Tag: entrepreneurs
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GSK, Johnson & Johnson Join in Life Science Venture Fund
The London-based venture capital company Index Ventures unveiled a new investment fund for early-stage life sciences companies, with pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Janssen, a division of Johnson & Johnson, among the investors. The Index Life VI fund, valued at €150 million ($US230 million), is the first for Index Ventures devoted solely to the life sciences.…
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Osteoporosis Drug Developer Secures $28M in Series B Round
Tarsa Therapeutics Inc., a Philadelphia-based developer of drugs to treat osteoporosis, has completed $28 million in new series B financing, the second round of funding after initial start-up. The financing package, announced on Friday, is led by a new investor in the company, Foresite Capital. The funding is expected to support the next commercialization and…
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Start-Up Licenses Univ. of Colorado 3-D Imaging Technology
University of Colorado in Boulder has licensed an advanced imaging technology developed in its engineering labs to a start-up company founded by the technology’s inventor. Double Helix LLC, also of Boulder and founded by engineering professor Rafael Piestun, has negotiated an exclusive license to commercialize the technology from the university’s technology transfer office. Piestun developed…
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Pennsylvania Awards Five University Commercialization Grants
Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development approved $3.15 million for five grants to support research and development in nanotechnology and advanced materials. The grants were made through the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority’s University Research Commercialization Program that aims to build stronger synergies between university-based research and technology transfer. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners…
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Irish Govt to Fund U.S. Life Sciences VC Presence in Ireland
The government of Ireland plans to invest $37.5 million in Sofinnova Ventures, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California that supports start-ups in the health care field, for the company to establish a presence in Ireland. Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton (pictured right) made the announcement today during a visit…
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Biotech Secures $13M in Series B Funding for Clinical Trial
HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotechnology company in San Diego, closed a $13 million extension of its series B financing, the second round of funding after initial start-up. The extension is funded by existing investors Aberdare Ventures, De Novo Ventures, Forward Ventures, Latterell Venture Partners, and Lilly Ventures. HemaQuest develops small molecule therapies to treat disorders…
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Coating Developed to Enable Faster, Stronger Dental Implants
A clinical study led by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden shows that a new process speeds and strengthens the implants of artificial teeth in the jaw bones of patients. The findings of the study appear online in the journal Bone (paid subscription required), and the study leader has founded a company for commercializing the…
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Maryland Universities to Partner on Biotech, Tech Transfer
University of Maryland campuses in Baltimore (UMB) and College Park (UMCP) have agreed on a plan to collaborate on new or combined biotechnology, public health, and commercialization programs, as well as encourage joint research, faculty appointments, and grant submissions. The state’s university board of regents today approved the partnership called University of Maryland: MPowering the…
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Injectable Gel Material Devised to Treat Heart Tissue Damage
Engineers at University of California at San Diego have developed a gel-type material that in animal models shows promise in treating heart tissue damaged by a heart attack. The work of a team led by UCSD’s Karen Christman appears in the 21 February issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (paid subscription…
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University Research Spinoff To Build Manufacturing Plant
Aquion Energy Inc. in Pittsburgh, a developer of sodium ion batteries and energy storage systems, says it will build its first large-scale manufacturing plant in southwestern Pennsylvania. Aquion Energy that makes energy storage systems for electrical power grids expects to create over 400 high-tech manufacturing jobs by the end of 2015. The company’s systems are…