Cellular Dynamics International intends to construct a new, 100,000-square-foot headquarters in Verona, WI, and move its operations there, according to a company proposal posted on the city’s website. Verona is a suburb of Madison, WI, where the company, known as CDI, is currently based. The facility would be both a research and cell-manufacturing center, and … Continue reading “Cellular Dynamics Plans to Relocate, Build New Manufacturing Center”
Category: Wisconsin
Political Focus on Rust Belt Could Help Boost VC Investment
Much has been written in the tech industry as a result of the Presidential election. Many coastal VCs and entrepreneurs believe that Trump’s America-first, anti-immigration platform could put the brakes on the venture industry’s core globalization strategies. While this may be true, regardless of which candidate you supported, most would agree that with chaos and … Continue reading “Political Focus on Rust Belt Could Help Boost VC Investment”
6 Cybersecurity Predictions for 2017: Ransomware, Skills Gap & More
In 2016, we saw cyber attacks increasingly shift from external breaches of confidential data to internal disruption of data and services, as attackers used distributed denial of service (DDoS) or encryption to hold businesses hostage. Attackers continue to focus more on exploiting users than technology. Users are often unaware and uneducated about the potential risks, … Continue reading “6 Cybersecurity Predictions for 2017: Ransomware, Skills Gap & More”
East Coast Silicon Valley
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – R. Buckminster Fuller Reinvention A few months ago I was talking to executives in charge of innovation at a large U.S. bank. “Our biggest problem is that we look at all this new … Continue reading “East Coast Silicon Valley”
Immigration Restrictions, Lack of Healthcare Could Imperil Innovation
It’s hard to predict what effect the new administration will have, since we have very little information on any concrete policies they plan to enact. We do know a few things—namely, they are anti-Obamacare and anti-immigration. Decreasing the number of visas granted to highly skilled workers (a likely possibility given Steve Bannon’s comments on Silicon … Continue reading “Immigration Restrictions, Lack of Healthcare Could Imperil Innovation”
Bio Roundup: Crazy ’16, Trials of ’17, Senate on Drugs & More
You’ve probably seen the Internet memes. “When 2016 started, I looked like this. [Insert picture of young Leo DiCaprio.] Now I look like this. [Leo, with mountain beard, after mud-wrestling with a grizzly in The Revenant.]” In life science terms, let’s just say all our telomeres feel a lot shorter than 12 months ago. The … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Crazy ’16, Trials of ’17, Senate on Drugs & More”
The Price of Growth: Founders’ Dilution
Founders of a company considering the various available fundraising options often ask the challenging question: Why take venture capital money, which may significantly dilute the founders and might result in a loss of control of the company? Although the venture capital path is always a possibility, founders are often concerned about the consequences of such … Continue reading “The Price of Growth: Founders’ Dilution”
14 for ’17: Key Clinical Data To Watch For Next Year (Part 2)
We continue our look ahead to some of the clinical data due in 2017 that could shape healthcare practice and sway investor sentiment for years to come. Part one of our preview is here, with looks at key studies in lung cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, and more. In part two, we examine studies in leukemia, … Continue reading “14 for ’17: Key Clinical Data To Watch For Next Year (Part 2)”
14 For ’17: Key Clinical Data to Watch For Next Year (Part 1)
[Updated, 4:28 pm ET, see below] After years of research, frustration, hype, and millions (sometimes hundreds of millions) of dollars invested, a drug program boils down to the clinical data—usually from big, late-stage studies—that can sometimes make or break a company. There were high profile successes in 2016. Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “14 For ’17: Key Clinical Data to Watch For Next Year (Part 1)”
Benson Hill Bio Brings Power of Big Data to Small Plant Breeders
When farmers want crops that have a better shot at resisting disease or taking up nutrients, they use breeding techniques to develop new varieties. Crossing plants to create these varieties is an agricultural practice that dates back thousands of years. Breeding has since become more sophisticated, incorporating sophisticated screening technologies to find desirable traits. But … Continue reading “Benson Hill Bio Brings Power of Big Data to Small Plant Breeders”
Industry Needs Common Security Standards to Thwart IoT Attacks
A silver lining has emerged in the wake of the massive and well-publicized denial-of-service attack launched less than two months ago by hackers using millions of IoT devices to cripple the websites of major companies like Amazon, Netflix and Twitter. This ambush has triggered a redoubling of efforts to focus on the need for industry-led … Continue reading “Industry Needs Common Security Standards to Thwart IoT Attacks”
What Is Causing Startups to Go Bankrupt?
