Seattle Week in Review: Amazon, Indy Bookstores, and Serendipity

Amazon, the behemoth of digital and physical commerce, started out as an independent bookseller, albeit an online one, based in a home in Bellevue, WA. Now that it’s doing everything else—this week it deployed artificial intelligence to judge your fashion choices—how’s that online bookstore business shaping up? It’s something to contemplate on Independent Bookstore Day, … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Amazon, Indy Bookstores, and Serendipity”

TCC Plans to Expand Offerings After Acquiring Vertex, Triple Impact

TCC Software Solutions, an Indianapolis-based IT cloud-hosting company, announced this week that it has acquired two businesses: Vertex Solutions Group and Triple Impact. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Jim Pangallo, principal partner at TCC, says the two companies came to TCC’s attention through Harborside Advisors, a Florida firm that arranged the acquisition. … Continue reading “TCC Plans to Expand Offerings After Acquiring Vertex, Triple Impact”

Hacking Back: Agari Turns the Tables on Next-Gen E-mail Scammers

What would happen if a total stranger with a poor command of English asked the payroll manager of an American corporation to send him the Internal Revenue Service Form W-2’s for the company’s entire staff? Answer: Some payroll managers would obligingly send the stranger a PDF of all the forms, containing the names, Social Security … Continue reading “Hacking Back: Agari Turns the Tables on Next-Gen E-mail Scammers”

FDA Approves BioMarin Drug, A First for Rare Genetic Batten Disease

BioMarin Pharmaceuticals has won the first FDA approval for a treatment for Batten disease, a rare group of disorders that rob children of vision, cognitive abilities, and motor skills, and usually prove deadly before adulthood. The San Rafael, CA-based biotech’s cerliponase alfa (Brineura) must be administered directly into the brain through a stent. At $27,000 … Continue reading “FDA Approves BioMarin Drug, A First for Rare Genetic Batten Disease”

A New Mindset Could Overcome ‘Bogus Academic Person Business Model’

San Antonio — Academic research centers are perennially seeking new ways to get more work commercialized, from offices that are tasked with spotting marketable science to workshops meant to help scientists learn to think like entrepreneurs. But the problem may be that scientists at universities merely have different incentives than researchers in the biotech industry, … Continue reading “A New Mindset Could Overcome ‘Bogus Academic Person Business Model’”

Blackstone LaunchPad Adds to UTD’s Entrepreneurship Portfolio

Richardson, TX—The University of Texas at Dallas today formally kicks off its Blackstone LaunchPad program, one of three cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship centers opening at universities across the state. The program, funded by a $1 million donation from the charitable arm of the New York-based private equity firm, also received a matching $1 million grant from UTD. … Continue reading “Blackstone LaunchPad Adds to UTD’s Entrepreneurship Portfolio”

Boston’s Life Science Disruptors

Disruption in biotech can come in different forms, from new technologies that can change the face of medicine, to ideas and initiatives that can challenge the status quo. Boston has both of these in spades, with ambitious biotech startups bent on transforming drug development and industry leaders unafraid to tackle the sector’s toughest issues. But … Continue reading “Boston’s Life Science Disruptors”

Gottlieb’s FDA Nomination Gets Committee Nod, Advances to Senate

Scott Gottlieb’s nomination to the top post of the FDA is on its way to the full U.S. Senate. The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee voted 14-9 on Thursday to approve Gottlieb’s nomination to become FDA commissioner. All of the Republicans on the committee voted for Gottlieb, along with two Democrats, Sen. Sheldon … Continue reading “Gottlieb’s FDA Nomination Gets Committee Nod, Advances to Senate”

Exact Sciences Shares Rise After Company Beats Quarterly Forecasts

[Updated 4/27/17 5:29 pm. See below.] A year ago, Exact Sciences’s stock was in a slump, languishing below $10 per share. But since then, its stock price has climbed back to more than $20 per share. That rally continued Thursday, after the medical diagnostics company released first quarter financial results that handily beat analyst expectations. … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Shares Rise After Company Beats Quarterly Forecasts”

Duchenne, SMA, and the Rise of Patient Power at “What’s Hot” on May 11

Two of the most noteworthy drugs to win FDA approval over the past year, eteplirsen (Exondys 51) and nusinersen (Spinraza), have something important in common: Patient groups have played a critical role in both of their stories. Eteplirsen, Sarepta Therapeutics’ (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug, was a test case for the increasing power of … Continue reading “Duchenne, SMA, and the Rise of Patient Power at “What’s Hot” on May 11”

