News

Pionyr And Abcam Extend Partnership To Evaluate TREM2-Expressing Cells In Cancer Patients

 Pionyr Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a University of California, San Francisco founded company developing first-in-class antibody therapeutics that increase the body’s anti-tumor immunity and Abcam a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, announced the extension of their collaboration...

Neurona Therapeutics is dashing to the clinic with its cell therapy for epilepsy

Neurona Therapeutics unveiled a $41.5 million round on Tuesday morning, bringing the San Francisco-based biotech’s total raise to $135 million. The cash will be used to advance the company’s pipeline, including an upcoming Phase I/IIa for its lead candidate, NRTX-1001, in chronic focal epilepsy.

Next-generation T-cell therapeutics set sights on cancers, autoimmune disorders and more

"From my perspective there's no more important system in the body than the immune system, especially T cells," said Jeffrey Bluestone, Ph.D., an emeritus professor of medicine at the UCSF Diabetes Center and CEO of the T cell therapy company Sonoma Biotherapeutics. "T cells are potent, diverse and...

EFFECTOR Therapeutics drops IPO, taking the SPAC path with Locust Walk

eFFECTOR Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotech company co-founded by University of California Professor of 
Urology Davide Ruggero, opted out of an IPO to be aquired by Locust Walk Acquisition Corp., a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC). The deal, anticipated to close in the third quarter...

Alessa Therapeutics Announces IND Clearance to Collaborate with the National Cancer Institute

Alessa Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage drug development company founded by University of California, San Francisco professor Dr. Pamela Munster, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Investigational New Drug application (IND) for Biolen®. Alessa, in...

Thermo Fisher partners with UCSF for early biotech manufacturing

A multimillion-dollar deal between the University of California, San Francisco, and biotech tools giant Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will put cell therapies almost literally within reach of UCSF cancer patients, doctors and researchers, as well as companies pursuing one of the hottest areas cancer...

Soteria Launches with $42 Million in Series A Financing

Soteria Biotherapeutics, Inc. a privately-held, immuno-oncology company focused on developing a next generation of switchable bispecific T-cell engagers to treat patients with solid tumor cancers, today announced a $42 million Series A financing led by Roche Venture Fund and 5AM Ventures with...

Journey from Aquarium-to-Bedside to Treat Genetic Epilepsies

Emerging from stealth mode with a pipeline of FDA and EMA Orphan Drug Designation candidates, Epygenix Therapeutics Inc. is poised to become the first biopharmaceutical company to commercialize epilepsy drugs discovered in zebrafish. Epygenix Therapeutics’ six lead drug candidates were identified...

Fortis Therapeutics, a UCSF Founded Startup, Closes $40 Million Series A Financing

Fortis Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology biotech developing FOR46, a novel antibody drug conjugate (ADC) against CD46, today announced the close of a $40 million Series A financing.  “PCF is pleased that the 2017 funding to UCSF for their research on CD46 has been leveraged by Fortis for a...

Immunai Acquires UCSF Startup Dropprint Genomics

Immunai, a New York and Tel Aviv-based biotech company, announced its acquisition of Dropprint Genomics, a San Francisco-based single-cell genomics software company. The Dropprint team co-founders Meena Subramaniam, PhD, and Rachel Gate, PhD, have also joined the Machine Learning and Computational...