Many startups have a great product that’s viable, marketable, and ripe with potential. But if that was the only indicator of success, then nine out of 10 startups wouldn’t fail. The annals of startup history wouldn’t be littered with instances of companies like Friendster or Color that had fantastic products, but eventually sank. The truth … Continue reading “What Is Causing Startups to Go Bankrupt?”
7 Ways to Secure Your Connected Devices Against Hackers
’Tis the season for giving gifts. And increasingly, those shiny new toys and gadgets can be connected to the Internet—from TVs to watches, speakers to Barbie dolls. That Internet connection opens up a ton of possibilities for how we can use and enjoy our new devices. (“Alexa, play my Christmas playlist on Spotify, and also … Continue reading “7 Ways to Secure Your Connected Devices Against Hackers”
Exact Sciences, Fiserv, OneEvent, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Stay out of the snow, and in the know, with these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community. —Madison-based Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) said that Cologuard, the company’s stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer, will be covered as an in-network service for members of the Louisville, KY-based health insurer Humana (NYSE: [[ticker:HUM]]), effective Jan. 1. Cologuard … Continue reading “Exact Sciences, Fiserv, OneEvent, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Arch Virtual Gives Madison Officials High-Tech Tour of StartingBlock
Last year, the yet-to-be-constructed entrepreneurial center StartingBlock Madison released renderings of the building it would occupy, helping to bring the project to life in the minds of many observers. Earlier this week, StartingBlock presented another preview of the space, this time with an added dimension—literally. At a meeting of Madison, WI’s municipal Plan Commission, whose … Continue reading “Arch Virtual Gives Madison Officials High-Tech Tour of StartingBlock”
Bio Roundup: NY Rises, Prez Inks Cures, Ophthotech Crashes & More
The 21st Century Cures Act is now law. New York wants to play in the biotech big leagues. The FDA under Trump will have license to approve drugs faster and could have a former top official back on board as commissioner. An eye drug failed, an Alzheimer’s drug got scrutinized, and a new antibiotic passed … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: NY Rises, Prez Inks Cures, Ophthotech Crashes & More”
Panel: Healthcare Innovation Has Lagged, But Future Could Be Bright
“Healthcare stinks at innovation, period.” That statement, from Frank Byrne—formerly president of St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI, and now an advisor to the healthtech-focused VC group HealthX Ventures—was probably the most provocative one made during a panel discussion on healthcare and potentially transformative technologies held on Thursday in Madison. The forum was part of WTN Media’s … Continue reading “Panel: Healthcare Innovation Has Lagged, But Future Could Be Bright”
50 Podcasts You Should Be Listening To—and 5 New Ways to Find Them
If you’re not much of a podcast listener and you have a sense that you’re missing out on a lot of great content, you’re absolutely right. But now is a good time to fix that, thanks to a new profusion of listening options. And to get you started, I have a few shows to suggest. … Continue reading “50 Podcasts You Should Be Listening To—and 5 New Ways to Find Them”
Shine Medical Awarded $10M by Federal Nuclear Security Agency
Shine Medical Technologies, which has for years been working to resume domestic production of a crucial medical isotope, says it has been awarded $10 million in funding from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), part of the U.S. Department of Energy. Janesville, WI-based Shine received the funding through a program the NNSA created in 2010—the … Continue reading “Shine Medical Awarded $10M by Federal Nuclear Security Agency”
Pulse@MassChallenge Pulls Heavily From MA for First Group of Startups
[Updated 12/13/16, 9:30 am, with link to list of companies.] Today MassChallenge revealed the 31 startups chosen for the inaugural six-month session of its new Boston digital health lab, Pulse@MassChallenge, and there are a lot of familiar faces. Eight of the companies that will participate are alumni of MassChallenge’s main startup accelerator program in Boston. … Continue reading “Pulse@MassChallenge Pulls Heavily From MA for First Group of Startups”
Hyperloop, Epic, Wantable, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
Catch up on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —A team of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has constructed a prototype for a vehicle that could potentially zoom through an above-ground vacuum tube at speeds of 200 miles per hour, the school said. The “Badgerloop” team is one of 30 from … Continue reading “Hyperloop, Epic, Wantable, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