Allen Pledges $30M to House Homeless Families Amid Funding Debate

Paul Allen has pledged $30 million to help house homeless families in Seattle, as the city grapples with an ongoing crisis and debates how to pay for it. With an additional $5 million in capital from city coffers, the funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation would enable nonprofit housing developer Mercy Housing Northwest … Continue reading “Allen Pledges $30M to House Homeless Families Amid Funding Debate”

Michigan State’s Conquer Accelerator Announces 2017 Participants

Earlier this month, the Michigan State University-backed Conquer accelerator program announced the five startups that will spend the summer pushing their products and technologies to market. Starting in June, Conquer participants will begin the 10-week incubation program. What makes Conquer different from many other university accelerators is its accessibility. Even though the program is administered … Continue reading “Michigan State’s Conquer Accelerator Announces 2017 Participants”

Will New Data Open “Bottlenecks” For Biogen’s Pricey Spine Drug?

Four months after its drug nusinersen (Spinraza) became the first ever approved to treat the rare genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy, Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) released study results Tuesday that could help more patients gain access to the expensive drug. The data, from a 126-patient study called CHERISH, provide the most detailed evidence to date that … Continue reading “Will New Data Open “Bottlenecks” For Biogen’s Pricey Spine Drug?”

Gates Foundation Leads $45.5M Round for Gerngross’s Biotech Arsanis

[Corrected 4/27/17, 11:57 p.m. See Below.] Arsanis, a Waltham, MA-based biotech co-founded by scientist and entrepreneur Tillman Gerngross to develop treatments for bacterial and viral infections, has raised a $45.5 million investment led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to finance a mid-stage clinical trial for its lead drug program. The Series D round of … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Leads $45.5M Round for Gerngross’s Biotech Arsanis”

Boston Tech Watch: Uber Driver Appeals, NFL Wearables, Drone IPO

[Updated 4/26/17, 2:58 pm. See below.] This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking appeals by Uber and Lyft drivers who failed state background checks; a deal between a local wearable device startup and the National Football League Players Association; an Australian IPO by a Massachusetts underwater drone company; and much more. Read on for details. … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Uber Driver Appeals, NFL Wearables, Drone IPO”

Barclays Techstars’ Jon Zanoff on Startups, Banks, and Fintech’s Future

Jon Zanoff is ready for a new nickname. Dubbed “The Mayor of Fintech,” Zanoff, the newly appointed managing director of the Barclays Techstars accelerator in New York, has certainly been entrenched in the financial technology industry long enough to deserve the title. For the past five years, he’s presided over Empire Startups, a New York-based … Continue reading “Barclays Techstars’ Jon Zanoff on Startups, Banks, and Fintech’s Future”

Joining G20, Troiano Is Latest Boston Tech Exec to Move Into VC

Mike Troiano doesn’t sit still. In fact, it’s hard to believe he has been chief marketing officer at enterprise IT firm Actifio for five years. But now he has taken a full-time position as a partner at G20 Ventures, the Boston venture capital firm founded by Bob Hower and Bill Wiberg. Troiano has some experience … Continue reading “Joining G20, Troiano Is Latest Boston Tech Exec to Move Into VC”

Titan Spine, Aurora, CMFG, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Catch up on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community, starting with these recent headlines: —Mequon-based Titan Spine, which makes titanium cages of various shapes and sizes designed for use in spinal surgeries, said it achieved “record sales” during the first three months of 2017. In a press release highlighting the company’s recent progress, Titan Spine said that … Continue reading “Titan Spine, Aurora, CMFG, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

The Medicines Co., Alnylam Take Plunge, Outline Big Test For Heart Drug

The Medicines Co. and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals have come to a deal with the FDA on the big Phase 3 test for their RNA-based cholesterol-lowering drug, inclisiran, a potentially longer-lasting alternative to a new group of drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors. Medicines Co. (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]) and partner Alnylam (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) will collectively enroll 3,000 patients with atherosclerotic … Continue reading “The Medicines Co., Alnylam Take Plunge, Outline Big Test For Heart Drug”

