Feature Articles

Fast Forward And Myelin Repair Foundation: Two Routes To New MS Drugs / Despite the availability of new oral medicines, larger advances in MS remain elusive, especially for those with advanced MS. Two nonprofit groups, the National MS Society’s Fast Forward venture arm and the Myelin Repair Foundation, are thinking creatively in different ways – but both spending millions of dollars – to make those breakthroughs come sooner. / START-UP April 2012

Renal Denervation: Device Market’s Gold Rush / Three years ago, only Ardian was publicly working on renal denervation devices for hypertension, but at last month’s ACC meeting, some said there were now anywhere from 16 to 40 companies in the space. Fast followers don’t want to miss out on an IP land grab in today’s hottest medical device space. / START-UP April 2012

Valuation Watch

Globus IPO Bid Is Good News For Spine Industry / Globus Medical filed for an initial public offering of stock in March, making it the first spine company to test the public markets since TranS1 raised $86 million in its own IPO at the tail end of 2007. / START-UP April 2012

Venture Round

OvaScience Raises $37 Million For Disruptive Infertility Product / In the field of assisted reproductive technologies, only incremental advances have been made since the first in vitro fertilization procedure in 1978. Now OvaScience has a breakthrough product that addresses the single largest barrier preventing older women from getting pregnant: poor egg quality. / START-UP April 2012

Celtic Pours More Private Equity Into The Promise Of Antibody-Drug Conjugates / Celtic Therapeutics will put as much as $50 million into ADC Therapeutics to develop next-generation cancer drugs based on assets from Spirogen, another of its other portfolio companies. / START-UP April 2012

CDRH Launches ‘Innovation Pathway 2.0’ With End-Stage Renal Devices / Participants expect the program to tangibly reduce time to market and improve companies’ prospects for raising money. / START-UP April 2012

Capital Matters

Project Sigma: Wellcome Funding For Scientific Research / The Wellcome Trust, the UK’s largest private funder of biomedical research, has hired industry veterans to run a new £200 million evergreen fund that will take full ownership of biotech start-ups and hold them with more patience than VCs can afford. / START-UP April 2012

Grouped Start-Ups

Vaccine Investment Gets A Shot In The Arm / The vaccine industry has had its ups and downs the last two decades, as public opinion and investor perception has influenced both the use and production of these preventative medicines. It’s traditionally been a difficult space for smaller companies due to the financial hurdles, but a handful of start-ups, including TremRx, Selecta Biosciences Inc., Genocea Biosciences Inc. and Imaxio SA, all profiled in this issue, are banking on progress in delivery and development technology to help them raise financing for their vaccines programs. / START-UP April 2012

Genocea Biosciences Inc. / Genocea Biosciences Inc. is one of a growing number of companies betting that it can stimulate the body’s T-cell response against particular antigens, and so create vaccines against pathogens never before bested by man, such as malaria, herpes and chlamydia. Like others working to develop new vaccines, Genocea suspects that the ability to conjure cellular immunity on demand could offer not only prophylaxis, but also therapeutic options to individuals already infected by pathogens. / START-UP April 2012

Imaxio SA / Imaxio SA has identified a molecule that it believes can boost the body’s recognition of many antigens, and stimulate the immune system to produce both B cells and T cells. Some people might consider the molecule a “genetic adjuvant,” but the company itself refers to it as a “carrier protein.” Whereas classic adjuvants that provoke the body to a stronger immune response are mixed in with vaccines, Imaxio’s carrier will be genetically fused to specific components of a vaccine. / START-UP April 2012

Selecta Biosciences Inc. / The technology platform that Selecta Biosciences Inc. hopes will create new vaccines combines biodegradable polymers, formulated as nanoparticles, that can be processed in such a way that they “self-assemble” along with antigens and synthetic elements into complexes able to evoke clinically relevant immune responses. Selecta says its nanoparticles stimulate a human immune response similar to that roused by naturally occurring pathogens, perhaps because they are similar in size to a virus and because antigen is arrayed on the outside to optimally interact with the body’s B cells. / START-UP April 2012

TremRx Inc. / Fresh evidence that everything once fashionable eventually comes back into style is now provided by TremRx Inc., a Boston-based start-up intent on developing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. The company’s approach hinges on much the same method as the smallpox vaccine invented by Edward Jenner in the late 1700s. / START-UP April 2012

Start-Ups Across Health Care

Bluegrass Vascular Technologies Inc. / Central venous catheters are commonly employed to deliver long-term dialysis, nutrition and chemotherapy, but nearly 10% of patients have an upper-extremity venous occlusion that renders the vein impenetrable by standard access techniques. When access is not possible through traditional “outside-in” routes, Bluegrass Vascular Technologies’ Surfacer system allows for central venous access through the femoral vein in the leg. / START-UP April 2012

Haldor Advanced Technologies Ltd. / Haldor Advanced Technologies Ltd.’s ORLocate surgical instrument tracking and asset management system uses RFID to automatically track, trace, monitor and manage the life cycle of instruments and consumables within the hospital – before, during and after a surgical procedure. In addition to managing the logistical chain and the specific location of an instrument at any point in time, ORLocate is designed to be a comprehensive workflow management system that provides statistical and processing data, par-level and inventory management and preventive maintenance. / START-UP April 2012

Targovax AS / Dendreon’s prostate-cancer treatment Provenge demonstrated that the concept of rallying the body’s immune system to fight cancer actually can work. Norwegian start-up Targovax AS is one of many companies working to commercialize peptide vaccines intended to rouse the immune system and train it to recognize cancer. / START-UP April 2012

Emergings in Brief

Emergings In Brief, April 2012 / Brief profiles of these recently formed companies: 3D Biomatrix, IDx, InControl Medical and Intrepid Therapeutics. / START-UP April 2012

On The Move

Start-Up Execs On The Move, April 2012 / Recent executive-level hires and director appointments at venture capital firms and biopharma and medtech start-ups. / START-UP April 2012

Recent Financings Of Private Companies

Recent Financings of Private Companies, April 2012 / START-UP 's monthly comprehensive review of emerging life science companies that have received venture funding during the month, including companies within the in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, research/analytical equipment & supplies, and medical device sectors. / START-UP April 2012

Tech Transfer Deals

Recent Tech Transfer Deals, April 2012 / START-UP ’s monthly update on technology transfer deals--licensing agreements between companies and universities or other research institutions—in in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, research/analytical equipment & supplies, and medical devices. / START-UP April 2012

Publishers Spotlight

IN³ Medical Device 360° Boston / Publisher’s Spotlight: Elsevier Business Intelligence is pleased to invite you and your team to join us for Investment in Innovation (IN³) Medical Device 360° Conference, being held June 27-29, 2012 at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Boston in Boston, MA. / START-UP April 2012