Asto CT Envisions Better Imaging Tech for Horses, Other Animals
An average of 24 horses die at U.S. racetracks every week, according to a 2012 New York Times investigation. In some of these cases, catastrophic injuries suffered by horses—which can also cause serious harm to the jockeys riding them—are freak, unforeseen incidents. But there are also times when the people who train horses and monitor … Continue reading “Asto CT Envisions Better Imaging Tech for Horses, Other Animals”
Bio Roundup: Fast “Cures,” Trump In Time, CRISPR In Court & More
What a week. The 21st Century Cures Act is now waiting President Obama’s promised signature after easy passage through Congress. President-elect Donald Trump re-stirred the drug-pricing pot with comments in Time Magazine and a reported FDA commissioner candidate who doesn’t seem to think much of the regulatory process. And a trio of judges met to … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Fast “Cures,” Trump In Time, CRISPR In Court & More”
BrightStar Wisconsin Invests $550K in 3 Milwaukee Startups
BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation has invested a combined $550,000 in three Milwaukee-based startups, the nonprofit said Thursday in a news release. The most recent additions to BrightStar’s portfolio, which now comprises 32 companies, are: Access HealthNet, which gives employees of business clients the ability to purchase and schedule common medical procedures from local providers; OnKöl, which sells … Continue reading “BrightStar Wisconsin Invests $550K in 3 Milwaukee Startups”
Wake Up, Pharma—Trump Is Not Your Savior
Since the election, leaders in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals are acting like they got away with robbery. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index went up 9 percent overnight on November 8th. With Donald Trump coming into office, the whole industry seems to have breathed a sigh of relief that the status quo—a continuous race toward higher prices—will last … Continue reading “Wake Up, Pharma—Trump Is Not Your Savior”
Senate Approves 21st Century Cures Act, Sending Bill to Obama
The U.S. Senate has voted overwhelmingly to approve the 21st Century Cures Act, a wide-ranging healthcare spending and reform bill that aims to infuse medical research with new funding and also speed up the regulatory approval process for new drugs and medical devices. With the Senate’s 94-5 vote on Wednesday, the bill now advances to … Continue reading “Senate Approves 21st Century Cures Act, Sending Bill to Obama”
Medical Imaging Startup OnLume Seeks to Show Surgeons The Light
The prospect of undergoing a surgical procedure with the operating room lights dimmed or switched off would probably make a lot of people bristle. But with some procedures, darkened operating environments make sense because they allow surgical teams to use fluorescent compounds that highlight particular tissues in patients’ bodies. This imaging technique is known as … Continue reading “Medical Imaging Startup OnLume Seeks to Show Surgeons The Light”
ASH Roundup: CAR-T Shuffle, Hemophilia Updates, Checkpoint Progress & More
Two years ago at the American Society of Hematology conference, excitement, not blood, was running in the streets of San Francisco. The cancer immunotherapy known as CAR-T was the star of the show, thanks to dazzling early data that showed more patients than not saw their leukemias and lymphomas knocked into remission by the living, … Continue reading “ASH Roundup: CAR-T Shuffle, Hemophilia Updates, Checkpoint Progress & More”
With Nod To Biden, Senate To Say Yes To “Cures” Spending, Reform Bill
The U.S. Senate cleared the way for the 21st Century Cures Act, an omnibus healthcare spending and reform bill, by voting 85-13 to end debate this evening. It passed the House with 392 votes last week. After a final Senate vote as early as tomorrow, it will head to President Obama’s desk. The president used … Continue reading “With Nod To Biden, Senate To Say Yes To “Cures” Spending, Reform Bill”
With Cowboys’ Backing, Blue Star Set to Boost Sports Startups
Dallas—Partners with a deep well of subject matter expertise and capital are on the top of any entrepreneur’s wish list. Now an accelerator tailored to sports technology startups might be giving those founders a connection to the ultimate in sports and marketing royalty: the Dallas Cowboys. The new Blue Star Accelerator, aimed at nurturing young … Continue reading “With Cowboys’ Backing, Blue Star Set to Boost Sports Startups”
The Xconomy Immuno-Oncology Resource: A Mid-ASH T Cell Update
[Updated, 12/5/16, 4 p.m. See below.] If you’re following cancer immunotherapy, you might feel a bit swamped by this week’s wave of clinical data from experimental programs that turn living T cells into revved-up cancer fighters. We’re updating our ongoing cancer immunotherapy trial resource with American Society of Hematology results, plus a few others we’ve … Continue reading “The Xconomy Immuno-Oncology Resource: A Mid-ASH T Cell Update”
