Rhythm Pharma’s Obesity Drug Hits Phase 3 Goals, FDA Filing Planned

A Rhythm Pharmaceuticals drug developed to reduce the weight gain and ravenous hunger in genetic obesity disorders has hit the goals of two late-stage clinical trials, and the company now plans to file for FDA approvals late this year or in early 2020. On Wednesday, Rhythm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RYTM]]) announced preliminary Phase 3 data for its … Continue reading “Rhythm Pharma’s Obesity Drug Hits Phase 3 Goals, FDA Filing Planned”

AIQ Solutions Hits On $3.2M to Pinpoint Drug-Resistant Tumors

Many companies developing artificial intelligence software for healthcare are trying to improve doctors’ ability to diagnose disease. Fewer emerging healthcare AI businesses are focused on what happens after a diagnosis, aiming to figure out how treatments are working. One of them, AIQ Solutions, has developed software that analyzes medical imaging data to identify all of … Continue reading “AIQ Solutions Hits On $3.2M to Pinpoint Drug-Resistant Tumors”

SDSI Accelerator For Sports Startups Gets Qualcomm Foundation Boost

Entrepreneurs who are accepted into the next 20-week accelerator program run by SD Sports Innovators will get the opportunity to learn from senior Qualcomm employees as they work to better their businesses. SDSI, a nonprofit organization based north of San Diego in coastal Solana Beach, focuses on advancing companies that involve sports, active lifestyles, health, … Continue reading “SDSI Accelerator For Sports Startups Gets Qualcomm Foundation Boost”

Turning Genomics Into Better Health on Aug. 27: Early Bird Rate Ends Soon

Grab your ticket to attend Xconomy and Biocom’s summer biotech event in San Francisco, Turning Genomics Into Better Health. Leaders in the industry will discuss the progress made in reading genome sequences and turning that knowledge into opportunities to better understand and treat disease. Join us on Aug. 27 at Biocom’s South San Francisco office … Continue reading “Turning Genomics Into Better Health on Aug. 27: Early Bird Rate Ends Soon”

Women’s Health-Focused Luca Bio Takes Microbiome R&D Beyond the Gut

Urinary tract infections are among the most common bacterial infections in the United States, but treatment options are shrinking as resistance to antibiotics commonly prescribed to treat the condition continues to rise. Luca Biologics, a new Cambridge, MA-based biotech focused on women’s health, emerged Tuesday with a plan to advance an investigational UTI drug into … Continue reading “Women’s Health-Focused Luca Bio Takes Microbiome R&D Beyond the Gut”

Editas Medicine Appoints Cynthia Collins President & CEO

Cynthia Collins has been appointed president and CEO of Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EDIT]]). Collins has been serving as interim CEO of the Cambridge, MA, company since Katrine Bosley left the chief executive role in March. Collins will continue to serve on the Editas board of directors. Her experience includes executive roles at Human Longevity, the … Continue reading “Editas Medicine Appoints Cynthia Collins President & CEO”

Ex-Achaogen Exec Janet Dorling Joins CymaBay as Chief Commercial Officer

CymaBay Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBAY]]) has appointed Janet Dorling to serve as its chief commercial officer, the same position she held at antibiotics developer Achaogen. Her experience also includes time at Roche subsidiary Genentech. Newark, CA-based CymaBay is developing drugs for liver diseases. In June, the company reported preliminary Phase 2 results showing that its lead … Continue reading “Ex-Achaogen Exec Janet Dorling Joins CymaBay as Chief Commercial Officer”

FDA: Despite “Manipulated” Data, $2M Gene Therapy Should Stay on Market

[Updated, 7:12 pm ET, see below] The FDA on Tuesday said that some data supporting the spinal muscular atrophy gene therapy Zolgensma was “manipulated” before its May 24 approval and that its manufacturer, Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]) subsidiary AveXis, knew about it. The FDA stopped short of saying Zolgensma should be pulled from the market, but … Continue reading “FDA: Despite “Manipulated” Data, $2M Gene Therapy Should Stay on Market”

Seattle Startup Remarkably Gets $4.1M to Market Real Estate Software

Remarkably, a Seattle-based startup that provides users with real estate marketing software and analytics services, announced Tuesday it has raised $4.1 million in seed funding. The company markets its software products to developers, owners, and managers of residential buildings with multiple apartments or condominiums, which are sometimes called “multi-family” dwellings. Remarkably’s digital tools are designed … Continue reading “Seattle Startup Remarkably Gets $4.1M to Market Real Estate Software”

