Life Sciences in San Diego Gets Analytical: A Chat with Paul A. Rejto, Head of Computational Biology at Pfizer Oncology

San Diego’s role in computer analytics dates back to at least 1969, with the founding of Science Applications Inc., now SAIC, which used computer models to predict the effects of nuclear blasts for the Government. Today, a life sciences industry that didn’t exist in San Diego 40 years ago is embracing increasingly powerful computational tools … Continue reading “Life Sciences in San Diego Gets Analytical: A Chat with Paul A. Rejto, Head of Computational Biology at Pfizer Oncology”

Allylix Garners $3,000,000 Series C Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b1915b0f-588b-49fa-8d75-13f295150410&Preview=1 Date 4/14/2010 Company Name Allylix Mailing Address 6020 Cornerstone Court San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Allylix has developed proprietary technology that allows it to produce a group of natural products called terpenes at low cost. In nature, terpenes are produced by plants in minute quantities to serve a number of … Continue reading “Allylix Garners $3,000,000 Series C Round”

Maxim Integrated Products Acquires Teridian Semiconductor for $305,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1caea14d-e5b1-4824-ac96-8773298da6cc&Preview=1 Date 4/14/2010 Company Name Teridian Semiconductor Mailing Address 6440 Oak Canyon Irvine, CA 92618-5201 Company Description By leveraging our leadership position in CMOS mixed-signal IC design and system-on-chip integration processes, Teridian consistently keeps our customers on the leading edge of technology innovations and enables them to capitalize on new market opportunities. … Continue reading “Maxim Integrated Products Acquires Teridian Semiconductor for $305,000,000”

MeLLmo’s Roambi Business Visualization App Comes to iPad, Links to More Data Sources

If you want your company to buy you an iPad or an iPhone, here’s a tip. Get someone from MeLLmo to stop by and show its data visualization software to your firm’s CEO, CFO, or COO. The Del Mar, CA-based startup’s mobile business app, called Roambi, plugs into enterprise business-intelligence systems and creates interactive charts … Continue reading “MeLLmo’s Roambi Business Visualization App Comes to iPad, Links to More Data Sources”

Venture Activity Report Charts Surge in Energy and Cleantech Investments, Smaller-Sized Deals

Venture investments continued to improve during the first three months of 2010, led by a strong comeback in both dollars and deals involving startups focused on energy and utilities, according to a national report released today by CB Insights, the New York private company intelligence firm previously known as ChubbyBrain. Venture firms sank $5.9 billion … Continue reading “Venture Activity Report Charts Surge in Energy and Cleantech Investments, Smaller-Sized Deals”

TweetPhoto Secures $2,600,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=88022eab-f121-4ddc-9986-29a361daf8ab&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2010 Company Name TweetPhoto Mailing Address 1912 Circle Park Lane Encinitas, CA 92024 Company Description TweetPhoto is a real-time photo sharing platform for the social web. This free service allows you to share photos on Twitter, Facebook, and more. The service focuses on creating the best possible user-experience among the … Continue reading “TweetPhoto Secures $2,600,000 Series A Financing Round”

AltheaDx Secures $6,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=13a257de-417b-43b4-b444-6ec898ccfc47&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2010 Company Name AltheaDx Mailing Address 3550 Dunhill Street San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Our proprietary gene expression profiles include assays for differential diagnosis of pediatric cancers and for improved diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. We have a track record of reducing the time, risk, and cost of … Continue reading “AltheaDx Secures $6,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

From Boston to San Diego, Companies Maneuver to Catch Online Video Wave

Apple’s recent launch of the iPad has triggered intensifying interest in online video distribution, which seems to be reflected in a string of announcements that coincide with today’s kickoff of the National Association of Broadcasters’ annual conference in Las Vegas. As if reminding everyone of the size of their network, Cambridge, MA-based Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “From Boston to San Diego, Companies Maneuver to Catch Online Video Wave”

Qlipso Acquires Veoh Networks, V-Vehicle Ousts Founding CEO, Local Technology Clusters Converge on Bioinformatics, & More San Diego BizTech News

