The companies of the BioCenter had a tremendous third quarter, with an acquisition, strategic collaborations, lucrative financings and key world class articles highlighting novel technologies. The BioCenter has also put in motion plans for an extensive expansion which will double our square footage to nearly 80,000sf, providing 5,000 – 10,000 sf lab spaces dedicated to “second stage companies”. This, is in addition to the recent investment in the open access chemistry and biology labs, has made the BioCenter an ideal “destination location” for high potential companies. Hence, featured articles in this edition include:

• Corium acquiring Stratagent with $40M financing
• Edison inking a collaboration with Penwest with $7.5M in upfront payments and closing $4.25M Series B financing
• Tacere’s RNAi technology for HCV featured in BioWorld Today and BioWorld Financing
• Aridis collaborating with John Hopkins and Enwave

Other exciting developments in our vicinity signal growth and additional services for our companies. The California Center for Healthcare and Biomedical Technology, a Center of Excellence dedicated to high quality, comprehensive biomedical research and patient treatment and care, will be located next door to the BioCenter and will be a key host clinical site for our companies. In addition, the City of San Jose is scoping out a Phase I/II contract biomanufacturing facility that would also be located next door to the BioCenter. Their goal, our goal, is to provide bioconvergence companies with the support they need to ensure their important innovations get to the people that need them.

With that, I would like to thank our community of companies, partners, sponsors and mentors for putting together and continuing to support a powerful accelerator for the industry, for the region and ultimately, for the people who will be the ultimate benefactors of such great investments.

Best Regards,

Melinda Richter | CEO | The San Jose BioCenter

 

 

Client News

Corium Acquires Stratagent and Announces $40 Million Financing Led by Essex Woodlands Health Ventures
Corium International, Inc., a privately-held transdermal drug delivery company, announced the completion of a $25.1 million Series C financing also led by Essex Woodlands. In connection with the financing, BioCenter Resident Client StrataGent merged into Corium. Corium and Essex Woodlands Health Ventures have also set terms for a $15.2 million Series D financing to occur within 24 months, subject to certain conditions.
~Read Full Press Release~
~Read Article by Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal~

Edison Inks Collaboration with Penwest with $7.5M in Upfront Payments and Closes $4.25M Series B Financing
Penwest has entered into a research, development, commercialization and license agreement with Edison to pursue treatments for orphan diseases of the mitochondria. The financial terms of the agreement call for Penwest to provide Edison with an upfront payment, a $1 million loan and sponsored research funding for the next 18 months, which in the aggregate totals $7.5 million. The agreement also provides for payments upon exercise of certain options, success-based milestones payments and royalties on net sales of any products commercialized as a result of the collaboration.
Edison also closed $4.25M Series B Preferred Stock Offering led by Mr. Carl Berg, Berg & Berg Enterprises, LLC that will allow them to broaden their orphan mitochondrial drug mission, and explore utility in non-orphan ischemic, inflammatory, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.
~Read Penwest/Edison Collaboration Press Release~
~Read Related Article by RealTimeTraders.com~
~Read Edison's Series B Financing Press Release~
~Read Article by Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal~

Tacere Featured in BioWorld Today "A New Strategy By Fighting HCV With RNAi"
Tacere Therapeutics Inc. stands at the crossroads of two of the more lucrative partnering opportunities in the biotech space: RNAi and HCV. Founded in July 2006, the BioCenter Resident Client is preparing to start clinical trials late next year with lead product TT-033, a combination of three short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) delivered within an adeno-associated virus (AAV) protein coat to three separate regions of the hepatitis C virus.
~Read Full Article~

Aridis Teams Up with Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Students on Oral Dissolving Strips for Rotavirus Vaccine
The idea originated last year when Aridis Pharmaceuticals, a BioCenter Resident Client that possesses vaccine stabilization technologies and a rotavirus vaccine that is made stable at room temperatures, was seeking a product resembling breath-freshening strips to deliver the vaccine.
~Read Full Article~

