It’s hard out there for nuclear energy startups. Not only do they face daunting challenges in trying to develop more efficient and safer methods of generating power from nuclear materials, but regulations and the current political climate can also pose roadblocks. At least, that’s board member Russ Wilcox’s take on the factors that contributed to … Continue reading “Transatomic Power Leader Talks Startup’s Demise, Political Headwinds”
Facebook Bars 800 Fake Accounts and Pages For Using Tactics Like Russia’s
In another wave of account shutdowns, Facebook announced Thursday that it disabled more than 800 pages and accounts to prevent groups that disguised their identities from flooding its network with inauthentic content—some of it hyper-partisan political messages. Facebook (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FB]]) has been under pressure to cleanse its pages of fake news since the discovery that … Continue reading “Facebook Bars 800 Fake Accounts and Pages For Using Tactics Like Russia’s”
BIO Has Big Diversity Goals. Does It Have the Means to Reach Them?
Whether from embarrassing parties or sobering surveys, the biotech gender gap problem has made plenty of headlines the past couple years. The industry’s largest trade group, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), is trying to encourage its more than 1,000 member companies to do better. Last winter, BIO posted diversity goals for the industry to hit … Continue reading “BIO Has Big Diversity Goals. Does It Have the Means to Reach Them?”
Tim Berners-Lee Building Inrupt to Fix the Web—Will Users Come?
The World Wide Web is at a crossroads. For all the benefits it has brought society over the past three decades—faster and easier communication, instant knowledge access, a seemingly inexhaustible marketplace of goods and services—the Web has also morphed into an “engine of inequity and division,” according to its inventor, Tim Berners-Lee (pictured above). In … Continue reading “Tim Berners-Lee Building Inrupt to Fix the Web—Will Users Come?”
Special Day Passes for X·CON 2018! November 4, 5, and 6
In less than a month Xconomy’s newest event, X·CON 2018, will explore the future of innovation across multiple topics and industries, and facilitate deep interactions far beyond your standard conference. It will take place on November 4, 5, and 6 in three innovation venues in Kendall Square and Boston’s Seaport District. The conference is aimed … Continue reading “Special Day Passes for X·CON 2018! November 4, 5, and 6”
Planes, Drones & Automobiles: Techstars Grads Run the Mobility Gamut
On Tuesday afternoon, before a packed house at the Detroit Institute of Art’s film theatre, 11 startups just finishing a summer stint in the Techstars Mobility accelerator program took to the stage to talk more about what their companies were developing. Company founders pitched to a crowd of investors, entrepreneurs, automotive and tech executives, and … Continue reading “Planes, Drones & Automobiles: Techstars Grads Run the Mobility Gamut”
Xconomy Awards 2018 Gala Honors the Best of Boston Life Science: Slideshow
The 2nd annual Xconomy Awards Gala was a who’s who of Boston biotech. About 400 people from across the life science ecosystem came out to Boston’s Hynes Convention Center last month to celebrate the finalists over dinner and drinks, find out who got to take home the awards, and reconnect with friends and colleagues. It … Continue reading “Xconomy Awards 2018 Gala Honors the Best of Boston Life Science: Slideshow”
Allogene’s IPO Raises $288M for Tests of “Off-the-Shelf” Cell Therapy
Allogene Therapeutics has raised $288 million in an IPO, marking one of the biggest stock market debuts for a biotech this year. The cell therapy developer sold 18.4 million shares at $18 apiece, within the high end of its projected $16 to $18 per share range. Shares of South San Francisco, CA-based Allogene are expected … Continue reading “Allogene’s IPO Raises $288M for Tests of “Off-the-Shelf” Cell Therapy”
Teradata Moves HQ to San Diego in Global Rebranding Effort
Andrian Pawluk was living in San Diego when Teradata hired him this year and tasked him with transforming 65,000 square feet of offices into an alluring workspace for techies—but he had never previously heard of the data warehouse and business analytics company. And although Teradata has had an engineering R&D lab north of the city … Continue reading “Teradata Moves HQ to San Diego in Global Rebranding Effort”
