Cellectar Brings On John Friend as Chief Medical Officer

Cellectar Biosciences, a Madison, WI-based company that is developing drugs with the potential to treat malignant tumors and certain forms of blood cancer, said on Wednesday that it has named John Friend as its chief medical officer, effective April 17. Friend, a physician, previously worked at the Swiss pharmaceutical group Helsinn Therapeutics for more than … Continue reading “Cellectar Brings On John Friend as Chief Medical Officer”

MindMaze Projects Your Smiles, Frowns On Face Of Your VR Avatar

In virtual reality games you can choose an avatar, leave your couch potato body behind, and appear instead as a rugged explorer or a monster roaring to defend its turf. Pretty soon, you might be able to let your emotions show through, even as you transform outwardly into a fantasy character. One company trying to … Continue reading “MindMaze Projects Your Smiles, Frowns On Face Of Your VR Avatar”

Lymber, Founded in Early 2016, Surprised by Mindbody’s Buyout Offer

Lymber was barely a year old when Mindbody (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MB]]) announced recently that it acquired the San Diego mobile app developer. Lymber, named as a 2017 Xconomy San Diego startup to watch, has developed a technology platform that enables mobile users to book openings in fitness and wellness classes. “We’re basically an Expedia for fitness … Continue reading “Lymber, Founded in Early 2016, Surprised by Mindbody’s Buyout Offer”

Rippleshot Uses Big Data Tools to Mitigate Credit Card Fraud

A company founded by an Indiana University graduate to fight payment-card fraud with data analytics, statistical modeling, and machine learning is now backed by the school’s Innovate Indiana Fund. Part of a $2.6 million investment round, the funding will help Chicago-based Rippleshot launch a new product later this year aimed at stopping criminals from scamming … Continue reading “Rippleshot Uses Big Data Tools to Mitigate Credit Card Fraud”

Clinical Research Expert Succeeds Organovo’s Founding CEO

San Diego-based Organovo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONVO]]), which specializes in 3D biological printing technology, said Tuesday its board has named Taylor J. Crouch to succeed Keith Murphy as CEO. According to a statement from the company, Murphy, who co-founded Organovo in 2007, is “stepping down as chief executive officer to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, effective April 21.” He … Continue reading “Clinical Research Expert Succeeds Organovo’s Founding CEO”

With Ovid IPO, Ex-Teva CEO Levin Pitches Neuro Drug Plan to Wall Street

Ex-Teva Pharmaceutical and Bristol-Myers Squibb executive Jeremy Levin is once again on the verge of running a publicly traded company—this time, a small startup biotech. Startup Ovid Therapeutics, which Levin formed in New York a few years ago to develop treatments for rare brain diseases, has just filed paperwork outlining an IPO. The move isn’t … Continue reading “With Ovid IPO, Ex-Teva CEO Levin Pitches Neuro Drug Plan to Wall Street”

JLabs’s Tom Luby Talks About Houston’s Potential as a Biotech Hub

Houston—Much is made over the difference between the Houston biotech ecosystem and those on the East and West coasts. Places like Cambridge, MA’s Kendall Square are so dense with scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors eager to play matchmaker, lab space is becoming near impossible to secure, says Tom Luby of JLabs, an innovation incubator run by … Continue reading “JLabs’s Tom Luby Talks About Houston’s Potential as a Biotech Hub”

Talk NY Bio With Schadt, Varmus & More on May 31: Discount Ends Today

Time is running out to get a $100 early bird discount for Xconomy’s latest biotech party in the Big Apple: New York Biotech Seizes the Momentum, at the Alexandria Center for Life Science on May 31. For New York biotech, the future is now. City and state governments have heard the call and committed $1.15 … Continue reading “Talk NY Bio With Schadt, Varmus & More on May 31: Discount Ends Today”

Cirius Therapeutics Raises $40M to Expand Ongoing Liver Study

A $40 million transfusion led by Frazier Healthcare Partners and Denmark’s Novo A/S is bringing fresh life to a Michigan biotech working to advance a new experimental drug for treating a type of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As part of the financing, Kalamazoo-based Octeta Therapeutics has been rechristened Cirius Therapeutics, and three San Diego-based biotech … Continue reading “Cirius Therapeutics Raises $40M to Expand Ongoing Liver Study”

