Category: San Diego

Uber Rejiggers App to Highlight Its Bikes, Scooters in San Diego

San Diego is one of two metropolitan areas in which ride-hailing giant Uber has reformatted its mobile app to make it simpler for users to rent an electric bicycle or scooter. With the previous version of Uber’s (NYSE: [[ticker:UBER]]) app, users had to navigate from the main menu to another part of the app to … Continue reading “Uber Rejiggers App to Highlight Its Bikes, Scooters in San Diego”

BioAlta Taps Former Trillium Chief Medical Officer Eric Sievers as CMO

BioAtla, which is developing antibody drugs, has hired Eric Sievers as its chief medical officer. He was most recently CMO at Toronto’s Trillium Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TRIL]]), according to a news release from BioAtla. Prior, Sievers spent nine years at Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]), where he was involved in the development and approval of brentuximab vedotin … Continue reading “BioAlta Taps Former Trillium Chief Medical Officer Eric Sievers as CMO”

What Is the Future of the Internet? Experts Predict Next 50 Years

[Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.] It’s a good thing journalists, pundits, and consultants can’t be held liable for the predictions we … Continue reading “What Is the Future of the Internet? Experts Predict Next 50 Years”

What ARPANET’s History Can Teach Us About Cybersecurity

[Editor’s note: This is part of a series examining the internet’s first 50 years and predicting the next half century. Join Xconomy and World Frontiers Forum on July 16 for Net@50, an event exploring the internet’s past and future.] The internet nearly came with built-in caller ID. The year was 1972: three years after the … Continue reading “What ARPANET’s History Can Teach Us About Cybersecurity”

Brain Corp., Maker of Robotics Tech, to Open European HQ in Amsterdam

Brain Corp., a robotics startup whose technology powers automated floor cleaning machines in retail stores, malls, warehouses, and airports, announced Monday it is opening its first European office in Amsterdam, the largest city in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam office will serve as the company’s regional hub for operations, software development, and research and development, Brain … Continue reading “Brain Corp., Maker of Robotics Tech, to Open European HQ in Amsterdam”

Peter Gabriel Joins Net@50 Lineup; Tix Going Fast for July 16 Event

Legendary rock musician and longtime internet evangelist Peter Gabriel has joined the all-star cast of speakers for Net@50, a historic event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first net message—while also looking ahead to the internet’s next 50 years. The event, put on by the non-profit World Frontiers Forum in association with Xconomy, takes place … Continue reading “Peter Gabriel Joins Net@50 Lineup; Tix Going Fast for July 16 Event”

As Cities Ban Face Recognition, Body-Cam Firm Axon Also Nixes It

This week’s decision by police equipment manufacturer Axon to forego using facial recognition software in its body cameras follows a string of other actions against the use of face-matching technology by public agencies. They include a pioneering ban in San Francisco last month, and another passed Thursday by the city council of Somerville, MA. What … Continue reading “As Cities Ban Face Recognition, Body-Cam Firm Axon Also Nixes It”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: MEI Pharma, Turning Point, & More

It was a relatively quiet week in the San Diego life sciences community, but local companies and organizations continue working away. Here’s a look at some recent developments, including companies moving their lead drug candidates into Phase 2 trials, new R&D partnerships, and a reminder to nominate your favorite young’un for a Biocom Catalyst award. … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: MEI Pharma, Turning Point, & More”

Bio Roundup: Merger Drama, FDA Trauma, Big IPOs, CRISPR Fights & More

It was a busy week. If we had to choose a theme, it was all about getting together. Two huge drug companies, AbbVie and Allergan, said they’d be better as one. Two more huge drug companies, Celgene and Bristol-Myers Squibb, learned they would have to leave a big product behind if they want to merge. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Merger Drama, FDA Trauma, Big IPOs, CRISPR Fights & More”

Degreed Raises $75M to Expand in Growing Workforce Training Sector

Degreed, which helps businesses upgrade the skills of their staffers through an online gateway to learning resources, announced Thursday it has raised $75 million to grow the service and expand internationally. San Francisco-based Degreed is among the educational technology companies now classified as “learning experience platforms,’’ because they organize staff participation in skills development training … Continue reading “Degreed Raises $75M to Expand in Growing Workforce Training Sector”