After Steady Growth, Greenlight.guru Plans New Office, More Hires

The Indianapolis-based startup Greenlight.guru, maker of quality management software for organizations in the medical device industry, plans to invest $651,022 in a new, 7,200-square-foot office at Union 525, a tech hub in the city’s downtown. The new office is part of an expansion plan now underway, and the company expects to create up to 120 … Continue reading “After Steady Growth, Greenlight.guru Plans New Office, More Hires”

Forge Therapeutics Raises $15M to Take on Drug-Resistant Superbugs

One reason that drug-resistant “superbugs” are a growing healthcare problem is the hardiness of gram-negative bacteria, a type of bacteria whose characteristics render many antibiotics ineffective. Forge Therapeutics says it has found a way to target an enzyme found only in these bacteria, and potentially take them out. Now, the biotech firm is preparing to … Continue reading “Forge Therapeutics Raises $15M to Take on Drug-Resistant Superbugs”

Cellular Dynamics Adds to Stem Cell Work With Harvard Institute

Cellular Dynamics International, a Madison, WI-based manufacturer of human cells, recently signed a collaboration agreement with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute that’s aimed at making greater quantities of stem cells available to researchers at the institute and its affiliates. CDI concentrates in part on developing and commercializing therapies using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which can … Continue reading “Cellular Dynamics Adds to Stem Cell Work With Harvard Institute”

While You Were Sleeping: ResMed Builds an Empire in the Cloud

Over the past 28 years or so, ResMed (NYSE: [[ticker:RMD]]) has built an empire around its respiratory devices for managing sleep apnea and other forms of “sleep-disordered breathing.” In the fiscal year that ended last June, the San Diego maker of respiratory machines for maintaining continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) generated over $1.8 billion in … Continue reading “While You Were Sleeping: ResMed Builds an Empire in the Cloud”

Desktop Metal, Backed By $97M, Unveils Its First Metal 3D Printers

After a couple years of work, Desktop Metal took the wraps off its metal 3D printers this week. The startup has drawn $97 million from high-profile investors who are betting the technology could transform the way metal parts get developed and manufactured. So, what’s the big deal? Standard metal-making 3D printers are bulky, cost hundreds … Continue reading “Desktop Metal, Backed By $97M, Unveils Its First Metal 3D Printers”

Virent’s New CEO Talks Tesoro Purchase, Company Culture, and More

Last week, Virent, a Madison, WI-based developer of biofuels that are designed to replace crude oil, announced it had hired Stacey Orlandi to serve as the company’s next chief executive. Virent says its base technology can help produce cleaner and more sustainable versions of liquid transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The 40-person … Continue reading “Virent’s New CEO Talks Tesoro Purchase, Company Culture, and More”

OncoMed Slashes Workforce After Two Clinical Trial Failures in Cancer

After seeing its two most advanced cancer therapies fail in clinical trials this month, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is slashing its workforce by half and focusing on compounds in earlier stages of development, the company announced Monday. The layoffs will leave Redwood City, CA-based OncoMed with 64 full-time employees. The company says that the cuts will save … Continue reading “OncoMed Slashes Workforce After Two Clinical Trial Failures in Cancer”

Prytime Signs Military Distribution Deal with Combat Medical Systems

San Antonio — Prytime Medical Devices has signed a deal that would have Harrisburg, NC-based Combat Medical Systems distribute and sell the company’s medical device, a catheter that can be used to control hemorrhaging, to the U.S. military and federal government. Prytime, which is headquartered near San Antonio in Boerne, TX, sells a catheter that can … Continue reading “Prytime Signs Military Distribution Deal with Combat Medical Systems”

Xconomy Awards

With the help of a stellar panel of judges, Xconomy will honor the people, companies, and organizations that make the Boston life sciences community one of the most vibrant innovation centers in the world.

HistoSonics Aims To Move Forward After Raising $8.5M, Naming New CEO

Changes are afoot at HistoSonics, the University of Michigan medical device spinout based in Ann Arbor, MI. The company has a new CEO, as well as a new focus on the treatment of solid-tumor cancers. Last month, HistoSonics also closed on a $8.2 million Series B round led by Wisconsin’s Venture Investors, with contributions from … Continue reading “HistoSonics Aims To Move Forward After Raising $8.5M, Naming New CEO”

Xconomy Bookclub: Big Data Meets Fine Dining in CEO’s “Culinary Tour”

