New medicines, devices, and diagnostics produced by the life sciences community in California are giving clinicians better tools to fight disease and improve quality of life for patients around the world. Emerging technologies, such as stem cell and gene therapies, are beginning to make their mark. According to the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)’s latest … Continue reading “California Life Sciences Fueled by Education, Established Companies”
Category: San Diego
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”
Reneo Pharma Launches with $50M to Target Energy-Depleting Diseases
Yet another new biotech company has been founded in San Diego by serial entrepreneur Mike Grey and other alumni of rare disease startup Lumena Pharmaceuticals. Reneo Pharmaceuticals, which has offices in San Diego and in the UK, announced Monday it has raised $50 million to advance a compound it is testing as a therapy for … Continue reading “Reneo Pharma Launches with $50M to Target Energy-Depleting Diseases”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: MedCrypt, LunaDNA, Dynacure & More
Let’s catch up with the latest life sciences news in San Diego. — Cybersecurity company MedCrypt, which makes software to protect medical devices, raised a $5.3 million Series A funding round. The company says it will use the new funds to hire new salespeople and engineers and further develop its technology, which medical devices vendors … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: MedCrypt, LunaDNA, Dynacure & More”
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”
BioClarity, Maker of “Clean, Green” Skincare Products, Raises $13M
BioClarity, which sells plant-based skincare products to online shoppers, announced Wednesday that it has raised a $13 million investment round. The San Diego-based company is part of Adigica Health, an e-commerce company founded in 2016 to develop and market direct-to-consumer healthcare products. Prolog Ventures led the round with a $6 million investment; BioClarity said earlier … Continue reading “BioClarity, Maker of “Clean, Green” Skincare Products, Raises $13M”
ViaCyte, Fate & More: Xconomy Awards San Diego Big Idea Finalists
The finalists in the Big Idea category of the Xconomy Awards San Diego are pursuing ambitious goals in pursuit of better ways of improving health. Their approaches range, from a new way to deliver insulin to patients with Type 1 diabetes to an innovative method to detect brain trauma that could reduce the need for … Continue reading “ViaCyte, Fate & More: Xconomy Awards San Diego Big Idea Finalists”
Whiskey Coffee, Immigration, AI: MassChallenge’s New Austin Cohort
Austin—MassChallenge has picked the 74 early-stage companies that will eventually compete for a portion of $500,000 in cash as a part of its Austin accelerator program. They’re startups that are developing products in a wide range of sectors, including life sciences, agriculture, and artificial intelligence. A majority of the startups are from Texas, although some … Continue reading “Whiskey Coffee, Immigration, AI: MassChallenge’s New Austin Cohort”
Eyeing Future IPO, A Rarity for SD Software Firms, Tealium Adds $55M
San Diego has had plenty of businesses go public in recent years, but most have been life sciences companies. Now software startup Tealium, which has about 215 employees at its San Diego headquarters, announced Wednesday it has added $55 million in a Series F financing. Eleven-year-old Tealium has now hauled in more than $160 million … Continue reading “Eyeing Future IPO, A Rarity for SD Software Firms, Tealium Adds $55M”
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”
Meet the X of the Year Finalists for the Xconomy Awards San Diego
The Xconomy Awards categories weren’t enough to capture the full diversity of the San Diego life science community. So we at Xconomy created X of the Year for people who are so unique they needed their own categories. Read on for short introductions of the X of the Year finalists. This is part of a … Continue reading “Meet the X of the Year Finalists for the Xconomy Awards San Diego”
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”
LunaDNA, Vivid & More: The Xconomy Awards San Diego Startup Finalists
The finalists in the Startup category of San Diego’s Xconomy Awards (and other categories) show how much data security and privacy have become not just top public concerns but also the priorities of a growing number of companies. Other Startup finalists are taking various approaches to making precision medicine a reality for more patients. Here … Continue reading “LunaDNA, Vivid & More: The Xconomy Awards San Diego Startup Finalists”