Genentech’s Hegde Named Foundation Medicine Chief Scientific Officer

Priti Hegde is now chief scientific officer of Foundation Medicine. She joins Cambridge, MA-based Foundation after 12 years at Roche subsidiary Genentech, where she was most recently senior director and principal scientist in oncology biomarker development. Hegde will take over the scientific responsibilities of Michael Doherty, who will retire in September from his position as … Continue reading “Genentech’s Hegde Named Foundation Medicine Chief Scientific Officer”

Allogene Taps Adaptimmune’s Rafael Amado as Chief Medical Officer

Rafael Amado has been appointed executive vice president of research and development and chief medical officer of Allogene Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALLO]]). He joins the South San Francisco cancer drug developer from Adaptimmune, where he was president of research and development. His experience also includes positions at GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]) and Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]). Amado is … Continue reading “Allogene Taps Adaptimmune’s Rafael Amado as Chief Medical Officer”

Inari Reaps $89M and Eyes Global Farm Markets for Gene-Edited Seeds

Plant genetics startup Inari, which is developing crop varieties that produce higher yields and use fewer resources, has raised $89 million to advance its research toward the US and international markets. Corn, soybean, wheat, and tomatoes are the Cambridge, MA-based company’s initial target crops. CEO Ponsi Trivisvavet says the company aims to launch several products … Continue reading “Inari Reaps $89M and Eyes Global Farm Markets for Gene-Edited Seeds”

SoftBank Commits $200M to Cybereason, Cybersecurity’s Newest Unicorn

Software has become arguably the most effective weapon for criminals and nation states. In response, security technology businesses are pulling in huge investments to enhance their arsenal to try and stop cyber adversaries. Cybereason, one of the cybersecurity industry’s biggest bets, announced today that it’s raising up to $200 million in equity funding from the … Continue reading “SoftBank Commits $200M to Cybereason, Cybersecurity’s Newest Unicorn”

Another Delay for Intra-Cellular as FDA Extends Review of Psych Drug

[Updated 1:33 p.m.] Intra-Cellular Therapies will have to wait another three months to see whether the FDA will approve its experimental drug for schizophrenia, which has produced mixed results in human studies but is currently under a regulatory review. The New York company said Monday that the FDA has pushed back the deadline for its … Continue reading “Another Delay for Intra-Cellular as FDA Extends Review of Psych Drug”

Digital Health Gets Real: Hear From Pear, Nuance & More at X·CON

At times in recent years, it seemed like digital technologies would never live up to the hype in healthcare. In many cases, they still haven’t. But some have turned a corner and are starting to have a real impact. Devices with health-minded features, such as home-monitoring systems and smart watches, are helping patients and doctors … Continue reading “Digital Health Gets Real: Hear From Pear, Nuance & More at X·CON”

GlycoMimetics Sickle Cell Drug Flops as Others Creep Forward

New treatments could soon be on the way for sickle cell disease, an inherited and debilitating blood disorder. But a drug from GlycoMimetics won’t be among them. GlycoMimetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GLYC]]) had been aiming to show that a drug called rivipansel could help sickle cell patients who are hospitalized with severe pain episodes, or “crises.” The … Continue reading “GlycoMimetics Sickle Cell Drug Flops as Others Creep Forward”

Acadia, Neurocrine See Stock Price Bump After Quarterly Earnings

We’re in the midst of earnings season, and a couple of San Diego’s publicly traded biotechs recently updated investors this week with sales data and other financial insights. Here’s a look at those companies. —Acadia Pharmaceuticals faced a setback in July with the failure of a late-stage trial that was testing pimavanserin—which the company’s sells … Continue reading “Acadia, Neurocrine See Stock Price Bump After Quarterly Earnings”

Bio Roundup: Pfizer’s Future, CRISPR in Patients, Drug Imports & More

[Corrected 12:55 p.m. ET. See below.] Acquisitions made Pfizer what it is today: the world’s biggest drug maker measured by revenue. But as the company maps its future, CEO Albert Bourla is breaking some of that legacy apart. Blockbuster drugs such as Viagra, which was discovered in-house, and Lipitor, which came via acquisition, are currently … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Pfizer’s Future, CRISPR in Patients, Drug Imports & More”

Boston Tech Watch: Jobble, Soofa, Dynatrace, Markforged & DataRobot

The Boston tech scene lands its first IPO of 2019. DataRobot rakes in about $200 million more. Pushback on facial recognition spreads from Somerville, MA, to neighboring Cambridge. Markforged and Desktop Metal head back to court. Read on for more of this week’s Boston tech news. —Burlington, MA-based software company Everbridge (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EVBG]]) is acquiring … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Jobble, Soofa, Dynatrace, Markforged & DataRobot”