Mirati Stock Sale Targets $200M as Lead Cancer Drug Starts Phase 3

Mirati Therapeutics plans to raise more than $200 million this week in a public offering, funding that it plans to use to advance its lead cancer drug candidate, sitravatinib, into late-stage testing, and to continue developing its other targeted oncology programs. The San Diego company said Tuesday that it would sell 2.1 million shares of … Continue reading “Mirati Stock Sale Targets $200M as Lead Cancer Drug Starts Phase 3”

Encoded Nabs $104M, Illumina’s Help, to Push Gene Therapy’s Limits

Despite the progress of gene therapy—a cutting edge medicine promising long-lasting effects from a single treatment—it remains a crude and limited tool. Startup Encoded Therapeutics has raised $104 million to join the race to expand gene therapy’s reach. The South San Francisco, CA, company has emerged from the startup accelerator of Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]), and … Continue reading “Encoded Nabs $104M, Illumina’s Help, to Push Gene Therapy’s Limits”

Acutus, Maker of Next-Gen Electrophysiology Tech, Adds $100M Series D

A company that makes a mapping system to help doctors see high-resolution, 3D images of irregular heart rhythms in real time has raised $100 million in venture investment and a $70 million credit facility to fund its full-scale market launch. Acutus Medical, based in the northern San Diego community of Carlsbad, was founded in 2011. … Continue reading “Acutus, Maker of Next-Gen Electrophysiology Tech, Adds $100M Series D”

Led by Tech, Healthcare Debuts, IPOs in 2019 Show Positive Returns

Even as Uber, Lyft, and other high-profile initial public offerings underperformed out of the gate, the average share price of companies that have gone public in the US this year is up by almost 33 percent. That’s according to data based on the mean returns of issuers that started trading through June 19, released by … Continue reading “Led by Tech, Healthcare Debuts, IPOs in 2019 Show Positive Returns”

AbbVie to Pay $63B for Allergan to Prepare for Life Without Humira

[Updated, 10:11 am ET, see below.] Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie this morning agreed to acquire Allergan in a $63 billion deal meant to provide the pharmaceutical giant with enough revenue to brace for the loss of patent protection for the world’s top-selling drug. AbbVie (NYSE: [[ticker:ABBV]]) will pay $188.24 per share in cash and stock for … Continue reading “AbbVie to Pay $63B for Allergan to Prepare for Life Without Humira”

Conatus to Slash Staff, Consider Sale After NASH Trial Failures

Conatus Pharmaceuticals said Monday that it would cut its staff by 40 percent and consider a sale or merger after a drug it was testing as a treatment for an increasingly common form of chronic liver disease failed to beat a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial—the latest letdown in a number of trial failures. … Continue reading “Conatus to Slash Staff, Consider Sale After NASH Trial Failures”

Dems and GOP Senators Unite Versus Big Tech on Data Privacy Bills

To hear some people talk, you’d think the age of bipartisan action in Congress was a lost phenomenon of the distant past. But it’s not so, at least when it comes to certain issues. And no one knows it better than the big Silicon Valley tech companies that are the recent targets of proposed bipartisan … Continue reading “Dems and GOP Senators Unite Versus Big Tech on Data Privacy Bills”

Review: Inside the House of Lies at Theranos

Youth. Charm. Fearlessness. Ruthless focus. These can be positive attributes in an entrepreneur, but in a more rational world, technology investors wouldn’t overvalue them. Risk capital would be allocated based mostly on evidence, data, progress towards milestones—in short, on proof. In the real world, of course, proof is hard to come by. Hope, avarice, or … Continue reading “Review: Inside the House of Lies at Theranos”

Locana, Fueled With $55M, Looks to Develop Fixes for Faulty RNA

Editing human DNA has entered the public consciousness in a big way in recent years with its increasing use in laboratories—and, in recent news that shocked the scientific community, in embryos—of tools such as CRISPR-Cas9. Locana, a gene therapy biotech in San Diego, is taking what it describes as a “parallel path” to developing therapeutics … Continue reading “Locana, Fueled With $55M, Looks to Develop Fixes for Faulty RNA”

