Science and Enterprise

Tag: biotechnology

  • 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…

  • Australian Researchers Develop Salt-Tolerant Wheat Strain

    Agricultural researchers at universities and research institutes in Australia have developed a strain of wheat that can thrive in salty soils. Their findings appear today online in journal Nature Biotechnology (paid subscription required). The research led by University of Adeliade plant scientist Matthew Gilliham first aimed at understanding in the lab the functioning of salt-tolerant…

  • Bellicum Pharma Lands $20M in Series B Finance Round

    Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Houston, Texas says today it has raised $20 million in series B financing, the second round of investment after initial start-up. The company develops vaccines designed to attack specific disease-producing cells, including those causing life-threatening disorders such as cancer. The privately-held Bellicum says current and new investors contributed to this investment…

  • Bridgestone Tire to Study Natural Raw Rubber Alternative

    Bridgestone Corporation, a global tire manufacturer in Tokyo, Japan unveiled plans today for a research project in the U.S. to develop a new commercially viable, renewable source of tire-quality natural rubber. The project aims to harness the cultivation of guayule — pronounced why-YOU-lee — as an alternative to hevea trees, the current source of almost…

  • Biotech, Pharma Companies to Collaborate on New Vaccines

    Medicago Inc. in Quebec City, Canada and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. in Osaka, Japan have agreed to develop and commercialize at least three new vaccines based on Medicago’s technology. The first part of the deal is expected to provide Medicago with up to $C33 million ($US 33 milion) in revenues. The partnership will give Mitsubishi…

  • Grant to Fund R&D on Oil-Producing Plants for Biofuels

    A research team at University of Illinois, with other academic and national lab colleagues, has received a $3.2 million grant to study bioengineering sugar cane and sorghum to produce oil for biofuels. The Department of Energy funding for this project also supports researchers at University of Florida, University of Nebraska, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory,…

  • 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…

  • University, Company Test Gene Transfer Cancer Treatment

    University of California in San Diego and biopharmaceutical company Tocagen Inc., also in San Diego, are testing a new type of brain cancer treatment that injects a viral vector directly into a tumor. Viral vectors use viruses to deliver genetic material into cells, and in this case, the vectors intend to target the cancerous cells…

  • NIH Grant to Fund R&D on Pain Meds With Fewer Side Effects

    Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida has received a grant from National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of National Institutes of Health (NIH), for research on compounds that lead to new pain medications without the side effects of opiate drugs. The five-year, $3.1 million award will support a Scripps team led by neuroscientist Laura Bohn…

  • Avanir, Concert in Licensing Deal for Neurological Drugs

    The biopharmaceutical company Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Aliso Viejo, California and the biotechnology firm Concert Pharmaceuticals in Lexington, Massachusetts have agreed on a deal that licenses Concert’s drug-development technology to design treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. While the companies did not disclose financial details, the industry Web site Xconomy says the deal can provide…