Life Science Start-Ups: Tech Transfer Deals, May 2014
• By Deanna Kamienski, Beth Allan, Amanda Micklus, and Maureen Riordan
Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Tech Transfers column provides a monthly update on technology transfer deals, reporting licensing agreements between companies and universities or other research institutions within the In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. This month’s column covers deals announced March through April 2014.
Qiagen licenses myeloproliferative neoplasm biomarker from CeMM
As the patent protection clock ticks down on Merck’s flagship blockbuster Keytruda, the company is reported to be pursuing the inflammation and immunology biotech. Such a move would bulk up its sparse I&I pipeline.
Pursuing first-in-class molecular glue degraders using undruggable targets could eventually help Degron Therapeutics land sizable asset-based deals, CEO Lily Zou tells Scrip.
Kymera will move KT-621 into Phase II trials later this year based on compelling data in healthy volunteers, validating the company’s protein-degradation platform.
Private Company Edition: Six biopharma companies raised venture capital rounds totaling $100m or more in May, matching the number of mega-rounds in April and March. Among other recent financings, Syndeio launched with $90m and SpyGlass raised a $75m series D round.
Kymera will move KT-621 into Phase II trials later this year based on compelling data in healthy volunteers, validating the company’s protein-degradation platform.