With all the life sciences news in San Diego last week, it would be understandable if you thought there was no high-tech news to be had. A simpler explanation, though, is that I was out of the country. So I cast the net a little beyond Xconomy’s pages for this summary. —A shakeup at San … Continue reading “Qlipso Acquires Veoh Networks, V-Vehicle Ousts Founding CEO, Local Technology Clusters Converge on Bioinformatics, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Avalon Stakes Claim as Survivor Among San Diego Biotech VCs

Nobody will ever confuse San Diego’s Sorrento Valley for Sand Hill Road. And that’s not a bad thing if you’re one of the guys at Avalon Ventures. “The story is really that Avalon is now one of just two really active life sciences venture funds in San Diego, which is the third largest biotech hub … Continue reading “Avalon Stakes Claim as Survivor Among San Diego Biotech VCs”

EdgeCast Networks Garners $10,000,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7795f3a6-51b1-47e1-8e63-8db5483c1292&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2010 Company Name EdgeCast Networks Mailing Address 2850 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 Company Description EdgeCast offers a superior, cost-effective global content delivery service that gives our customers competitive advantage in the delivery of digital media. Our world-class content delivery platform provides customers the cost benefits and flexibility … Continue reading “EdgeCast Networks Garners $10,000,000 Series C Funding Round”

The San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum: Ultraviolet Sciences and Water Purification

Ultraviolet Sciences has developed ultraviolet-based water purification technology that offers a smaller and cheaper way to kill water-born microbes. But is that enough to displace well-established technologies? Organizers have asked Neil Berlant of PFW Water Fund and Michael Snow of SnowPure to help UV Sciences CEO Ron Chaffee understand what kind of creative effort will … Continue reading “The San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum: Ultraviolet Sciences and Water Purification”

Alternative Financing: What’s Available and How Do You Get It?

Connect, BDO Seidman, and the Sheppard Mullin law firm have organized this program in two parts: Part 1 one will be an overview of the financing lifecycle, the various financing alternatives, and how you need to prepare your company to secure the various types of financing alternatives. Part 2 will be a panel discussion among … Continue reading “Alternative Financing: What’s Available and How Do You Get It?”

Facility Requirements for Biofuels, Alternative Energy, and CleanTech Companies

Biocom has organized an informational dialog on the facility needs of companies that are exploring alternative applications of biotechnology, with a focus on biofuels, sustainable chemicals, and other non-pharmaceutical uses. The speakers are Barry Toyonaga and Jim Carlberg of Kent BioEnergy, and Shaina Brown, program manager for Cleantech San Diego. More information and online registration … Continue reading “Facility Requirements for Biofuels, Alternative Energy, and CleanTech Companies”

Biocom Legislative Roundtable with Lori Saldaña

Assembly member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), now in her third term in the California Legislature, serves on the Veterans Affairs, Elections and Redistricting, Revenue and Taxation, and Housing and Community Development Committees of the State Assembly. Ms. Saldaña is chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and a member of the California Commission on the Status … Continue reading “Biocom Legislative Roundtable with Lori Saldaña”

CommNexus Industry Leaders Presents: Sony Electronics’ Stan Glasgow

Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of San Diego-based Sony Electronics, will speak about the opportunities and challenges in the U.S. consumer electronics industry. His 30-plus years of experience include oversight of sales and marketing management, in addition to design, engineering and financial supervision of consumer electronics products in the United States and abroad. … Continue reading “CommNexus Industry Leaders Presents: Sony Electronics’ Stan Glasgow”

The Real Truth About the iPad: A Non-Early Adopter Tests It Out, Pronounces It Lckig=ng (Typed on an iPad)

If you’re a fan of the TV show Supernatural, as the writer of this essay is, then at this point you might think a demon has taken possession of my colleague Wade Roush, who of course writes his World Wide Wade column every (or almost every) Friday. That would not be correct. But a demon … Continue reading “The Real Truth About the iPad: A Non-Early Adopter Tests It Out, Pronounces It Lckig=ng (Typed on an iPad)”

Is Bioinformatics in San Diego’s Future? A Chat with UC San Diego Expert Lucila Ohno-Machado

One notion that emerged at Xconomy’s event in San Diego last week was that biomedical informatics might have a promising role to play in the region’s economic future. There is no consensus on this as yet, as Luke discovered when he talked with Illumina CEO Jay Flatley. Among the true believers is UC San Diego’s … Continue reading “Is Bioinformatics in San Diego’s Future? A Chat with UC San Diego Expert Lucila Ohno-Machado”