Swabbing DNA on Phones Reveals Mysteries of Microbial World Around Us
Ask someone “What’s on your phone?” and he or she might respond with some combination of photos, music, contacts, and mobile apps. But a series of interactive experiments co-led by a prominent geneticist are answering the question in a different way, by swabbing the surface of smartphones and telling their owners what bacteria, viruses, fungi, … Continue reading “Swabbing DNA on Phones Reveals Mysteries of Microbial World Around Us”
Anaplan Ups Estimate For Its IPO Haul; Allogene IPO Raises $288M
San Francisco-based Anaplan, one of five companies planning to close initial public offerings this week, raised the expected price range for its shares in an SEC filing Wednesday, signaling an IPO that could be richer than it had anticipated. Enterprise planning software company Anaplan, which is privately valued at more than $1.4 billion, had originally … Continue reading “Anaplan Ups Estimate For Its IPO Haul; Allogene IPO Raises $288M”
BioCrossroads Unveils New $9M Seed Fund for Biotech, Agbio Startups
Biotech startups in the Hoosier State now have a new source of funding for innovations at the early stage of development. BioCrossroads on Wednesday announced a $9 million seed fund. It’s the third fund for the public-private partnership, which formed to support the growth of the life sciences industry in Indiana. The latest fund will … Continue reading “BioCrossroads Unveils New $9M Seed Fund for Biotech, Agbio Startups”
San Antonio’s BioAffinity Signs Licensing Deal for Cancer Diagnostic
San Antonio — [Updated 10/11/18, 11 a.m. See below.] BioAffinity Technologies has signed a licensing agreement with San Antonio-based Precision Pathology Services for the continued development and commercial sale of a lung cancer diagnostic screening test. Since bioAffinity moved to San Antonio in 2014, it has been developing CyPath Lung, a noninvasive test that analyzes sputum—mucus … Continue reading “San Antonio’s BioAffinity Signs Licensing Deal for Cancer Diagnostic”
CRISPR Therapeutics, Vertex Get FDA Green Light for Sickle Cell Test
[Corrected, 10/11/18, 11:12 a.m.] The FDA has lifted its hold on a clinical trial for a genetically engineered treatment for sickle cell disease, and CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals say they plan to start a Phase 1/2 study in the U.S. and Europe by the end of the year. Enrollment is already underway for a … Continue reading “CRISPR Therapeutics, Vertex Get FDA Green Light for Sickle Cell Test”
With Vernalis Buy, Ligand Adds to Portfolio, Establishes U.K. Presence
Ligand Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday that its acquisition of U.K.-based biotech Vernalis has closed. The $42.3 million deal netted the San Diego company eight partner programs and a 70-person R&D team in Cambridge, England, plus about $32 million in cash after deal costs. Ligand (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LGND]]) CEO John Higgins, in a prepared statement, said the acquisition … Continue reading “With Vernalis Buy, Ligand Adds to Portfolio, Establishes U.K. Presence”
Understory Nabs $6.5M to Expand Network of Weather Tracking Stations
Understory, a Madison, WI-based weather technology startup, has raised more than $6.5 million in new equity funding from eight investors, according to a securities filing. Understory operates networks of weather stations in the U.S. and other countries that can measure wind, temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and various forms of precipitation. The company says the hardware … Continue reading “Understory Nabs $6.5M to Expand Network of Weather Tracking Stations”
ContraVir Names Robert Foster Acting CEO in Executive Shuffle
Robert Foster is now acting CEO of ContraVir Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTRV]]). Foster, ContraVir’s chief scientific officer for the past two years, succeeds James Sapirstein, who had been the Edison, NJ, company’s chief executive since 2014. According to a securities filing, Sapirstein resigned as a director of the company effective Oct. 2. No reason for the … Continue reading “ContraVir Names Robert Foster Acting CEO in Executive Shuffle”