Zika, Sector67, Video Games, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community, starting with these recent headlines: —Takeda, a pharmaceutical company based in Japan, is developing a vaccine for Zika virus at the laboratory it operates in Madison, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The company is reportedly working on tests that would tell researchers whether the vaccine, … Continue reading “Zika, Sector67, Video Games, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
With MIR Deal, Propeller Health Helps Patients Track Lung Function
Propeller Health’s respiratory disease management platform—which combines sensor-equipped inhalers with software applications and analytics—will now also be able to pull in measurements of patients’ lung function, thanks to a partnership with Italy-based Medical International Research (MIR) announced on Thursday. MIR has for years manufactured spirometers, which measure the volume of air someone breathes in and … Continue reading “With MIR Deal, Propeller Health Helps Patients Track Lung Function”
This Week in Drug Pricing and Post-Election Healthcare Policy News
Healthcare news has been coming fast and furious in the fallout of the election, particularly this week. Read on below for the latest on the 21st Century Cures Act, the Trump Administration’s latest nominees, and a biopharma CEO’s warning to his peers on drug pricing. IN WASHINGTON… —The House of Representatives passed a sweeping healthcare … Continue reading “This Week in Drug Pricing and Post-Election Healthcare Policy News”
Bio Roundup: CAR-T Ups & Downs, Lilly’s Failure, Myeloma & More
We’ve packed some extra stuffing into the roundup this week to account for some burnt turkey delivered by biopharma in the few days before Thanksgiving—starting with Eli Lilly’s failed gamble in Alzheimer’s disease. Lilly wasn’t alone, however. Several companies, among them Juno Therapeutics, Arrowhead Pharmaceutials, and Nivalis Therapeutics, have had some bad news for investors … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CAR-T Ups & Downs, Lilly’s Failure, Myeloma & More”
An Innovation Snapshot of Medellin, Colombia
As we fly over Cuba en route from Fort Lauderdale to Medellin, I am already imbibing the upcoming culture change from the happy chaos at the departure gate in Florida. The plane is surprisingly not full and my fellow passengers, primarily Hispanics, are in a sleepy good mood. We will be arriving at 1am and … Continue reading “An Innovation Snapshot of Medellin, Colombia”
Arrowhead Chief Scientific Officer David Lewis Among 34 Laid Off
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals has terminated the employment of chief scientific officer David Lewis, effective later this month, the company said in a regulatory filing that was made public on Thursday. Vincent Anzalone, a vice president at Arrowhead (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]), confirmed Lewis’ imminent departure in a phone interview. Anzalone said that Lewis was terminated as part of … Continue reading “Arrowhead Chief Scientific Officer David Lewis Among 34 Laid Off”
Arrowhead’s Future Could Now Ride on Progress of Amgen Partnership
After canceling three liver drug programs and slashing its staff, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals has nothing left in clinical trials. But a separate partnership with another biotech company, Amgen, could signal where Arrowhead goes next. The strategy shift became necessary after Arrowhead (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]) said Tuesday that it would halt work on its troubled liver drugs, which … Continue reading “Arrowhead’s Future Could Now Ride on Progress of Amgen Partnership”
Brushing Aside Critics, House Votes in Landslide for Cures Act
By a 392 to 26 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the omnibus healthcare legislation called the 21st Century Cures Act, bringing new funding for top Obama administration health priorities a big step closer to the outgoing president’s signature. While critics of the bill questioned whether that funding would actually materialize in coming … Continue reading “Brushing Aside Critics, House Votes in Landslide for Cures Act”
RAM shift phase 2
[Editor’s note: Seattle-based sci-fi author Greg Bear has contemplated a day when intelligent machines, which are already assisting or replacing humans in manufacturing and transportation, could do his job, too. Indeed, a World Economic Forum study (PDF) predicts that technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics will replace some 5 million jobs by 2020, while … Continue reading “RAM shift phase 2”
Arrowhead Shares Plunge Amid Layoffs, Canceled Liver Drug Programs