Amplyx Pharma Nabs $1.5M

Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego-based drug developer, has raised an initial round of $1.5 million in financing. The investors included Golden Seeds, Life Science Angels, and Tech Coast Angels. The company, led by CEO Elaine Heron, is developing technology to improve existing drugs by controlling their concentration and time they hit their targets, according to … Continue reading “Amplyx Pharma Nabs $1.5M”

Biotech’s Second Big Win in Healthcare Reform: A Tax Credit Bonanza

The biotech industry won a major victory last month when President Obama signed healthcare reform into law. Biologic drugs, those developed through genetic engineering techniques and incubated in living cells, will now be granted a 12-year period of data exclusivity on the market, to protect them from cheaper copycat competitors. That will allow the innovative … Continue reading “Biotech’s Second Big Win in Healthcare Reform: A Tax Credit Bonanza”

CareFusion Hits Acquisition Trail, Cadence Pharmaceuticals Enlists Manufacturing Expertise, Medsphere Systems Sees Explosion in Bookings, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

The integration of information technology and life sciences is well underway in San Diego, judging from the past week’s headlines. We’ve summarized it all here. —Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) CEO Jay Flatley chatted with Luke about the outlook for the gene-sequencing business, among other things. Flatley has an interesting take on the business potential of bioinformatics … Continue reading “CareFusion Hits Acquisition Trail, Cadence Pharmaceuticals Enlists Manufacturing Expertise, Medsphere Systems Sees Explosion in Bookings, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Fate Therapeutics Expands its Stem Cell Empire Into Canada

The Fate Therapeutics mini-empire already extends from coast to coast, and now it’s expanding northward. The San Diego-based developer of stem cell technologies has agreed to acquire Ottawa, Canada-based Verio Therapeutics to grab a few more bright minds, and some clever techniques for developing drugs that spark the body to regenerate damaged tissue. Financial terms … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Expands its Stem Cell Empire Into Canada”

Veoh Assets Sold to 2Peer

The remaining assets of San Diego’s Veoh Network, which shut down in February after years of litigation with Universal Music Group, have been sold to Los Angeles-based social video startup 2Peer, according to a report today in VentureWire. Veoh had raised some $70 million from Boston-based Spark Capital as well as Goldman Sachs, Time Warner, … Continue reading “Veoh Assets Sold to 2Peer”

Illumina CEO Jay Flatley on the Future of Genomics, Part 2

Yesterday, we ran the first installment of a wide-ranging interview with Illumina CEO Jay Flatley. He talked a bit about some of the major competitors he sees emerging in the fast-paced world of gene sequencing, and how he hopes San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) can maintain an innovative edge, even as it grows into a … Continue reading “Illumina CEO Jay Flatley on the Future of Genomics, Part 2”

DR Systems Spins Off eMix to Provide Online Exchange for Medical Images

Bill O’Leary, an IT specialist at a hospital in Montana, got a typical request one evening in January. A physician at another hospital, in this case a pediatric neurologist in Seattle, needed O’Leary to send the doctor a patient’s medical imaging exam. To transfer the digital image a year ago, O’Leary would have spent hours … Continue reading “DR Systems Spins Off eMix to Provide Online Exchange for Medical Images”

The Apple iPad: Lightning Strikes Cupertino Again

How do you sell 300,000 of anything on the first day it’s in stores? By convincing people that it’s going to be even cooler than the last incredible thing you built. Steve Jobs and his crew pulled that off with the iPad, which has been breaking the sales records set by the iPhone in 2007. … Continue reading “The Apple iPad: Lightning Strikes Cupertino Again”

Illumina CEO Jay Flatley on How to Keep an Edge in the Fast-Paced World of Gene Sequencing

San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) is without a doubt one of the bigger success stories in biotech of the past decade. It makes biological research tools that significantly boost the efficiency of high-speed gene sequencing, instruments that spot subtle variations in long stretches of DNA, and products that analyze important ways in which genes can … Continue reading “Illumina CEO Jay Flatley on How to Keep an Edge in the Fast-Paced World of Gene Sequencing”