Harpoon Therapeutics Appoints Natalie Sacks Chief Medical Officer
Natalie Sacks has joined Harpoon Therapeutics as chief medical officer. Sacks comes to South San Francisco, CA-based Harpoon from Aduro Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADRO]]) where she was chief medical officer. Harpoon, which develops cancer immunotherapies, raised $45 million in Series B funding last year as it worked to advance its drug programs toward clinical trials. The … Continue reading “Harpoon Therapeutics Appoints Natalie Sacks Chief Medical Officer”
In New York, Gotham Starts Up With $54M for RNA-Modifying Drugs
A new company has emerged from New York City’s growing startup biotech scene. Gotham Therapeutics launched today with a $54 million Series A round, becoming the second startup since May to form with a plan to alter RNA molecules with chemical drugs. The funding was co-led by Versant Ventures, a venture firm that formed an … Continue reading “In New York, Gotham Starts Up With $54M for RNA-Modifying Drugs”
Boston Tech Watch: Wayfair, Monster, Circle, Rocket, Cogito & More
Time to catch up on recent Boston-area tech headlines, including a trio of mergers and acquisitions, venture capital deals in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, a new chief technology officer at Monster, and Wayfair’s first brick-and-mortar locations. Read on for details. —Bain Capital Private Equity reached an agreement to purchase a majority stake in Rocket Software, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Wayfair, Monster, Circle, Rocket, Cogito & More”
Passport Buys Austin Parking Enforcement Software Company NuPark
Austin—Passport, a company with software that helps cities and other organizations manage operations, has acquired a business called NuPark that sells parking management services. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. NuPark, based in Cedar Park, TX, and makes video and software technology that helps customers like schools and governments manage parking. Passport sells mobile-based software … Continue reading “Passport Buys Austin Parking Enforcement Software Company NuPark”
Eyeing NASH, Glympse Raises $22M to Test Disease Detection Nanotech
Glympse Bio has developed sensor technology that it says can give clinicians an early look at a developing disease. As Glympse prepares to test its disease detection approach in a serious liver disorder, the startup has raised $22 million in Series A financing. LS Polaris Innovation Fund and Arch Venture Partners co-led the investment in Cambridge, … Continue reading “Eyeing NASH, Glympse Raises $22M to Test Disease Detection Nanotech”
U.S. Venture Capital Deals on Pace to Exceed $100B in 2018
Once considered a passing phase, the concentration of capital into fewer, larger venture capital deals appears to be the new normal. Fueled by so-called mega-funds, investment in U.S.-based venture-backed companies as of the end of the third quarter hit a decade high, and is on pace to pass the $100 billion mark by year’s end. … Continue reading “U.S. Venture Capital Deals on Pace to Exceed $100B in 2018”
Xenex Adds $4.8M for Hospital Trial Program of Germ-Zapping Robots
San Antonio — [Corrected 10/9/18, 4:19 p.m. See below.] Xenex Disinfection Systems has raised a $4.8 million round of debt funding to pay for a program that lets hospitals and other healthcare facilities use its germ-zapping robots on a trial basis. Xenex sells hospitals a technology that uses an inert gas, pulsed xenon, to create high-intensity … Continue reading “Xenex Adds $4.8M for Hospital Trial Program of Germ-Zapping Robots”
With a $10.2M Boost, YourMechanic Aims at Mobility Fleet Market
Every month, there’s news of another partnership among carmakers like GM and tech companies such as Uber, as they vie for dominant roles in a transportation future where individual car ownership may largely give way to rides-on-demand from fleets of autonomous and tech-enabled vehicles. But whether Uber, Toyota, GM, Honda, or Google end up at … Continue reading “With a $10.2M Boost, YourMechanic Aims at Mobility Fleet Market”
Click Therapeutics Adds Randall Kaye, Austin Speier to C-Suite