FDA OKs Pfizer Rare Disease Drug, Sets Up Battle With Alnylam, Akcea
[Updated 5/6/19, 9:20 am ET. See below.] A year ago, there were no FDA-approved medicines available for US patients with the debilitating rare genetic disease transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). Things have changed fast, however: With the FDA’s decision to approve a drug from Pfizer this morning, patients now have three options to choose from. The FDA … Continue reading “FDA OKs Pfizer Rare Disease Drug, Sets Up Battle With Alnylam, Akcea”
Lundbeck to Buy Abide Therapeutics For $250M, Make SD Lab a US Hub
Danish pharma firm Lundbeck has agreed to acquire Abide Therapeutics for $250 million upfront. The La Jolla, CA-based company, spun out of research from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is developing drugs to treat diseases of the central nervous system, among them Tourette syndrome. Its drugs block enzymes known as serine hydrolases, which play a … Continue reading “Lundbeck to Buy Abide Therapeutics For $250M, Make SD Lab a US Hub”
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”
New VC Firm Blueprint Equity Puts $6M into Florida Software Company
A new venture capital firm, which in November marked its launch by raising a $53 million-plus fund to invest in startups, has made its first investment. Blueprint Equity managing partners Sheldon Lewis and Bobby Ocampo, 30-somethings who are part of a new generation of investors in San Diego, said Thursday that the firm had invested … Continue reading “New VC Firm Blueprint Equity Puts $6M into Florida Software Company”
Ivor Royston Named Xconomy’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner in San Diego
We at Xconomy are excited to announce that we are honoring Ivor Royston, co-founder of Hybritech and Idec Pharmaceuticals, with our 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award—the first ever awarded in San Diego. The award recognizes Royston’s wide-ranging career as an academic physician, entrepreneur, investor, and life sciences executive. His foundational role in starting Hybritech, San Diego’s … Continue reading “Ivor Royston Named Xconomy’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner in San Diego”
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”
Meet the Xconomy Awards San Diego Digital Trailblazer Finalists
San Diego’s prowess in computer science, medical devices, and life sciences makes it a natural hub of innovative digital health companies. The finalists in the Digital Trailblazer category of the Xconomy Awards San Diego highlight the wide variety of healthtech ideas emanating from local startups and big companies alike, ranging from virtual coaches for physical … Continue reading “Meet the Xconomy Awards San Diego Digital Trailblazer Finalists”
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”
Exosomes Head to Wall Street As Codiak Biosciences Lines Up IPO
Do Wall Street investors believe that exosomes, the tiny bubbles once thought to be just cellular garbage bins, may be the key to treating a slew of potential diseases? The coming IPO for Codiak Biosciences will present a test case. Codiak, a Cambridge, MA, company run by former Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) research chief Doug Williams, … Continue reading “Exosomes Head to Wall Street As Codiak Biosciences Lines Up IPO”
Vividion Raises $82M to Advance Small Molecule Drugs to the Clinic
Vividion Therapeutics, a biotechnology company that launched in 2017 around discoveries made in Scripps Research Institute labs, has raised $82 million in financing. Nextech Invest, a Swiss investment firm that funds companies developing cancer therapeutics, led the Series B round of funding. As part of the investment, Nextech partner Jakob Loven gets a board seat. … Continue reading “Vividion Raises $82M to Advance Small Molecule Drugs to the Clinic”
Takeda Unites San Diego Operations At New ‘Biotech-Style’ R&D Center
In 2005, Japan’s big drug firm Takeda acquired a company in North America for the first time. That company was Syrrx, a private San Diego-based biotech that used X-ray crystallography to help determine the structures of disease-related molecules so drugs could be designed to target them. Now, 14 years and multiple other acquisitions of North … Continue reading “Takeda Unites San Diego Operations At New ‘Biotech-Style’ R&D Center”