Medsphere Systems Markets Open Source Electronic Health Records System

Experts agree that electronic medical records can lower costs and improve care. Yet just 10 percent of U.S. hospitals keep any computerized records, according to a survey in the New England Journal of Medicine last year. The biggest reason is cost: depending on the size of the hospital, the price of a digitized record system … Continue reading “Medsphere Systems Markets Open Source Electronic Health Records System”

CareFusion Gets Medegen for $225M

CareFusion (NYSE: [[ticker:CFN]]), a San Diego-based medical device company, announced today that it will acquire Medegen, a maker of disposable systems for delivering medication intravenously, for $225 million in cash. The acquisition of Ontario, CA-based Medegen will be the first for CareFusion, which became a publicly traded company in September 2009 after spinning off from … Continue reading “CareFusion Gets Medegen for $225M”

The Great iPad Debate Begins, Hookit Taps Growing Market, Four Under the Radar Deals, & More San Diego BizTech News

This week’s tech news was dominated by a certain new device from Apple, but we found quite a few other things to write about on the San Diego tech scene. —Our in-house gadgetphile, Wade Roush, previewed the market introduction of Apple’s iPad with a survey of Xconomy readers, and followed it up with a story … Continue reading “The Great iPad Debate Begins, Hookit Taps Growing Market, Four Under the Radar Deals, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Where Bytes, Bio, and Healthcare Converge: Introducing Xconomy’s Health IT News Channel

We’re not much in favor of rigidly categorizing news by industry here at Xconomy, in part because we follow exciting companies that often transcend conventional definitions of what is a software, energy, or biotechnology business. But we do try our best to deliver breaking news and in-depth coverage to communities of readers, and one such … Continue reading “Where Bytes, Bio, and Healthcare Converge: Introducing Xconomy’s Health IT News Channel”

San Diego Biotech in 2030: A Center for Stem Cells, Genomics, Software, Neuroscience

The image of the double helix has captivated the public imagination for a long time. But biotechnology today actually requires what you might call a triple helix of money, people, and ideas, according to John Mendlein, the chairman of San Diego-based Fate Therapeutics. All three ingredients were in one place Wednesday night for Xconomy’s event … Continue reading “San Diego Biotech in 2030: A Center for Stem Cells, Genomics, Software, Neuroscience”

Revolutionary or Evolutionary? The Results from Xconomy’s iPad Survey

More newsprint and pixels have been sacrificed to iPad punditry than to any other tech subject in recent memory. I’m responsible for a good deal of the carnage myself (here, here, here, and here). With the device finally hitting stores tomorrow, though, there was no way my column today would be about anything else. The … Continue reading “Revolutionary or Evolutionary? The Results from Xconomy’s iPad Survey”

Hookit Fuels Sponsorship-Starved Amateur Athletes

If trademark disputes were a sport, Hookit.com might have found a way to win gold—despite dropping out of the race. The San Diego-based action sports social networking firm, formerly known as Loop’d, surrendered its original name in January to end a costly 18-month trademark battle with Mountain View, CA-based mobile mapping firm Loopt.com. But Hookit’s … Continue reading “Hookit Fuels Sponsorship-Starved Amateur Athletes”

Isis Snags Glaxo Deal, Orexigen Heads to FDA, Cyntellect Pockets $3M & More San Diego Area Life Sciences News

This week I traveled here for Xconomy’s big event on the 20-year future for San Diego’s life sciences cluster. My wrap-up on that event is probably going to have to wait until Friday, but there was plenty of other news from San Diego biotech to keep the site buzzing. —Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) … Continue reading “Isis Snags Glaxo Deal, Orexigen Heads to FDA, Cyntellect Pockets $3M & More San Diego Area Life Sciences News”

The Next Policy Battle For Biotech After Healthcare Reform

With a new healthcare bill (and its “fixes”) signed into law, one might think that the biotech industry could shift its attention away from Washington DC and get back to work in the labs. That would be wrong. Starting this month, we begin a two-year project that will culminate, if things go according to plan, … Continue reading “The Next Policy Battle For Biotech After Healthcare Reform”