Click Therapeutics has appointed Randall Kaye to serve as its chief medical officer. Kaye comes to Click from SSI Strategy, where he was chief scientific officer. New York-based Click also appointed Austin Speier to serve as chief strategy officer. Speier was previously vice president of emerging technologies at Precision for Medicine. Click is developing software … Continue reading “Click Therapeutics Adds Randall Kaye, Austin Speier to C-Suite”
NGM Biopharma Promotes Woodhouse to CEO, Trombley to President
David Woodhouse has been appointed CEO of NGM Biopharmaceuticals. Woodhouse was also elected to the South San Francisco, CA, company’s board of directors. He succeeds William Rieflin, who will remain on NGM’s board and take on the role of executive chairman. Woodhouse was previously NGM’s chief financial officer. He joined NGM in 2015 from Goldman … Continue reading “NGM Biopharma Promotes Woodhouse to CEO, Trombley to President”
Upland Software, Bumble in India, Cratejoy Layoffs, & More TX Tech
Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news in Texas. —One of the awardees of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, aka the “genius grants,” is a University of Texas at Austin professor. Lisa Schiavianto Eberlin is a chemistry professor and her research led to the development of the MasSpec Pen, which UT says enables a … Continue reading “Upland Software, Bumble in India, Cratejoy Layoffs, & More TX Tech”
Menlo’s Drug Fails Again in Clinical Trials, This Time for Chronic Cough
A Menlo Therapeutics drug developed to treat chronic cough has failed to beat a placebo in a mid-stage study, and the clinical-stage company is stopping work on that drug program. It’s the second time in six months that the drug, serlopitant, has failed in clinical trials. In April, Redwood City, CA-based Menlo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MNLO]]) announced … Continue reading “Menlo’s Drug Fails Again in Clinical Trials, This Time for Chronic Cough”
New VARI Initiative Aims to Understand How Metabolism Drives Disease
Back in the 1990s, dietary fat was considered “Enemy Number One.” In the late ’80s, new research had found that a diet high in saturated fat was a major cause of poor health, so a low-fat food craze was born. Cookies, crackers, cake, ice cream, bread—just about everything had a low-fat version in the ’90s. … Continue reading “New VARI Initiative Aims to Understand How Metabolism Drives Disease”
Circulation CEO Talks Sale to LogistiCare & Amazon’s Healthcare Play
[Corrected 10/9/18, 10:09 am. See below.] The recent acquisition of Circulation, a software startup trying to make non-emergency medical transportation more efficient, could offer a glimpse of the next phase in the “consumerization” of healthcare—and, perhaps, another target market for Amazon. Those were some of the takeaways from a conversation I had Friday with Robin … Continue reading “Circulation CEO Talks Sale to LogistiCare & Amazon’s Healthcare Play”
InCube, VelocityTX Join Work to Develop Pediatric Medical Devices
San Antonio—A group of San Antonio institutions are getting involved in an FDA program that seeks to distribute about $6.75 million worth of seed funding as well as business and product development advising to makers of pediatric medical devices. The program is called the Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program. The FDA is handing out grants … Continue reading “InCube, VelocityTX Join Work to Develop Pediatric Medical Devices”
Senomyx, Maker of Flavor Enhancers, Set to Be Acquired by Firmenich
By year’s end San Diego’s Senomyx will be part of Firmenich, a privately held Swiss fragrance and flavor company. Senomyx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SNMX]]), a biotech that makes flavor enhancers, launched nearly 20 years ago and went public in 2004 at $6 per share. But since then its stock price has fallen significantly, dropping below $1 per … Continue reading “Senomyx, Maker of Flavor Enhancers, Set to Be Acquired by Firmenich”
FDA OKs Akcea Rare Disease Drug, Setting Up Market Clash with Alnylam
