HealthQuest Capital raises $110M for healthcare investments

August 19, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani

HealthQuest Capital is looking to make some moves healthcare with its newly raised $110 million fund, looking for unmet needs in medical devices, diagnostics and information technology.

The Sofinnova Ventures-backed investment group garnered a lot of support for its inaugural fund, which was only expected to raise about $50 million. HealthQuest didn’t release the names of its backers, but said that the funds came from “endowments, pensions and family offices,” among others. Read more

ElectroCore seeks commercial partners for non-invasive headache tech

August 18, 2014 by Brad Perriello

ElectroCore said it tapped investment bank Piper Jaffray to help it court potential partners to commercialize the non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation treatment for headaches it’s developing.

The self-administered nVNS procedure is designed to treat migraine and cluster headaches, according to a press release; U.S. approval is expected in 2015, the company said. ElectroCore said it’s also working on trials for respiratory and gastric motility disorders, depression and anxiety. Read more

Seventh Sense lands $16M for non-invasive blood collection

August 13, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani

Massachusetts-based Seventh Sense Biosystems added 3 new investors this month with the closing of its Series B financing round, which brought in $16 million for the the company’s blood sampling devices.

Siemens, Novartis and Laboratory Corp. of America became new funders in this round, joining existing backers Flagship Ventures and Polaris Partners, 7SBio announced. Read more

PCORI dangles $90M in grants for comparative effectiveness research

August 18, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is looking to dole out $90 million in support for clinical research, the organization announced today.

PCORI is looking for studies that will highlight practical questions in healthcare in order to help patients, doctors and other healthcare stakeholders make more informed decisions. Called “comparative effectiveness research,” the studies aim to compare drugs, surgery, devices and other medical options based on their relative benefits and risks. Read more