Orexigen Seeks FDA OK for Obesity Drug

Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OREX]]), the San Diego-based developer of weight loss drugs, said today it has turned in its application for FDA approval of its first marketed product in the U.S. The drug, a combination of bupropion and naltrexone (Contrave), has been studied in more than 4,500 patients, the company said. If approved, Orexigen could … Continue reading “Orexigen Seeks FDA OK for Obesity Drug”

Isis Nabs $35M Payment From Glaxo

Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]), the Carlsbad, CA-based company that uses antisense technology to make targeted drugs, will receive a $35 million upfront cash payment from GlaxoSmithKline as part of a new collaboration announced today. The deal covers research into rare disorders and infectious diseases, in up to as many as six programs. Isis is eligible … Continue reading “Isis Nabs $35M Payment From Glaxo”

Introducing Under-the-Radar Funding in San Diego: Four Startup Financings You Probably Haven’t Heard About

Since June we’ve been tracking monthly figures in bigger venture deals for our two other coverage areas, Seattle and Boston, thanks to data provided to us by our New York-based partner CB Insights, a private company intelligence platform. The company also supplies us monthly with a list of smaller deals under $1 million—what we dub … Continue reading “Introducing Under-the-Radar Funding in San Diego: Four Startup Financings You Probably Haven’t Heard About”

IO Semiconductor Lands $1,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9e8398a9-aad1-49b6-be30-6112595f2aea&Preview=1 Date 3/31/2010 Company Name IO Semiconductor Mailing Address 10309 Pacific Center Court San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description IO Semiconductor (IOsemi) was incorporated in 2008 by a team of semiconductor veterans with deep and broad experience in semiconductor processing, high performance and RF chip design, sales, marketing, as well as significant … Continue reading “IO Semiconductor Lands $1,000,000 New Financing Round”

$3.6M for Biocept

Biocept, a San Diego biotech company working on cell separation technology, has raised $3.6 million of a planned $4.05 million equity offering, according to an SEC filing. Four investors participated in the round for Biocept, which is developing diagnostic assays for detecting and monitoring cancer.

What’s Your Take on the iPad? An Xconomy Survey

With the Apple iPad set to hit stores at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, you can probably guess what my digital media column, World Wide Wade, is going to be about this Friday. But this time I want to leaven the punditry with some populism—so I’ve put together a quick, 9-question survey at SurveyMonkey. Please head … Continue reading “What’s Your Take on the iPad? An Xconomy Survey”

NextImage Medical of San Diego Aims to Lower Workers Comp Costs

Insurers spend $30 billion annually on workers compensation claims; lost productivity saps another $60 billion from the economy. San Diego-based NextImage Medical is focused on changing this picture by taking aim at a key bottleneck that adds to costs: delays associated with radiology exams. CEO Liz Griggs says injured workers face waits of two to … Continue reading “NextImage Medical of San Diego Aims to Lower Workers Comp Costs”

Coda Automotive Garners $394,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a8eb413b-e715-4f5d-a4f3-0d8334dc09af&Preview=1 Date 3/30/2010 Company Name Coda Automotive Mailing Address 1601 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90403 Company Description We were formed by a group of innovators, experts in their fields, motivated to solve some of today’s most pressing problems to leave a better world for their children. Our business model is unique. … Continue reading “Coda Automotive Garners $394,000,000 New Financing Round”

Biocept Obtains $3,600,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=58d3ac41-64a6-4e2d-9091-a38a93e3a8eb&Preview=1 Date 3/30/2010 Company Name Biocept Mailing Address 5810 Nancy Ridge Drive San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Biocept is an emerging leader in genetic testing. The company’s proprietary CEE Cell Enrichment and Extraction technology is designed to isolate and extract rare cells for highly accurate genetic analysis. CEE will be used … Continue reading “Biocept Obtains $3,600,000 New Financing Round”

Reverse Medical Lands $14,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3a5dd07e-61ea-4d90-a473-eb9ce3eff09e&Preview=1 Date 3/30/2010 Company Name Reverse Medical Mailing Address 13900 Alton Parkway Irvine, CA 92618 Company Description The company is developing an embolic protection system. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $14,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes This financing will allow Reverse to continue our rapid progress toward worldwide … Continue reading “Reverse Medical Lands $14,000,000 Series B Financing”