For the second time since August, the FDA has approved a new treatment for a rare and deadly disease called hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR). The agency’s nod for inotersen (Tegsedi) sets the stage for a market battle between the drug’s developer, Akcea Therapeutics, and rival Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. The FDA approved inotersen for treating polyneuropathy, the … Continue reading “FDA OKs Akcea Rare Disease Drug, Setting Up Market Clash with Alnylam”
Houston Software Developer Seeks to Raise Voter Turnout With ChatBot
Houston—There’s a lot of speculation about voter turnout in the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 6. Nile Dixon, a Houston-based software developer, wants to help turn that speculations into actual votes. Dixon is developing what he calls “Texts to Polls,” a SMS technology-based chatbot that can help voters find their designated polling place for early … Continue reading “Houston Software Developer Seeks to Raise Voter Turnout With ChatBot”
Genomatica Grabs $90M to Boost Sustainable Chemical Business
Bioengineering pioneer Genomatica has raised $90 million in private funding to accelerate the commercialization of two chemicals it has developed from renewable sources—chemicals that are being used today in plastics, cosmetics, and personal care. The company says it will also use the money to further ongoing development of a third chemical, to be used in … Continue reading “Genomatica Grabs $90M to Boost Sustainable Chemical Business”
SQZ Biotech Appoints Pfizer Veteran Volker Herrmann COO
Volker Herrmann has been appointed chief operating officer and president of cell therapy developer SQZ Biotechnologies. Before joining Watertown, MA-based SQZ, Herrmann was chief operating officer of Selenity Therapeutics. His experience also includes 17 years at Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]), where he held various positions, including head of global strategy, marketing, and commercial for the company’s … Continue reading “SQZ Biotech Appoints Pfizer Veteran Volker Herrmann COO”
BioClin Chairman Scott Myers Adds CEO Role
Scott Myers, chairman of BioClin Therapeutics, has been appointed CEO of the San Leandro, CA, company. Myers has been chairman of BioClin since June. The company says Myers will continue in his role as chairman. Myers most recently served as CEO of Seattle-based Cascadian Therapeutics, an oncology company that was acquired by Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “BioClin Chairman Scott Myers Adds CEO Role”
With Orchard’s IPO, GSK’s Old Gene Therapy Biz Gets a Wall Street Test
GlaxoSmithKline’s former gene therapy portfolio is headed to Wall Street—in the hands of Orchard Therapeutics. The London, Boston, and San Francisco, CA, company has filed for an IPO, aiming to back both a group of in-house gene therapies and others it acquired from GSK in April—among them Strimvelis, which is one of the few approved … Continue reading “With Orchard’s IPO, GSK’s Old Gene Therapy Biz Gets a Wall Street Test”
Schneider Electric Leads $18M Round for Home Energy Startup Sense
Sense, a Boston-area home energy monitoring startup, has raised $18 million in fresh funding from a group of backers that includes energy and robotics companies. Schneider Electric led the Series B financing round, and it was joined by earlier Sense investors Shell Ventures, iRobot (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRBT]]), Energy Impact Partners, Prelude Ventures, and Capricorn Investment Group. … Continue reading “Schneider Electric Leads $18M Round for Home Energy Startup Sense”
Bio Roundup: Nobel Prizes, Duchenne Steps, Guardant’s IPO & More
Cancer immunotherapy is all the rage these days. The idea of harnessing the immune system to treat cancer has sparked billions of dollars in research, led to a vast matrix of clinical trials, and started to change the way how several cancers are treated. The reason: When it works, cancer immunotherapy can lead to longer-lasting … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Nobel Prizes, Duchenne Steps, Guardant’s IPO & More”
OneCause Snags $4M Investment, Plans to Expand Fundraising Platform
OneCause, an Indianapolis-based fundraising platform formerly known as BidPal, has experienced a few changes over the past year: It has a new name, acquired Great Feats in April, and raised $4 million in venture funding last month. “As we grew, we wanted to send a message to our clients and team by putting ‘cause’ first [in … Continue reading “OneCause Snags $4M Investment, Plans to Expand Fundraising Platform”