Frequency Nabs $32M, Will Push Hearing-Loss Drugs To Human Studies

Hearing loss, which affects millions of Americans with no effective drugs to fight it, has become a ripe field for biotech investment. The latest example is Frequency Therapeutics, which sprung from MIT earlier this year and has just corralled a big round of funding. The Woburn, MA-based startup has raised a $32 million Series A … Continue reading “Frequency Nabs $32M, Will Push Hearing-Loss Drugs To Human Studies”

Emulate’s “Organ-on-a-Chip” Tech Picked for FDA Research Partnership

[Updated 4/11/17, 9:44 a.m. See below.] Experimental drugs encounter their earliest tests in petri dishes and animals, but these tests can fall short of predicting what happens in humans. The life sciences industry has been pursuing what many hope is a better way: packing human cells into tiny chips developed as stand-ins for organs. This … Continue reading “Emulate’s “Organ-on-a-Chip” Tech Picked for FDA Research Partnership”

The Otonomy Story and the Human Impact of Innovation

[Editor’s note: Jay Lichter will discuss his personal odyssey in drug development on April 19 at The Xconomy Forum on the Human Impact of Innovation. Online registration is here.] I am a pharmaceutical scientist and a biotech venture capitalist. I start companies that are focused on creating new drugs. So when my doctor told me … Continue reading “The Otonomy Story and the Human Impact of Innovation”

Athena’s 19th Annual Pinnacle Awards Gala

More than 600 leaders in science, technology, and business are gathering for Athena’s 19th annual Pinnacle Awards gala. The event honors those who excelled in the recognition, promotion, and mentorship of women in STEM. The Pinnacle Awards offers a dynamic environment of high-value networking and inspiring exposure to best of the best in overall professional development and … Continue reading “Athena’s 19th Annual Pinnacle Awards Gala”

NextEnergy Seeks I-Corps Energy & Transportation Program Applicants

With mobility and smart city technologies growing at a rapid pace, Detroit-based cleantech incubator NextEnergy and the University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship are seeking applicants for an upcoming I-Corps training program. The I-Corps program is designed to help entrepreneurs and researchers (both corporate and academic) commercialize their innovations. NextEnergy’s customized curriculum will focus on … Continue reading “NextEnergy Seeks I-Corps Energy & Transportation Program Applicants”

After Medivation Sale, ex-CEO David Hung Lands Top Spot At Axovant

Axovant Sciences, with a high-profile Alzheimer’s treatment in Phase 3 studies, has brought on David Hung as CEO. Hung was founder, president, and CEO of San Francisco-based Medivation, which Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) bought for $14 billion last year, in large part to gain control of the prostate cancer drug enzalutamide (Xtandi). Medivation’s Marion McCourt will … Continue reading “After Medivation Sale, ex-CEO David Hung Lands Top Spot At Axovant”

Boston CEO, May 30-31, 2017

Boston-area CEOs, high-level decision makers, industry leaders in private equity and VC in the life sciences arena attend this networking forum. Presentations and panels feature CEOs from the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies. (450+ C-level attendees)

BioHouston Chili Cookoff: Vampires, Convicts, Hippies, & More

Houston—More than 600 people in Houston’s biotech community played hooky on Friday to cook chili and commune with each other at BioHouston’s 14th annual Chili Cookoff. The event drew nearly 40 competitors in the culinary contest with prizes awarded to the best chili in traditional, non-traditional, and spicy categories. (I was one of the judges … Continue reading “BioHouston Chili Cookoff: Vampires, Convicts, Hippies, & More”

OncoMed Shares Sink as One Drug Fails, Bayer Kicks Back Two Others

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals got a double dose of bad news on Monday. For the second time, one of its stem cell drugs has failed to help pancreatic cancer patients. And what’s more, partner Bayer has passed on options to two of its other cancer drugs. Redwood City, CA-based OncoMed (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMED]]) said this morning that demcizumab, … Continue reading “OncoMed Shares Sink as One Drug Fails, Bayer Kicks Back Two Others”

San Diego Social Media Startup Soci Adds Austin Office, Raises $8.5M

Soci, a San Diego startup that created a Web platform for managing social media, has closed on $8.5 million in Series A financing that will be used to build on the company’s recent growth, including a second office in Austin, TX, according to co-founder and CEO Afif Khoury. The five-year-old startup, which had 35 employees … Continue reading “San Diego Social Media Startup Soci Adds Austin Office, Raises $8.5M”

