Aspen Neuroscience Inc. hopes to get into the clinic to test autologous neuron replacement in Parkinson’s disease with a $6.5 million seed round. The financing featured several established life sciences venture investors; it was led by Domain Associates and Axon Ventures and included Alexandria Venture Investments, Arch Venture Partners, Orbimed, and Section 32.
PERTH, Australia – Private Chinese investors have launched a new AU$45 million (US$31.17 million) investment fund to accelerate the development and commercialization of new biotechnology from South Australia for the global market. The Adelaide China Biotech Investment Fund is backed by a group of private investors based in Nanjing, China, underwritten by the Bank of Nanjing.
HONG KONG - With a corporate valuation of $1.04 billion, the South Korean biosimilar company Aprogen Inc. has become the country’s first biotech “unicorn,” according to U.S. market research firm CB Insights. Korea now ranks fifth, tied with Germany, in terms of the number of unicorns, with total of 11 unicorns, a term used to describe private ventures with $1 billion-plus valuations.
Caresyntax GmbH, a Berlin-based provider of surgical automation, analytics and AI software technologies, picked up $45.6 million in venture funding. The funds will be used to accelerate U.S. and global expansion and support continued development and deployment of Caresyntax products. Participating in the financing were Whiz Partners, a Takeda-back drug discovery gateway investment limited partnership, Plug and Play Tech Center, Barco Healthcare, Mitsubishi Corp., Relyens, IPF Partners and Caresyntax founders Dennis Kogan and Bjoern von Siemens.
HONG KONG – Singapore and U.S.-based Hummingbird Bioscience Pte Ltd. has raised $19 million in a series B financing round. Proceeds will be used to support the discovery of new disease targets and to fuel the work of co-discovery projects that are part of a multitarget collaboration agreement valued at more than $1 billion signed with Amgen Inc. in September.