Bio Roundup: Array Bio Acquired, IPO Spree, Sanofi’s Job Cuts & More

[Corrected 6/24/19, 12:08 p.m. See below.] Cancer remains one of the hottest areas for pharma deals and this week saw a big one: Pfizer’s proposed $11.4 billion buyout of Array Biopharma. The announcement comes less than a month after Boulder, CO-based Array announced positive data from a pivotal study of its combination drug in colorectal … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Array Bio Acquired, IPO Spree, Sanofi’s Job Cuts & More”

Four More Through the IPO Door as Life Science Firms Raise $465M

It’s been a strong year for biotech IPOs and Wednesday shaped up to be a particularly busy day as four life science firms debuted on the public markets. So far this year, 72 companies have gone public, according to IPO research firm Renaissance Capital. That total is down 20 percent compared to the same period … Continue reading “Four More Through the IPO Door as Life Science Firms Raise $465M”

Oncolytics Bio Tacks On Cancer Combo Study with Merck KGaA, Pfizer

There’s a speed dating game of sorts happening as pharmaceutical companies that have approved cancer immunotherapies are testing their medications in combination with experimental drugs in hopes of reaching more patients. San Diego’s Oncolytics Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONCY]]) has been an active participant in those combination efforts, with multiple pharmaceutical companies pairing its lead drug candidate, … Continue reading “Oncolytics Bio Tacks On Cancer Combo Study with Merck KGaA, Pfizer”

Element Biosciences Lands $15M to Develop New Genetic Analysis Tools

Most of the genetic analysis done today is performed on machines made by Illumina, the DNA sequencing giant. Now a former director from the company is leading a startup that has raised $15 million to develop new genome sequencing tools. San Diego’s Element Biosciences said Tuesday that it had secured a Series A round led … Continue reading “Element Biosciences Lands $15M to Develop New Genetic Analysis Tools”

Bio Roundup: Roche-Spark Drags On, GSK Taps CRISPR, Diabetes News & More

Is one of the bigger biopharma acquisitions of the year in trouble? This past week, antitrust regulators once again delayed Roche’s planned $4.8 billion buyout of gene therapy developer Spark Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONCE]]). The US Federal Trade Commission wants yet more information about the buyout, and overseas, the UK Competition and Markets Authority opened a … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Roche-Spark Drags On, GSK Taps CRISPR, Diabetes News & More”

Can AI Tools, $76M Lead BlackThorn to Targeted Psych Drugs?

It’s notoriously tough for experimental psychiatric drugs to succeed in clinical tests. BlackThorn Therapeutics wants to show that an AI-driven, precision approach can make it easier, and today it’s added another $76 million to get the chance to prove it. The new Series B round will give San Francisco-based BlackThorn—a startup spun out of the … Continue reading “Can AI Tools, $76M Lead BlackThorn to Targeted Psych Drugs?”

IPO Scorecard: CrowdStrike Gains 70 Percent on First Trading Day

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike delivered the kind of market debut this week that was an unfulfilled dream for the much-anticipated IPOs of Uber and Lyft earlier this year. Sunnyvale, CA-based CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRWD]]) priced 18 million shares of common stock at $34 on Tuesday. Trading began at $63.50 Wednesday, and reached a near-doubling of the company’s … Continue reading “IPO Scorecard: CrowdStrike Gains 70 Percent on First Trading Day”

U-M Leads 10-University Project to Tackle Equity, Inclusion in STEM

Academic researchers have long studied gender and racial disparities in STEM education, but they have not had widespread success in addressing these challenges.  A University of Michigan professor and colleagues from 10 universities are hoping to change that. At public research universities like U-M, introductory courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects are the … Continue reading “U-M Leads 10-University Project to Tackle Equity, Inclusion in STEM”

Oncternal Therapeutics Goes Public After Reverse Merger With GTx

Oncternal Therapeutics has joined the growing ranks of San Diego biotechs to go public, but it didn’t go through an IPO to get there. The San Diego-based company said Monday that it completed a reverse merger with GTx, a Memphis, TN biotech whose market value plummeted last fall after its lead drug candidate failed a … Continue reading “Oncternal Therapeutics Goes Public After Reverse Merger With GTx”