Janssen Reaches $250M Deal for Rights to Arrowhead’s Hep B RNAi Drug
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is licensing one of its drug candidates, a hepatitis B treatment, to a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson in a cash and stock deal valued at $250 million up front. The agreement announced Thursday comes one month after Pasadena, CA-based Arrowhead, which operates its laboratories in Madison, WI, reported encouraging early … Continue reading “Janssen Reaches $250M Deal for Rights to Arrowhead’s Hep B RNAi Drug”
FDA Approves Roche Drug For All Hemophilia A Patients, But Rivals Loom
The treatment landscape for hemophilia is changing fast, and today marks a turning point. The FDA has just cleared Roche to sell its drug emicizumab (Hemlibra) to patients with any form of hemophilia A—making it, potentially, the choice treatment for the disease. At least for now. The FDA first approved emicizumab in late 2017 for … Continue reading “FDA Approves Roche Drug For All Hemophilia A Patients, But Rivals Loom”
Guardant Health’s IPO Tops Range, Raising $238M for Cancer Tests
Guardant Health continued the rapid drumbeat of life science IPOs this year by raising $237.5 million in its stock market debut, making it one of the biggest IPOs so far this year. The cancer diagnostics company priced its offering of 12.5 million shares at $19 apiece late Wednesday, well above the $15 to $17 per … Continue reading “Guardant Health’s IPO Tops Range, Raising $238M for Cancer Tests”
Rethink Robotics, Maker of Factory Robots, Shuts Down
Rethink Robotics, one of New England’s best-funded robotics companies, has shut down, according to reports by The Robot Report and The Boston Globe. Rethink, which developed collaborative factory robots, had raised more than $130 million in venture funding since it was started in 2008. The company was led by CEO Scott Eckert and founder and … Continue reading “Rethink Robotics, Maker of Factory Robots, Shuts Down”
ClimaCell Grabs $45M for Weather Data for Airlines, Driverless Cars
Aviation, public utilities, and insurance are among the old-line industries that rely on accurate weather forecasts and monitoring to make crucial decisions for their operations. Now, advances in artificial intelligence and other technologies are creating uses for weather data in new sectors—think ride-hailing services, drones, and self-driving cars. That’s according to ClimaCell, a Boston-based startup … Continue reading “ClimaCell Grabs $45M for Weather Data for Airlines, Driverless Cars”
Cloudera, Hortonworks Plan to Merge as $5.2B Cloud Data Platform
Cloudera and Hortonworks, two large, publicly traded companies that compete to offer Web-based data storage and analytics, announced plans today to merge into a combined entity they value at $5.2 billion. Share prices for the two Silicon Valley companies spiked in after-hours trading following the announcement Wednesday that both their boards approved the all-stock deal. Palo … Continue reading “Cloudera, Hortonworks Plan to Merge as $5.2B Cloud Data Platform”
Second Genome Promotes Karim Dabbagh to President & CEO
Karim Dabbagh has been appointed president and CEO of microbiome drug developer Second Genome. Dabbagh is also joining the South San Francisco, CA, company’s board of directors. He succeeds Glenn Nedwin, who retired last month. Dabbagh has been Second Genome’s chief scientific officer since 2014. Before joining the company, Dabbagh was vice president and head … Continue reading “Second Genome Promotes Karim Dabbagh to President & CEO”
Pfizer Veteran Bernard Fermini Joins Novoheart as Chief R&D Officer
Novoheart (TSXV: [[ticker:NVH]]) has appointed Bernard Fermini to serve as chief research and development officer of the Vancouver, BC, stem cell biotechnology company. Fermini most recently worked at Coyne Scientific, where he was vice president of safety and toxicology and chief scientific officer. His experience also includes 17 years at Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]), where he … Continue reading “Pfizer Veteran Bernard Fermini Joins Novoheart as Chief R&D Officer”