Startups Share your Predictions for Free Admission to Human Impact of Innovation

We are a little over a week away from the Xconomy Forum on the Human Impact of Innovation and we’re excited to announce that thanks to a generous sponsor we have a block of 25 complimentary tickets to give to bootstrapped entrepreneurs in San Diego. It all takes place at The Ilumina Theater at the … Continue reading “Startups Share your Predictions for Free Admission to Human Impact of Innovation”

Health-Related Startups Dominate at 2017 Rice Business Plan Contest

Houston—Student competitors at this year’s Rice Business Plan Competition got a glimpse of this event’s impact: seeing a previous winner publicly feted on the announcement of being acquired. Adhesys Medical, which won the prestigious Rice contest in 2014, announced Saturday that it had been purchased by The Grünenthal Group, a German pharmaceutical firm. Terms were not … Continue reading “Health-Related Startups Dominate at 2017 Rice Business Plan Contest”

Pillar’s Russ Wilcox Talks VC, Data Control, Moving Beyond Screens

Russ Wilcox is a jack-of-all-trades in the Boston startup community. In the mid-1990s, Wilcox worked on speech recognition software at PureSpeech. He later co-founded and became CEO of E Ink, an e-reader display maker that took off after it was chosen as the screen for the Amazon Kindle. E Ink was sold in 2009 to … Continue reading “Pillar’s Russ Wilcox Talks VC, Data Control, Moving Beyond Screens”

Lucigen, EnsoData, Rowheels, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community, starting with these recent headlines: —Middleton-based Lucigen, which makes tools for life sciences researchers, said it now has the exclusive rights to distribute Epicentre’s genomic kits, enzymes, and ancillary reagents. Madison-based Epicentre was purchased by San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) in 2011 for $71 million; … Continue reading “Lucigen, EnsoData, Rowheels, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

McAfee: Hackers Use Their Own Form of “Fake News” In Cyberattacks

Russian hackers reportedly used a barrage of “fake news” items to distract and confuse voters in the 2016 U.S. presidential election—crowding out genuine information that could better guide their decisions. Data security analysts are already familiar with a similar tactic used in cyberattacks against businesses. Hackers have been known to launch large-scale decoy attacks to … Continue reading “McAfee: Hackers Use Their Own Form of “Fake News” In Cyberattacks”

Calling All Coders: Civic Hackathon Seeks to Harness IoT Tech

For most of its 200-year existence, Indiana’s economy has depended on three industries: manufacturing, logistics, and agriculture. Bill Soards, president of AT&T Indiana, says all of these sectors are “huge consumers” of Internet of Things technologies. Later this month, his company is hosting a civic hackathon in order to convene teams and get to work … Continue reading “Calling All Coders: Civic Hackathon Seeks to Harness IoT Tech”

Pipe Leak Detection System Employs Machine Learning to Limit Errors

San Antonio—Even as Donald Trump is executing orders to roll back environmental regulations, numerous technology researchers are developing new systems that may aid oil and gas businesses in better detecting leaks that lead to emissions—including one on the west side of San Antonio. The Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) is developing a machine learning system that … Continue reading “Pipe Leak Detection System Employs Machine Learning to Limit Errors”

Five Questions For … Gaurav Khandelwal, Founder of Houston’s Chai One

Houston—Houston tech entrepreneur Gaurav Khandelwal has been the face of Houston—literally. In a marketing campaign a few years ago, Khandelwal was one of the featured ambassadors in a series of highway billboards. The Greater Houston Partnership effort was aimed at expanding the city’s image beyond the oil-and-gas stereotype. Khandelwal, who grew up in Kolkata, India, … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Gaurav Khandelwal, Founder of Houston’s Chai One”

Bio Roundup: Gottlieb Talks Vax, Acorda’s Axe, Adams, 23andMe & More

In the nation’s capital, healthcare and life sciences were on center stage. Or stages, actually. On Capitol Hill, FDA commissioner nominee Scott Gottlieb, the drug industry’s favorite pick, told senators his extensive industry ties wouldn’t cloud his judgment or create conflicts. At a downtown convention center, Joe Biden slammed the Trump administration’s budget-cutting plans. And … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Gottlieb Talks Vax, Acorda’s Axe, Adams, 23andMe & More”

