Tag: biotechnology
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New Company Formed to Commercialize Synthetic DNA Discovery
7 May 2014. Synthorx Inc., a spin-off company from Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, will commercialize research licensed from Scripps that adds synthetic DNA elements into natural DNA of organisms. The research, led by Scripps chemistry professor and Synthorx co-founder Floyd Romesberg, appears today online in the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Romesberg,…
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Biotech Alliance to Humanize Pig Lungs for Transplant
7 May 2014. Synthetic Genomics Inc. in La Jolla, California and Lung Biotechnology Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland are developing synthetic lungs from pigs for patients with end-stage lung diseases needing a transplant. While all financial aspects of the deal were not disclosed, United Therapeutics Corporation — the parent company of Lung Biotechnology — is…
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Immune Therapeutics Start-Up Raises $37.5M in Early Funding
6 May 2014. Anokion SA in Lausanne, Switzerland, a start-up enterprise developing therapies to treat immune systems disorders, raised 33 million Swiss francs ($US 37.5 million) in its first venture financing round. The round was led by Novartis Venture Fund, and two life-science investment companies — Novo Ventures and Versant Ventures — with participation from…
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Regeneron, Avalanche to Partner on Eye Disorder Gene Therapy
5 May 2014. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, New York is licensing gene therapy technology from Avalanche Biotechnologies in Menlo Park, California to develop and commercialize new treatments for eye diseases. The value of the deal is at least $640 million, but not all payment amounts were disclosed. Regeneron is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for inflammation, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, cancer,…
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Pfizer, Second Genome to Partner on Human Microbes, Obesity
2 May 2014. Second Genome, a biotechnology company in South San Francisco, California, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. are conducting a large-scale study to better understand the relationship among gut microbes, obesity, and metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. Financial and intellectual property aspects of the collaboration were not disclosed. Second Genome develops therapies affecting…
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NYU Medical Center Starts Drug Discovery Partnership Program
1 May 2014. New York University’s Langone Medical Center unveiled an initiative to establish more partnerships with drug and biotechnology companies that move initial therapeutic targets into active drug development programs. NYU’s Office of Therapeutics Alliances, says the university, aims to fill the translation gap or “valley of death” between research performed by academic scientists…
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MERS Vaccine Candidate Produces Immune Response in Lab Test
30 April 2014. Researchers at the biotechnology company Novavax Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland and University of Maryland medical school in Baltimore found new vaccines made from engineered protein nanoparticles generated in lab mice an immune response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) viruses. The team led by Maryland…
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FDA Approves Intermediate ALS Stem Cell Clinical Trial
28 April 2014. BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, in New York and Israel, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its beginning an intermediate stage clinical trial of a stem cell-based therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The trial will test for safety and tolerability of the company’s treatments…
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Cancer Immunotherapy Start-Up Completes $176M Funding Round
25 April 2014. Juno Therapeutics, a biotechnology start-up company in Seattle, completed its first round of venture financing, raising $176 million from private investors and not-for-profit research institutes. The company started in December 2013 with a stake of $120 million, but announced in January 2014 it planned to expand its financing beyond an original target…
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Genome Editing Start-Up Secures $25 Million in First Round
24 April 2014. Biopharmaceutical start-up company CRISPR Therapeutics in Basel, Switzerland raised $25 million in its first funding round. The company develops engineered gene therapies with a technology developed by one of its scientific founders, and is backed in this round by Versant Ventures, a venture capital company in Menlo Park, California. CRISPR Therapeutics’ technology…