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Finance Friday: 18 February 2011
Here are recent angel and venture finance transactions for science- and engineering-based companies, as reported by Xconomy and elsewhere. Biomedical/Life Sciences Rosetta Genomics Ltd. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MicroRNA-based molecular diagnostics. $6.0 million, equity. Versartis in Mountain View, California. Protein drugs for endocrine disorders. $21 million in Series B equity financing. Ivivi Health Sciences in San…
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USDA Funding Research on Climate Change, Agr Production
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded three grants to study the effects of climate change on agriculture and forest production. NIFA Director Roger Beachy made the announcement today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. A research team led by Dr. Tim Martin,…
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Contract Awarded for Smallpox Countermeasure Drug Candidate
Chimerix Inc., a pharmaceutical company in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, was awarded a contract by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop the company’s antiviral drug candidate, CMX001 as a medical countermeasure in the event of a smallpox release. The contract has a total potential value of $81 million. CMX001 is…
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Chemistry Prof. Commercializes Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
A chemistry professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing developed a process for making inexpensive hydrogen fuel cells to generate cheap electrical power, and helped start a business to bring that technology to market. A company making portable device chargers has now licensed the technology and unveiled its product this week. James Dye has…
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U.K. Universities to Forecast Reactor Lifetimes
Materials scientists and engineers from six universities in the U.K. are taking part in a joint project to forecast the life expectancy of the country’s nuclear power reactors. The research team comes from the University of Leeds, with colleagues from the universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Salford, Sussex, and Huddersfield. The project runs for three years,…
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Genetic Modification Leads to Longer Tomato Shelf Life
Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville, Maryland have introduced a new gene to tomatoes that help make the fruit last longer in stores and at home. The team published their findings in the February issue of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research magazine, and last fall in The Plant Journal (paid…
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Whole Genome Sequencing Advances for Cancer Diagnosis
Physicians and researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona and the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix successfully completed sequencing a single patient’s normal and cancer cells. The team says this is among the first whole genome sequencing performed for the medical care of a specific cancer patient. The genomic sequencing of tumor and…
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Medical Device Maker Licenses Spinal Surgery Technology
Integra LifeSciences in Plainsboro, New Jersey says it has agreed to license and further develop technology made by Stout Medical Group in Perkasie, Pennsylvania to improve spinal surgery. Integra estimates the market value for these kind of devices to exceed $750 million. Under the agreement, Integra will develop a device that surgeons can implant into…
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Clinical Trial Record Security Deemed Inadequate
A study of Canadian clinical trial practices shows serious vulnerabilities in the security of participants’ personal data when the data are shared among authorized stakeholders. The findings appear online in the 11 February issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The study, by Khaled El-Emam of Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in…
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Grants Awarded for Robotics, Cyber-Vision and Child Health
A research team at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis received two grants totaling more than $3 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for technology to help diagnose children’s mental health disorders. The grants, totaling more than $3 million, were awarded by NSF’s Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Major Research Instrumentation programs. The Minnesota team led by…