EOW Reading List: AI Diagnosticians, Musk’s Warnings, Mnuchin’s Radar

The flood of good reporting and writing on artificial intelligence, automation, and its implications continues. At Xconomy’s End of Work Reading List, we select and highlight some of the best of it. In this edition, we’re pointing to recent long-form pieces in The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, and the recent flap over Treasury Secretary … Continue reading “EOW Reading List: AI Diagnosticians, Musk’s Warnings, Mnuchin’s Radar”

First-Quarter Venture Funding Slumps in San Diego, and Top 10 Deals

Thirty-seven venture-backed companies in the San Diego area collected almost $350 million in new funding during the first three months of 2017, according to data released this week as part of the latest Venture Monitor report from the National Venture Capital Association and Seattle-based PitchBook. That was down 39 percent from the $574.5 million that … Continue reading “First-Quarter Venture Funding Slumps in San Diego, and Top 10 Deals”

FDA OKs 23andMe’s Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests, With Caution

[Updated 4/6/17, 7:42 pm. See below.] Consumers who aren’t squeamish about spitting into a tube and sending it to a lab can now have 23andMe test those samples to assess their risk of developing Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and eight other disorders. On Thursday, the FDA gave the Mountain View, CA-based genetic testing startup the green light … Continue reading “FDA OKs 23andMe’s Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests, With Caution”

AACR Review: Biden Fired Up, Incyte Doubles Up, BMS Up And Down

The American Association for Cancer Research held its annual meeting this week in Washington, DC, a convenient venue for former Vice President Joe Biden to deliver a broadside against the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts in science funding. For Biden, it’s personal. In the final year of the Obama administration, he championed a push for … Continue reading “AACR Review: Biden Fired Up, Incyte Doubles Up, BMS Up And Down”

Michigan Growth Capital Symposium

This annual venture capital event hosted by the University of Michigan features two days of networking, speakers, panels, and startup presentations. Clay Thorp, general partner at Hatteras Venture Partners, will be the keynote speaker. For details and registration, click here.

Free Coding Workshop

Wondering how a person learns to write code to develop their own websites and mobile apps? Wonder no more: TechTown Detroit and Grand Circus are hosting a free coding workshop designed for people with no previous experience. Participants will learn the foundational skills needed to eventually create a website or app. Registration required; click here … Continue reading “Free Coding Workshop”

Gedeon Richter Gets Ex-U.S. Rights for Evestra Urological Product

San Antonio — Women’s health company Evestra has licensed some of its commercialization rights for an unspecified female urological product to its existing partner Gedeon Richter, a Hungarian specialty pharmaceutical company. Evestra says Richter gained the rights for certain areas outside of the U.S. Richter is giving San Antonio-based Evestra an undisclosed upfront payment that’s helping … Continue reading “Gedeon Richter Gets Ex-U.S. Rights for Evestra Urological Product”

Former Allergan Exec Rhatigan Joins Merz to Lead North American Unit

Bob Rhatigan has been named president and CEO of the North American operations of German skin care products company Merz Pharma. Rhatigan will be based at Merz North America’s headquarters in Raleigh, NC. He comes to Merz from Irvine, CA, healthcare products company Alphaeon, where he was president and chief operating officer. His experience also … Continue reading “Former Allergan Exec Rhatigan Joins Merz to Lead North American Unit”

Arivale and Scripps Leaders to Chat at April 19 Xconomy Forum

A little over two years ago, President Obama laid out his vision for one of the nation’s most ambitious medical research programs—an effort to amass genomic data from at least 1 million Americans. The big idea behind the president’s Precision Medicine Initiative is to use data from genomics, biosensors, blood tests, and other sources to … Continue reading “Arivale and Scripps Leaders to Chat at April 19 Xconomy Forum”

Redox to Help Intermountain Bring Homegrown Apps to More Providers

In 2014, the startup accelerator Healthbox launched a program in Salt Lake City in partnership with Intermountain Healthcare, a network of hospitals and clinics headquartered there. The following year, the accelerator graduated a class of startups from its Healthbox Studio program that included Madison, WI-based Redox, which develops software that enables healthcare applications to exchange … Continue reading “Redox to Help Intermountain Bring Homegrown Apps to More Providers”

Check Out What’s Hot in Boston Biotech on May 11: Saver Rate Ends Today

Time is running out to get a discount on Xconomy’s annual Boston biotech bash, “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech.” We’re putting together a huge star-studded lineup of local biotech leaders to discuss some of the top issues, trends, and emerging technologies, set to shape life sciences in the years to come. Join us on May … Continue reading “Check Out What’s Hot in Boston Biotech on May 11: Saver Rate Ends Today”