Adverum Biotechnologies Executive Mehdi Gasmi to Retire

Gene therapy developer Adverum Biotechnologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADVM]]) announced Thursday that Mehdi Gasmi, the company’s president and chief scientific officer, is retiring. When Gasmi retires on Sept. 16, he will join the Menlo Park, CA, company’s board of directors. He will also serve as a consultant to the business for six months. Adverum says a search … Continue reading “Adverum Biotechnologies Executive Mehdi Gasmi to Retire”

Frontier Medicines Adds Kevin Webster, Johannes Hermann to C-Suite

Frontier Medicines has appointed Kevin Webster to serve as the cancer drug developer’s chief scientific officer. Webster most recently worked at eFFECTOR Therapeutics as its senior vice president of cancer biology. Frontier also named Johannes Hermann its chief technology officer. Hermann was most recently senior director and global head for data sciences at Johnson & … Continue reading “Frontier Medicines Adds Kevin Webster, Johannes Hermann to C-Suite”

Boston’s Life Science Disruptors

Featuring open conversations on current trends and developments, and inspiration to spark your business’ growth. Three groups of innovators present their candid stories about life in the life sciences, and the wisdom they’ve gained, ideas they’ve pursued, their latest advances, and hardships they’ve faced.

Dynatrace Shares Jump, Marking First Boston-Area Tech IPO of 2019

Shares of Waltham, MA-based software intelligence firm Dynatrace hit the public markets for the first time today, and it was a strong debut. Bankers elevated the initial stock pricing above earlier estimates, and then traders pushed the value higher, to $25 a share at midday. The first IPO this year of a tech company headquartered … Continue reading “Dynatrace Shares Jump, Marking First Boston-Area Tech IPO of 2019”

Elanco Boosts Vaccine Portfolio With $60M Prevtec Acquisition

One of the most serious threats to a young farm pig’s life is a type of gut infection that can quickly turn deadly. Elanco Animal Health has acquired a Canadian biotechnology startup that has commercialized a line of vaccines developed to protect pigs from the infection. Elanco (NYSE: [[ticker:ELAN]]) announced Thursday that it paid approximately … Continue reading “Elanco Boosts Vaccine Portfolio With $60M Prevtec Acquisition”

Ford, Retreating From Bold Timeline, Buys Quantum Signal for AV Tech

Back in 2016, Ford’s then-CEO Mark Fields fired a shot across the bow when he made a daring pledge. The big automaker would deploy fully autonomous fleet vehicles as part of a ride-sharing or ride-hailing service by 2021, when it would also be mass-producing such vehicles, he said. Earlier this year, though, current Ford CEO … Continue reading “Ford, Retreating From Bold Timeline, Buys Quantum Signal for AV Tech”

Amicus Offers First Look At Gene Therapy Work With Batten’s Data

Amicus Therapeutics bought a spinout of Nationwide Children’s Hospital last year as part of a plan to become a player in the emerging field of gene therapy. Today it is providing the first evidence, in humans, that the investment could pay dividends. The results Amicus (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FOLD]]) are disclosing this morning come with plenty of … Continue reading “Amicus Offers First Look At Gene Therapy Work With Batten’s Data”

Pfizer’s Avagliano Joins G1 Therapeutics as Chief Business Officer

G1 Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GTHX]]) has tapped Mark Avagliano to become its chief business officer. Avagliano joins the Research Triangle Park, NC-based cancer drug developer from Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]), where he was vice president of corporate development. Lead G1 drug candidate trilaciclib, which has been tested in small-cell lung cancer and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, is … Continue reading “Pfizer’s Avagliano Joins G1 Therapeutics as Chief Business Officer”

White House Floats Canadian Import Plan But Excludes Many Costly Drugs

[Updated, 6:18 p.m. ET. See below.] The Trump administration unveiled Wednesday a long-awaited plan to import cheaper medications from Canada and other countries. The US Department of Health and Human Services says the two proposals are part of the administration’s strategy to curb high prescription-drug prices, which has often been short on action despite the … Continue reading “White House Floats Canadian Import Plan But Excludes Many Costly Drugs”

