOs
When a much-watched tech company such as Lyft, Uber, or Pinterest files for an initial public stock offering, people eagerly scour the sudden trove of information that such a private business must finally disclose when it begins to offer shares to the general public, rather than only to sophisticated inside investors such as venture capital … Continue reading “Lyft, Uber, and the Changing Disclosure Rules For Unicorn IPOs”
Thwarting Opposition, Bristol Gets Shareholder OK for $74B Celgene Buyout
The early opposition has turned out to be just noise. Shareholders of Bristol-Myers Squibb today approved the pharma giant’s planned buyout of Celgene, paving the way for a deal that will create one of the largest biopharma organizations in the world, and send ripples throughout the sector. Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) said Friday that more than … Continue reading “Thwarting Opposition, Bristol Gets Shareholder OK for $74B Celgene Buyout”
Bio Roundup: EASL Does It, Alnylam’s BFF, Gene Therapy Deals & More
A major conference devoted to liver disease kicked off with updates from the race for approval of the world’s first drug to treat a form of advanced liver disease called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. The gene therapy field continued to attract venture cash and industry interest, and it was a busy week in Washington for … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: EASL Does It, Alnylam’s BFF, Gene Therapy Deals & More”
Ribometrix Appoints John Reardon Chief Scientific Officer
John Reardon has joined Durham, NC-based Ribometrix as its chief scientific officer. Reardon was most recently head of research and development at HemoShear Therapeutics. His experience also includes posts at Revivo Therapeutics, Cadioxyl Pharmaceuticals, and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]). Last November, Ribometrix closed a $30 million Series A round to finance development of small molecule drugs that … Continue reading “Ribometrix Appoints John Reardon Chief Scientific Officer”
AskBio Reels In $235M to Advance Gene Therapy Clinical Trials
Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) has raised $235 million in financing to support its research and development of gene therapies for rare, genetic disorders. The funding came from TPG Capital and Vida Ventures, which together invested $225 million and gained a minority stake in the Research Triangle Park, NC, company. Concurrent with that investment, AskBio’s founders and … Continue reading “AskBio Reels In $235M to Advance Gene Therapy Clinical Trials”