Software, it has been said, is eating the world. Now the food world is looking to use technology and analytics as a main ingredient in running more profitable organizations. So says Damian Mogavero, who along with Joseph D’Agnese, wrote The Underground Culinary Tour: How the New Metrics of Today’s Top Restaurants Are Transforming How America … Continue reading “Xconomy Bookclub: Big Data Meets Fine Dining in CEO’s “Culinary Tour””

Amid Automation Debate, A.I. Backers Tout Job Creation Potential

Rapid advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence technologies over the past decade have stoked concern that machines could eventually take over most, if not virtually all, human jobs. But there is another, more optimistic view of how the advance of A.I. and automation will impact the economy—one articulated by people like Mark Gorenberg (pictured right). … Continue reading “Amid Automation Debate, A.I. Backers Tout Job Creation Potential”

Becton Dickinson Aims Beyond Diabetes with $24B Bard Deal

In a medical technology merger with implications for the healthcare sector in the United States and beyond, Becton Dickinson is acquiring C.R. Bard for $24 billion to tap into the growing markets for products used in treating vascular conditions and cancer. Under the deal announced Sunday, Franklin Lakes, NJ-based Becton Dickinson (NYSE: [[ticker:BD]]) will pay … Continue reading “Becton Dickinson Aims Beyond Diabetes with $24B Bard Deal”

Pursuing Larger Rivals, NGM Bio Tries To Make Mark On Fatty Livers

[Corrected 4/25/17, 12:30 p.m. See below.] About 7,000 liver transplants occur in the U.S. each year. A condition that few people can pronounce, and no one has a treatment for, has become a main reason for those transplants. That’s why several rich, powerful drug companies are in the final expensive stage of testing new drugs … Continue reading “Pursuing Larger Rivals, NGM Bio Tries To Make Mark On Fatty Livers”

ImageMoverMD Introduces Tools to Help Hospitals Load Medical Images

After patients undergo magnetic resonance imaging procedures, they are sometimes referred to a specialist at a different hospital, and given CDs with files showing the results of their scans. But often times at the follow-up appointment, a physician who is handed a disc is left thinking, “What do I do with this?” says Gary Wendt. … Continue reading “ImageMoverMD Introduces Tools to Help Hospitals Load Medical Images”

Seattle Week in Review: March for Science, MSFT Acquisition, CoMotion

This week, we’re looking forward to Saturday’s March for Science and back at Microsoft’s acquisition of Charles Simonyi’s Intentional Software; former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s new effort to inject facts into debate about government; potential changes to the high-skilled visa program and a new startup aimed at helping immigrants; a strong showing for the University … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: March for Science, MSFT Acquisition, CoMotion”

As Doctors Adopt Virtual Tools, Human Relationships Grow More Vital

Voice-controlled virtual assistants, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence technologies could all reshape the healthcare industry in the coming years, but forming strong relationships between patients and doctors will be more important than ever. That was a key takeaway from a panel discussion Thursday night at General Assembly’s space in downtown Boston. I moderated the chat … Continue reading “As Doctors Adopt Virtual Tools, Human Relationships Grow More Vital”

Michael J. Fox Foundation Promotes Sohini Chowdhury to Deputy CEO

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has promoted Sohini Chowdhury to deputy chief executive officer. Chowdhury previously was senior vice president of research partnerships for the New York-based nonprofit organization. The foundation says that in her new role, Chowdhury will work with CEO Todd Sherer and co-founder and executive vice chairman Debi Brooks … Continue reading “Michael J. Fox Foundation Promotes Sohini Chowdhury to Deputy CEO”

Five Questions for Steve Guengerich, UT-Dallas Innovation Institute CEO

Dallas—In addition to founding tech startups such as mobile e-retail company Appconomy, entrepreneur Steve Guengerich has simultaneously focused on teaching young entrepreneurs and taking on roles that can help build an innovation ecosystem during his years in Austin. So it’s fitting that this experience has culminated in an actual full-time teaching position. Guengerich this month packed … Continue reading “Five Questions for Steve Guengerich, UT-Dallas Innovation Institute CEO”

Bio Roundup: Spinraza Woes, Science March, Baseline Launch & More

Rumblings of a new Obamacare replacement surfaced this week, while scientists and their supporters prepared for Saturday’s—a.k.a. Earth Day’s—nationwide Marches for Science. Our own reporting focused this week on the fallout from high drug prices, with a look at the frustration of families whose children have had trouble gaining access to the first drug ever … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Spinraza Woes, Science March, Baseline Launch & More”

