Genome Life Sciences

Xylyx Bio | August 27, 2020

New York-based Xylyx Bio, a leader in advanced disease models, today announced the release of normal and fibrotic NativeCoat™ human lung- and liver-specific ECM substrates for antifibrotic drug discovery to increase predictiveness of high throughput screening and improve evaluation of efficacy of biopharmaceutical drug candidates for hard to treat fibrotic diseases such as IPF and NASH. Despite billions of dollars spent each year, 9 out of 10 drugs fail to make it to market, in part due to...

FierceBiotech | February 11, 2020

Pfizer’s former longtime cancer research head Robert Abraham, Ph.D., has become the new chief scientific officer at a San Diego biotech after leaving the Big Pharma last year. He moves over to 2017 Fierce 15 winner Vividion Therapeutics, a biotech looking to increase the number of proteins small molecules can target. Last April, it got off a $82 million series B financing round. Its platform is based on the work of Benjamin Cravatt, Phil Baran and Jin-Quan Yu at the Scripps Research Instit...

MEDICAL

Westlake Village BioPartners | December 15, 2020

Westlake Village BioPartners today announced the launch of two new funds totaling $500 million to build and put resources into promising life sciences organizations with transformative therapeutic technologies. The first fund, known as Opportunity 1, is $70 million and permits Westlake to contribute extra Series B or later-round capital into promising organizations they incubated or invested into with their original fund, Westlake BioPartners 1 (WBP1). One example is a begin...

MEDICAL

Novalis Biotech | July 01, 2021

Novalis Biotech, an early-stage venture capital investor in healthcare-related technology, announced today the completion of its €25 million second fund, the Novalis Biotech Acceleration Fund. The fundraising has included both new and returning investors. The second fund's investor base comprises institutional investors, including Participate Maatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV), family offices, and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). The Biotech Acceleration Fund will continue ...