Some Cause for Optimism in Hired’s Research on Gender Wage Gap

Amid the ongoing conversation about gender discrimination in the tech industry, and recent sexual harassment claims against some of its biggest names, here’s some sort-of good news about women in tech: When companies make job offers to both men and women, women receive lower salary offers 63 percent of the time for the same job, … Continue reading “Some Cause for Optimism in Hired’s Research on Gender Wage Gap”

After a Turbulent Decade, A123 Plans New $40M Campus—and Layoffs

Livonia, MI-based A123 Systems, the maker of lithium-ion batteries primarily for use in electric cars, has once again pruned its operations to fit global cleantech demand. On Monday, the company announced plans to invest $40 million in a new, consolidated corporate headquarters, manufacturing center, and engineering base on 32 acres in Novi, MI, despite the … Continue reading “After a Turbulent Decade, A123 Plans New $40M Campus—and Layoffs”

Zavante Plans FDA Filing After Antibiotic Hits Clinical Trial Goals

As bacteria develop resistance to older antibiotics, doctors are clamoring for new options that work on these drug- resistant strains. Zavante Therapeutics has been researching one drug as a possible alternative and, with results from a key clinical trial now in hand, the company is preparing to file for FDA approval early next year. San … Continue reading “Zavante Plans FDA Filing After Antibiotic Hits Clinical Trial Goals”

Over 8,000 Uber & Lyft Drivers Fail New MA Background Checks

More than 8,200 Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts have failed a new and more stringent state background check, according to multiple media reports. Massachusetts officials said Wednesday that 8,206 of the 70,789 applicants—more than 11 percent—were rejected, according to media reports. The most common reasons included having a suspended driver’s license or being licensed … Continue reading “Over 8,000 Uber & Lyft Drivers Fail New MA Background Checks”

Shine Medical Raises $2.2M to Stay in Race for Vital Imaging Isotope

Shine Medical Technologies, a Janesville, WI-based company that’s working to resume domestic production of a vital medical isotope, has raised another $2.2 million from investors, says vice president of business development Katrina Pitas. According to a document filed with federal securities regulators, Shine raised more than $27.1 million in debt financing in January. With the … Continue reading “Shine Medical Raises $2.2M to Stay in Race for Vital Imaging Isotope”

FDA Nominee Scott Gottlieb To Anti-Vaccine Crowd: Get Over It

In what passes for a short hearing these days in Washington, DC, the Trump White House’s pick to run the Food and Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, spent less than three hours fielding questions from a Senate committee Wednesday morning. Amid predictable splits between Republican praise for his past industry experience and Democrat fire over potential … Continue reading “FDA Nominee Scott Gottlieb To Anti-Vaccine Crowd: Get Over It”

CarGurus IPO, Harmonix Layoffs, Turing Award & More Boston Tech News

[Updated 4/5/17, 12:07 pm. See below.] It’s time to catch up on some of the latest happenings in the Boston tech scene: —CarGurus, a Cambridge, MA-based company that runs an online car marketplace, has hired banks to help lead an initial public offering, according to reports by Axios and Reuters, which quoted anonymous sources. Reuters … Continue reading “CarGurus IPO, Harmonix Layoffs, Turing Award & More Boston Tech News”

InTeahouse Accelerator Wants Startups to Think Globally, Build Locally

There’s a new startup accelerator program in town, and it’s got an international flavor. This week, InTeahouse announced the launch of its “InSeven” investment program that will provide capital, office space, and other resources to startups working in robotics, advanced materials, life sciences, cleantech, telecommunications, new media, and financial technology. In a crowded field of … Continue reading “InTeahouse Accelerator Wants Startups to Think Globally, Build Locally”

VCs Poured $300M into Seattle Area Companies in Q1, Up 33 Percent

Seattle-area companies collected some $300 million in investment during the first quarter, with biotech and medical devices companies claiming four of the 10 largest deals. The first-quarter investment total was up 33 percent from the first quarter of 2016, according to the National Venture Capital Association’s quarterly Venture Monitor report, prepared by Seattle-based PitchBook. Deal … Continue reading “VCs Poured $300M into Seattle Area Companies in Q1, Up 33 Percent”