Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) announced today that it is planning to tender an offer to acquire all outstanding common stock shares of clinical-stage biotech company Synthorx. The agreement and plan of merger between the two companies was announced on Dec. 7 and the offer is being made pursuant to that. Sanofi said it stands to acquire the common […]
Biotech
Man charged in death of Medtronic research scientist
This article has been updated with charging information from the Hennepin County (Minn.) Attorney’s Office. Officials in Minneapolis have charged a man with manslaughter in the August 23, 2019, death of a Medtronic research scientist. Hennepin County officials said they have charged Erik Kravchuk, 28, of Golden Valley, Minn. with first-degree manslaughter in the death […]
Versant Ventures launches medtech fund Vensana with $225m
Versant Ventures said today that it completed the closing of the Vensana Capital fund, a venture capital and growth equity investment firm dedicated to the medtech sector with more than $200 million in committed capital. Vensana Capital intends to use its $225 million in funding to partner with medtech companies in their clinical development and […]
Gel-e gains breakthrough device nod for internal bleeding control device
Wound-care startup Gel-e said today that it has won FDA breakthrough status designation for its first internal-use flowable device. The College Park, Md.-based company’s first product, Life Foam, is an expanding, injectable hemostat designed to rapidly provide temporary control of bleeding from non-compressible abdominal wounds that are not suited to tourniquet application in trauma and battlefield […]
Thermo Fisher to drop $1.7B on gene therapy maker Brammer Bio
Thermo Fisher (NYSE:TMO) said today that it will acquire gene and cell therapy manufacturer Brammer Bio for $1.7 billion in cash. Brammer Bio is a viral vector contract developer and manufacturer of gene therapies and gene-modified cell therapies for biopharma customers. The Cambridge, Mass.-based business has nearly 600 employees at primary locations in Massachusetts and Alachua, Fla. Get […]
NE Ohio biomedical industry investments on the rise
Investment in the northeast Ohio biomedical sector totaled nearly $294 million in 2018 with 71 regional companies receiving funding, according to regional healthcare trade group BioEnterprise. Those figures make this region the third largest for total healthcare investment in the Midwest, following Minneapolis ($664 million) and Chicago ($551 million). These were among the findings of […]
Bruin Biometrics lands second SBIR award for ortho device
Bruin Biometrics (BBI) said it has won a $1.4 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II program award from The National Institute of Arthritis and the musculoskeletal and skin division of the National Institutes of Health. BBI (Los Angeles) uses biometric sensor technology to aid clinicians in the early detection and monitoring of chronic, […]
MedAutonomic implants device to treat metabolic syndrome
MedAutonomic said today it has successfully implanted a brain neuromodulation device, the Phoenix, into the stomach wall of a human through an innovative digestive endoscopic procedure. Powered without a battery, the Phoenix sends signals to the limbic system to reset an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system to treat metabolic syndrome and functional diseases […]
Livongo touts first connected BP monitor
Consumer digital health company Livongo Health today announced the first cellular-enabled blood pressure monitoring system in the U.S. Cellular connectivity allows for easy checking and reporting from home, eliminating the so-called “white coat” syndrome that leads to unnecessary prescriptions for high blood pressure, the company said in a prepared statement. Nearly 65% of people already using Livongo […]
Hackers steal patient info from Guardant Health
Liquid biopsy company Guardant Health has revealed that 1,100 patients’ information was stolen in a phishing attack in July. The Redwood City, Calif. company said in an SEC filing that an unauthorized user hacked an employee’s email account and accessed patients’ names, contact information, birth dates, medical diagnosis codes, and, in a very limited number […]
GE, DARPA are taking on Type 2 diabetes with electricity
GE and DARPA are collaborating on a $2.9 million study of neuromodulation as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. GE scientists have developed a novel, potentially breakthrough approach that could restore nerve signals to a healthy state using non-invasive devices that stimulate metabolic biosystems and produce drug-like effects, but with greater precision than traditional treatments, […]