Markforged Sues Desktop Metal Over “Dirty Tricks” in 3D Printing War

Markforged is reviving its courtroom battle with 3D printing rival Desktop Metal with a lawsuit that alleges “a campaign of dirty tricks” by the competitor that violates a 2018 deal the two agreed to when they last were bringing each other to court. Markforged, based in Watertown, MA, says in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in … Continue reading “Markforged Sues Desktop Metal Over “Dirty Tricks” in 3D Printing War”

Mark Levin Named Xconomy’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner in Boston

We at Xconomy are excited to announce that we are honoring Mark Levin, co-founder and partner at Third Rock Ventures, with our 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award in Boston. The award recognizes Levin’s extensive contributions to the biotech industry and to the Boston life sciences ecosystem. Levin built Millennium Pharmaceuticals—inspiring a generation of future executives/entrepreneurs along … Continue reading “Mark Levin Named Xconomy’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner in Boston”

ProsperOps Seeks Spot in the Growing Cloud as Amazon Still Dominates

Austin—[Updated 1:28 p.m. See below.] Cloud computing is big business, and Amazon Web Services is the biggest. A new Texas startup is carving its own space in this growing sector, but it’s not doing it by competing with Amazon’s AWS head on. The founders of ProsperOps have tied their firm’s growth, at least initially, to … Continue reading “ProsperOps Seeks Spot in the Growing Cloud as Amazon Still Dominates”

Illumina Cuts Forecasts As Consumer Tests, Genomics Initiatives Lag

About this time last year, DNA sequencing giant Illumina upped its financial projections, estimating its sales would grow 20 percent year-over-year. It exceeded that goal, with revenue rising 21 percent to $3.33 billion by the end of 2018. It’s a different financial story this summer. On Monday, Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) informed the markets that it … Continue reading “Illumina Cuts Forecasts As Consumer Tests, Genomics Initiatives Lag”

Sherlock Bio Names Harvard’s William Blake Chief Technology Officer

Sherlock Biosciences has appointed William Blake to serve as its chief technology officer. Blake most recently worked at Harvard, where he was the business development lead for the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. His experience also includes posts at GreenLight Biosciences and Codon Devices. In other moves, Cambridge, MA-based Sherlock named Don Haut its … Continue reading “Sherlock Bio Names Harvard’s William Blake Chief Technology Officer”

Arvinas Appoints Ronald Peck Chief Medical Officer

Ronald Peck has been appointed chief medical officer of New Haven, CT-based Arvinas (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARVN]]). Peck most recently worked at cancer drug developer Tesaro where he was senior vice president of clinical research. His experience also includes posts at Kolltan Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]). Arvinas is developing drugs based on protein degradation, a … Continue reading “Arvinas Appoints Ronald Peck Chief Medical Officer”

Turning Point Therapeutics Taps Investment Banker Yi Larson as CFO

Turning Point Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TPTX]]) has hired one of the investment bankers who guided it to the public markets earlier this year as its chief financial officer. Yi Larson, a managing director at New York-based investment bank Goldman Sachs (NYSE: [[ticker:GS]]), where she has worked for about 12 years, most recently led its healthcare investment … Continue reading “Turning Point Therapeutics Taps Investment Banker Yi Larson as CFO”

Upjohn & Mylan to Merge, Freeing Pfizer to Focus on Biopharma R&D

Pfizer became the world’s biggest drug maker by revenue through acquisitions that diversified its portfolio. Now it’s spinning out its off-patent drug division and charting a different course for the remaining company as a smaller business focused on developing innovative new drugs. On Monday, Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) announced that its Upjohn division, which sells drugs … Continue reading “Upjohn & Mylan to Merge, Freeing Pfizer to Focus on Biopharma R&D”

DataRobot, Now a Unicorn, Raises Close To $200M for Machine Learning: Sources

[Update: On Sept. 17, DataRobot announced it had raised $206 million in a Series E round led by Sapphire Ventures. It brings the Boston company’s total amount raised to $431 million.] DataRobot has raised a Series E funding round in the ballpark of $200 million to advance its automated machine learning and artificial intelligence software, … Continue reading “DataRobot, Now a Unicorn, Raises Close To $200M for Machine Learning: Sources”

Exact Sciences Buying Genomic Health in $2.8B Cancer Diagnostics Deal

[Updated 7/29/19, 10:19 am CT. See below.] With ambitious sales goals and its stock trading at an all-time high this year, cancer diagnostics firm Exact Sciences decided to go shopping. The result is a deal announced Monday to acquire Genomic Health for $2.8 billion in cash and stock, a combination that Exact CEO Kevin Conroy … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Buying Genomic Health in $2.8B Cancer Diagnostics Deal”