Celebrating San Diego Life Sciences: Xconomy Awards Gala Slideshow

We at Xconomy were thrilled to see such a great turnout at our first-ever awards gala in San Diego. About 250 people from the local life sciences community filled a ballroom at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa (see photos above). As Greg Huang, Xconomy’s editor in chief, said in his opening remarks before a … Continue reading “Celebrating San Diego Life Sciences: Xconomy Awards Gala Slideshow”

3 Tips to Boost Security, Trust With Increasingly Remote Workforce

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”

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”

Agtech Startup GroGuru Gets Audience Kudos at EvoNexus Demo Day

Three wildly different startups among those incubating at EvoNexus, a La Jolla, CA-based nonprofit organization that supports early-stage tech companies, earned top marks from the audience at a pitch contest this week. EvoNexus typically hosts a “Demo Day” event twice per year to highlight the top startups currently housed in its incubator. The event is … Continue reading “Agtech Startup GroGuru Gets Audience Kudos at EvoNexus Demo Day”

Grail’s Cook Steps Down, Former Juno Executive Bishop Named CEO

Grail CEO Jennifer Cook has stepped down from the cancer diagnostics developer and its board of directors. Menlo Park, CA-based Grail said Thursday that Cook left due to “family health reasons.” Hans Bishop, a Grail director since last August, was appointed Cook’s successor in the chief executive role. He will also remain on Grail’s board. … Continue reading “Grail’s Cook Steps Down, Former Juno Executive Bishop Named CEO”

Cerf, Kahn, Perlman, Hillis & More at Net@50: Get Tix to Historic Event

How did the internet arise to change the world—and where is it heading? Given the state of technology and society, what are the best ways to curtail the spread of misinformation (among other challenges) and the harm it can bring? At the World Frontiers Forum and Xconomy, we can’t promise to cover everything, but we … Continue reading “Cerf, Kahn, Perlman, Hillis & More at Net@50: Get Tix to Historic Event”

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”

Apple Touts New Privacy Moves as Antitrust Probes Loom for Big Tech

Both the House leadership and the Trump administration are preparing to challenge the power of Google, Facebook, and other big tech companies by launching antitrust investigations into their allegedly anticompetitive business practices, as the Washington Post detailed it this week. But the growing concern about the pervasive control of tech giants in arenas such as … Continue reading “Apple Touts New Privacy Moves as Antitrust Probes Loom for Big Tech”

Inhibrx, Fresh Off $40M Funding to Advance Cancer Drugs, Eyes IPO

Two weeks after raising $40 million to push ahead with its drug development programs, Inhibrx submitted paperwork to the SEC revealing that it aims to raise money in the public market, too. The La Jolla, CA-based company, which is developing protein drugs targeting cancer and other diseases, was founded in 2010. Read more about the … Continue reading “Inhibrx, Fresh Off $40M Funding to Advance Cancer Drugs, Eyes IPO”

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”

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?”

The Winners of the 2019 Xconomy Awards San Diego Are…

The nominees and finalists for the first-ever Xconomy Awards San Diego were an impressive bunch, making it tough for our judges and the editors to pick the winners. There were multiple deserving companies and people in each category. After much discussion and debate, we decided that these winners represent the best of the San Diego … Continue reading “The Winners of the 2019 Xconomy Awards San Diego Are…”

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?”

San Diego Tech Roundup: Startup Week, Planck, TuSimple & More

On the eve of the start of the seventh annual San Diego Startup Week, let’s learn more about the event—which is expected to draw thousands to its talks and gatherings—and take a look at some other recent tech news. —Local entrepreneurs have dozens of speakers teed up and get-togethers organized for Startup Week, which kicks … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: Startup Week, Planck, TuSimple & More”

Inhibrix Pulls In $40M to Press Ahead With Cancer Drug Clinical Trials

Inhibrx, developer of protein drugs targeting cancer and other diseases, has raised $40 million from the hedge fund Viking Global Investors as the biotech steers several programs through early-stage clinical trials. The La Jolla, CA-based company was founded in 2010 by Mark Lappe, Brendan Eckelman, and Quinn Deveraux. Eckelman is the company’s chief scientific officer … Continue reading “Inhibrix Pulls In $40M to Press Ahead With Cancer Drug Clinical Trials”

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”