Ziopharm Oncology Inc., of Boston, said it entered into an agreement with existing investors for the exercise of previously issued warrants to purchase common stock in a private placement, being led by existing stockholder, MSD Partners LP, that is expected to result in gross proceeds of approximately $45 million. 

PERTH, Australia – Following positive results across three different oncology clinical trial programs with its lead candidate, Veyonda, Sydney-based Noxopharm Pty Ltd. has secured a AU$26 million (US$18 million) funding facility from U.S. investors leading up to a proposed Nasdaq listing.

Exopharm Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said it finalized an AU$4.44 million (US$3.03 million) share placement to new institutional and sophisticated investors. 

It has been a few years since there was an active market for digital health IPOs. But that's changed now. Chronic health care management company Livongo Health Inc. has raised $355 million in an IPO, following last month's $609 million public debut for health care workflow management software company Change Healthcare Inc.

Liquid biopsy startup Freenome Inc., of South San Francisco, reeled in $160 million in a series B financing that was led by RA Capital Management and Polaris Partners. The funds are earmarked to advance Freenome's multiomics blood testing platform for early cancer detection and to grow its laboratory and software capabilities.

Curza Global LLC, of Salt Lake City, received a $5.25 million investment from Novo Holdings Repair Impact Fund to support the advancement of its CZ-02 program that targets multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections.

Benchling Inc., of San Francisco, said it closed a $34.5 million series C funding led by Menlo Ventures with new investors Lead Edge Capital and Y Combinator Continuity and returning investors Benchmark and Thrive Capital. 

David Southwell, a seasoned pharma exec and CEO of newly funded Tscan Therapeutics Inc., called from a small, unadorned conference room on the Harvard campus to talk about his new company. He's used to being on the clinical development side, where the accommodations are a bit more posh, but nonetheless he's pleased to be investigating T-cell therapy for cancer patients.

X-vax Technology Inc., of Jupiter, Fla., raised $56 million in an upsized series A financing with participation from strategic and institutional investors, including JJDC Inc., Adjuvant Capital, Serum Institute of India, Alexandria Venture Investments and FF DSF VI, a scout investment vehicle out of Founders Fund. 

Retrotope Inc., of Los Altos, Calif., closed a $20 million series C financing that was co-led by new investor Mehta Family Partners and current shareholder Timur Artemev.