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday that it has canceled the development of three experimental drug candidates for liver diseases and plans to lay off part of its workforce, sending the company’s stock down nearly 60 percent in after-hours trading. Arrowhead’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]) stock price was $1.77 a share as of 7:39 p.m. in New York, down from … Continue reading “Arrowhead Shares Plunge Amid Layoffs, Canceled Liver Drug Programs”
Trump Tabs Fiscal, Social Conservatives To Run U.S. Health Agencies
Two big pieces of the Trump healthcare puzzle have fallen into place. The President-elect’s transition team has nominated Georgia Republican congressman Tom Price to be Health and Human Services secretary. It has also tabbed Indiana health consultant Seema Verma to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In a statement, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), … Continue reading “Trump Tabs Fiscal, Social Conservatives To Run U.S. Health Agencies”
The Tough Questions You Must Discuss Before You Take the Money
If all goes well, the day will come when just one small thing will stand between you and funding for your startup: your signature on a term sheet. Most founders quickly sign on the line and get back to the business of growing their business. Smart ones set aside the paperwork, grab their business partners, … Continue reading “The Tough Questions You Must Discuss Before You Take the Money”
100state’s Growth Highlights Increasing Popularity of Coworking
Launching a technology business out of a garage may put it in some esteemed company, but in certain areas at certain times of year—like Wisconsin in November—the founders would probably want to move their workspace inside. For a startup that’s budget-conscious but would rather not work from a private residence, one option is leasing shared office … Continue reading “100state’s Growth Highlights Increasing Popularity of Coworking”
Natural Pesticides Maker Marrone Bio Gets EPA Nod on Biofumigant
A biological fumigant developed by Marrone Bio Innovations is one step closer to joining the pest-control toolkit of strawberry farmers after clearing a key regulatory hurdle. Marrone Bio (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MBII]]) announced Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency has registered the Davis, CA-based company’s biofumigant, called MBI-601 EP. The biofumigant was developed to control and suppress … Continue reading “Natural Pesticides Maker Marrone Bio Gets EPA Nod on Biofumigant”
Should We Rewrite the Human Genome?
Scientists are engineering a new living thing: a radically modified version of the lowly bacterium E. coli. In an article in Science from August, researchers at Harvard University described an ongoing project to build the genetic code of E. coli from scratch, but with major revisions to create a new strain unlike any in existence. The modified E. coli is … Continue reading “Should We Rewrite the Human Genome?”
Cellectar Announces $8M Stock Offering, Sending Shares Lower
Another day, another stock offering from Cellectar Biosciences. The Madison, WI-based biotech, which announced a $3.3 million stock offering in September 2015 and then said in April that it had raised $8 million from investors, now says it’s raising another $8 million in an offering that’s expected to close on Nov. 29. Cellectar’s pipeline includes … Continue reading “Cellectar Announces $8M Stock Offering, Sending Shares Lower”
MoolaPitch’s Crowdfunding Site Connects WI Startups, Investors
In 2014, when Facebook announced it had spent $2 billion to purchase the virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR, the deal seemed to exemplify a basic formula for startup success: show the technology community a promising concept, raise money to support the work of turning that concept into a marketable product, and cash out. Not … Continue reading “MoolaPitch’s Crowdfunding Site Connects WI Startups, Investors”
The Convergence of Information Technology and the Life Sciences
We are at an incredible inflection point in the traditionally distinct fields of information technology and the life sciences. These broad disciplines are converging to advance fields of study like computational biology and systems biology, resulting in new forms of therapeutics and diagnostics that could have a monumentally positive impact on human health. At DFJ … Continue reading “The Convergence of Information Technology and the Life Sciences”
Sluggish Year for IPOs, But Signs Abound of Post-Election Surge
Uncertainty surrounding this year’s presidential election has kept U.S. IPO activity at a sluggish pace—so sluggish, in fact, that this year could end with the fewest IPOs and the lowest level of capital raised since 2009, according to PitchBook data for the first nine months of 2016. But this is no time to trash talk … Continue reading “Sluggish Year for IPOs, But Signs Abound of Post-Election Surge”