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”
Connect, San Diego Venture Group Announce Plan to Merge Operations
Connect, which runs the San Diego region’s longest-standing accelerator program for early-stage startups, is combining its operations with that of the San Diego Venture Group to form an organization that will be better equipped to support young ventures, the two companies said this week. Mike Krenn, who became president of SDVG in August of 2014, … Continue reading “Connect, San Diego Venture Group Announce Plan to Merge Operations”
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”
Roswell, Organovo & More: Xconomy Awards Innovation at the Intersection Finalists
[Corie Lok and Frank Vinluan co-authored this article.] Whether they’re 3D printing human tissues, encoding data in DNA, or securing medical devices against cyber attacks, the finalists in the Innovation at the Intersection category of the Xconomy Awards San Diego are showing how to bring different disciplines to bear on tough problems in regenerative medicine, … Continue reading “Roswell, Organovo & More: Xconomy Awards Innovation at the Intersection Finalists”
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”
Avidity Biosciences Gets $35M in Immunology R&D Deal with Eli Lilly
Avidity Biosciences, a biotech developing drugs that deliver bits of RNA and DNA to cells to treat disease, has signed its first strategic pharmaceutical partner. Eli Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) is paying Avidity $20 million upfront—plus $15 million in equity—for the rights to use the La Jolla, CA, startup’s technology to try and develop new medicines. … Continue reading “Avidity Biosciences Gets $35M in Immunology R&D Deal with Eli Lilly”
Forge Therapeutics, Basilea Sign Deal to Pursue New Antibiotics
Forge Therapeutics, founded in 2015 with the goal of developing drugs that target metalloenzymes, said Wednesday it had agreed to let Basilea Pharmaceutica use its chemistry platform to develop new antibiotics. Basilea, a Swiss company, has previously commercialized two drugs, an antifungal, isavuconazole (Cresemba), and an antibiotic, ceftobiprole (Zevtera). The former is marketed and distributed … Continue reading “Forge Therapeutics, Basilea Sign Deal to Pursue New Antibiotics”
Censinet Takes Off With $7.8M to Track Cyber Risks in Healthcare
Censinet, a Boston startup helping hospitals and other healthcare providers manage the cyber risk of their hundreds of third-party vendors, has launched its system and announced $7.8 million in funding to double its headcount in a year, further develop its platform, and market its software. The Series A funding round is led by Boston-based HLM … Continue reading “Censinet Takes Off With $7.8M to Track Cyber Risks in Healthcare”
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”
ServiceNow Alum’s Perspectium Adds $8M More for Integration Tools
ServiceNow, one of the most valuable software companies ever founded in San Diego, launched in 2003, before enterprise software-as-a-service became a topic of mainstream discussion. Today’s tech landscape is dotted with companies that investors have valued at $1 billion or more—an elite club, members of which have come to be known as “unicorns,” and dozens … Continue reading “ServiceNow Alum’s Perspectium Adds $8M More for Integration Tools”
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”
Poseida to Advance CAR-T For Myeloma with Novartis-Led $142M Round
[Updated 4/23/19 9:10 a.m. See below.] The race to bring CAR-T cell therapy to multiple myeloma, a persistent and deadly cancer of the bone marrow, continued on Monday with a fresh round of funding for Poseida Therapeutics. Swiss pharma giant Novartis has invested $75 million in a $142 million Series C round for San Diego-based … Continue reading “Poseida to Advance CAR-T For Myeloma with Novartis-Led $142M Round”
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”
Redox Wrangles $33M to Become Healthcare’s Go-To Data Integrator
[Updated 5/3/19, 12:55 pm CT. See below.] As hospitals and clinics have shifted from paper-based records to digital systems, one of the biggest challenges has been sharing patient data between healthcare providers, and between providers and outside software applications. This “interoperability” problem has created a market for companies such as Redox, a Madison, WI-based startup … Continue reading “Redox Wrangles $33M to Become Healthcare’s Go-To Data Integrator”
$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”