Biotech Startups at UNC Showcase Target Urgent Medical Needs

A technology that delivers drugs across the blood-brain barrier. A medical device developed to diagnose sepsis. And a potential new treatment for radiation contamination during a disaster. These were some of the technologies on display Wednesday evening at the Innovation Showcase, an annual event that shines the spotlight on companies that have spun out of … Continue reading “Biotech Startups at UNC Showcase Target Urgent Medical Needs”

After 3-Year Partnership, DePuy Acquires TRS Scaffolding Technology

In 2014, Plymouth, MI-based biotech startup Tissue Regeneration Systems (TRS) began collaborating with DePuy Synthes Products, a company under the Johnson & Johnson umbrella making orthopedic products, such as the devices used in joint replacements. This week, DePuy formalized that relationship with the announcement that it has acquired TRS’s FDA-approved, 3D-printed scaffolding technology that enables … Continue reading “After 3-Year Partnership, DePuy Acquires TRS Scaffolding Technology”

Request Your Invitation to Xconomy’s Elite Napa Summit June 8-9

  Nobel Laureate David Baltimore. Microbiome AND supercomputer pioneer Larry Smarr. Intellectual Ventures’ Nathan Myhrvold. Nicole Glaros of Techstars. These are just a few of the visionary speakers who will be headlining Xconomy’s sixth annual Napa Summit. And if you act fast to request your invitation to this special event, you can join them and … Continue reading “Request Your Invitation to Xconomy’s Elite Napa Summit June 8-9”

Techstars Seattle Fetes Latest Class, Now Counts 100 Startups

Since opening its doors in Seattle in 2010, Techstars has polished up more than 100 startup companies through its 12-week accelerator program here. Those nascent technology companies have gone on to raise more than $400 million, said Techstars Seattle managing director Chris DeVore, introducing the latest batch of startups Wednesday night at the Museum of … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Fetes Latest Class, Now Counts 100 Startups”

Insight Partners Buys Data Backup Business Spanning From Dell EMC

Austin—Spanning, software data backup service owned by Dell EMC, is being sold to New York-based private equity firm Insight Venture Partners. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The newly independent company is changing its name to Spanning Cloud Apps, according to a prepared statement. The company will continue to be based in Austin, TX. Dell … Continue reading “Insight Partners Buys Data Backup Business Spanning From Dell EMC”

Panel: Companies’ Big Bets Suggest Cleantech Is Here to Stay

For a cleantech startup, it can make sense to fuel growth with venture capital dollars—but only up to a certain point, said Hans Liao. That was one lesson Liao learned after he left Minnesota-based Cargill, the largest private company in the U.S., and in 2009 began working at Boulder, CO-based OPX Biotechnologies, a developer of … Continue reading “Panel: Companies’ Big Bets Suggest Cleantech Is Here to Stay”

Boston Tech Watch: iRobot, Bose, Nasuni, Endurance, Ascend & More

[Updated 4/20/17, 4:26 pm. See below.] Here are some of the latest developments in the Boston-area tech scene: —Bedly, an online housing rental marketplace with offices in Cambridge, MA, and New York, has raised a $2.7 million seed round. The investors include Accomplice, Founder Collective, and individual backers, including Diane Hessan, according to BostInno. [This … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: iRobot, Bose, Nasuni, Endurance, Ascend & More”

UniQure to Yank Pioneering Gene Therapy From Market in Europe

[Updated, 9:33 a.m. ET, see below] It took decades to get the first gene therapy in the Western world to market. And it will apparently take only five years since for that product, a treatment from UniQure for a rare metabolic disorder, to fizzle out after failing commercially. UniQure (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QURE]]), with operations in Amsterdam … Continue reading “UniQure to Yank Pioneering Gene Therapy From Market in Europe”

ZappRx Gets $25M to Push E-Prescription Tools for Specialty Meds

[Corrected 4/20/17, 9:15 a.m. See below.] ZappRx, a Boston-based startup trying to streamline the process of ordering and refilling specialty medications, has raised a $25 million round of funding led by Seattle venture capital firm Qiming US Healthcare Fund. Notably, GV, the venture capital arm of Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOGL]]), is participating in the … Continue reading “ZappRx Gets $25M to Push E-Prescription Tools for Specialty Meds”