Merck Data Are Another Step for Immunotherapy in Breast Cancer

Merck this morning announced that a combination of its drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and chemotherapy succeeded in a Phase 3 study in breast cancer, a potentially notable advance for immunotherapy in treating the disease. Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) said that Keytruda and chemotherapy beat chemo alone when given to patients with triple-negative breast cancer in a study … Continue reading “Merck Data Are Another Step for Immunotherapy in Breast Cancer”

Xconomy’s August San Francisco Event to Focus on Genomics and Health

In both health and disease, our genes have stories to tell. Two decades since the first draft of a human genome sequence, we’re starting to read them. On Aug. 27, Xconomy and Biocom will hold “Turning Genomics Into Better Health,” an event that will delve into the promise and perils of tapping into the secrets … Continue reading “Xconomy’s August San Francisco Event to Focus on Genomics and Health”

Leaving Carbonite, Mohamad Ali Joins IDG to Make It a Tech Company

Mohamad Ali’s departure from Carbonite’s corner office didn’t follow the usual tech executive roadmap to which even his earlier career had hewn. Ali’s career ran through posts building technology tools at IBM and Hewlett-Packard prior to joining Carbonite in 2014, so the move to head up International Data Group, a technology media, events, and research … Continue reading “Leaving Carbonite, Mohamad Ali Joins IDG to Make It a Tech Company”

Verb Surgical Taps Kurt Azarbarzin for CEO Role

Surgical robot developer Verb Surgical has appointed Kurt Azarbarzin to serve as its new CEO. He joins Mountain View, CA-based Verb from CONMED, where he was chief technology officer. Azarbarzin’s experience also includes senior roles at SurgiQuest, Tyco Healthcare, and Covidien. Azarbarzin succeeds former Verb CEO Scott Huennekens, who left the company at the end … Continue reading “Verb Surgical Taps Kurt Azarbarzin for CEO Role”

Duchenne Advocates Start Casimir, Aiming to Capture Missing Data

Three years ago, the FDA made one of the most polarizing decisions in its history. It approved a drug for the rare genetic disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy on the slimmest of evidence, a watershed moment that caused a highly publicized rift within the agency. In the midst of it all were parents who pushed hard … Continue reading “Duchenne Advocates Start Casimir, Aiming to Capture Missing Data”

Boston Tech Watch: Carbonite, iRobot, Circle, Toast, & Flare Capital

CEO hopping in Boston, trade-war fallout, acquisitions, IPOs, and autonomous ships. This week in Boston tech news had it all. Read on for all the details. —Mohamad Ali is stepping down as CEO of data protection and backup company Carbonite after having led the growing public company since 2014. He is hopping industries a bit … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Carbonite, iRobot, Circle, Toast, & Flare Capital”

Bio Roundup: Leiden’s Exit, Depression Data, a New Pricing Bill & More

What will the legacy be of Jeff Leiden, the longtime CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals? Vertex surprised Wall Street this week by announcing Leiden’s seven-year run will end next spring. In some ways, his legacy is already written. He steered Vertex through a crisis when its hepatitis C business was squashed by competition, in no small … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Leiden’s Exit, Depression Data, a New Pricing Bill & More”

No Co-Founder? Y Combinator Offers Matchmaking at Startup School

From the moment Talia Frenkel resolved to found a company after a kitchen-table talk with her parents, the odds were against her. There were a host of reasons—she wasn’t a software engineer, she had no product development experience, and she wanted to launch a consumer item that was already sold widely by established enterprises. Yet … Continue reading “No Co-Founder? Y Combinator Offers Matchmaking at Startup School”

“You Get What You Celebrate”: Net@50 Gives the Internet Its Due

Talk at the Xconomy and the World Frontiers Forum’s Net@50 event started with a simple phrase about taco toppings and ended with discussion of a brain-computer interface that could perhaps enable a collective intelligence. Net@50 last week explored the internet’s past, present, and future with thoughts from a rare group of engineers who imagined and … Continue reading ““You Get What You Celebrate”: Net@50 Gives the Internet Its Due”

Carbonite CEO Mohamad Ali Leaves for International Data Group

[Updated 7/25/19, 9:05 pm. Added comments from Carbonite executives.] Carbonite’s Mohamad Ali is stepping down as CEO and board member of the Boston-based data protection company to lead International Data Group, a technology media, events, and research company. For now, the helm at Carbonite (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CARB]]) will be taken up by board chairman Steve Munford, … Continue reading “Carbonite CEO Mohamad Ali Leaves for International Data Group”