Edison featured in BioWorld Today
BioCenter Resident Client, Edison Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2005 with an initial plan to develop the EPI-A0001 compound series for orphan respiratory chain diseases, such as Friedreich’s ataxia, Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, coenzyme Q(10) deficiency and MELAS syndrome, or mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like symptoms. Edison's CEO said in addition to other neurodegenerative diseases, Edison plans to study the technology in metabolic syndromes, inflammatory diseases and ischemic condition.
~Read Full Article~

California Center for Healthcare and Biomedical Technology, a new advanced technology hospital
The California Center for Healthcare and Biomedical Technology (CCHBT) will bring newly developed therapies out of Silicon Valley biomedical technology to physicians and patients. The CCHBT Hospital, scheduled to open in 2009, will be located next door to the BioCenter and will be a key host clinical site for BioCenter companies, while The CCHBT Research Foundation - which currently resides in the Biocenter - is already active.
~Read More About CCHBT~

EnWave and Aridis Pharmaceuticals Sign Collaboration Agreement-Relationship Expanded to Include Antibodies
EnWave and Aridis signed a Collaboration Agreement to determine the feasibility of EnWave’s proprietary bioREV radiant energy vacuum technology to stabilize and dehydrate vaccines and antibodies. This agreement expands the scope of work originally contemplated by a letter of intent between the companies (announced March 29, 2007) to cover Aridis’ proprietary formulations of antibodies, in addition to vaccines.
~Read Full Article~

Oncolys BioPharma and Tacere Therapeutics Form Strategic Alliance to Develop RNAi Hepatitis C Drug
“We are extremely excited about forming a collaborative relationship with Tacere, one of the pioneers in RNAi, as OBP-701/TT-033 greatly expands and perfectly matches our product pipeline,” said Yasuo Urata, President and CEO of Oncolys. “Regarding HCV, there are still many patients who have no meaningful cure and there is a definite need for new drugs that are both effective and safe. We believe that OBP-701/TT-033 will enable us to offer new treatments for patients suffering from HCV”.
~Read Full Press Release~
~Read Related Article by Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal~

Stratos Biosystems Announces the Exclusive License for UV Manufacturing of Mass Spectrometry Biochips from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
The licensing of this patent adds to the growing portfolio of intellectual property that Stratos has assembled to support the unique products based on the Company's proprietary electro-cleavable surface chemistries and EC-Affinity Biochips.
~Read Full Article~

Ahwahnee is a 2007 California Clean Tech Open Finalist
BioCenter tenant Ahwahnee Technology is a finalist for the 2007 California Clean Tech Open (CCTO) in the Energy Efficiency Category. 50 finalist teams in 6 categories were selected from 120 entries. The winners of the 2007 CCTO will be announced during the awards ceremony on October 29.
~Visit CCTO Website~

Stratos Biosystems Enters Field of Protein Biomarker Discovery Solutions with a Breakthrough in Surface Chemistry
With the recent completion of Stratos Biosystems' pilot production capability in the BioCenter, the company is expanding support for existing collaboration partners working on early cancer detection, identifying new beta partners and supporting due diligence by potential development/distribution partners.
~Read Full Article~

Chirosolve defined as "a new Company with a Novel Approach to Diastereomeric Crystallization" by ChemWeb.com
Chirosolve, Inc. isn’t even a year old yet but the company’s Chirosolv® Kits have enabled several customers to improve the process by which they identify the ideal resolving agent/solvent combinations for their chiral separation projects. Interest has been high among producers of fine and specialty chemicals, particularly for pharmaceutical applications.
~Read Full Article~

BioCenter tenant Ron Chavez elected to the Executive Committee of the MIT/Stanford Venture Lab
The MIT/Stanford Venture Lab (VLAB) is the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the growth and success of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures by connecting ideas, technology and people. A forum for entrepreneurs, industry experts, venture capitalists, private investors and technologists to exchange insights about how to effectively grow high-tech ventures.
~Visit VLAB Website~

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BioCenter News

Bay Area's Newest Core Labs: Reliable and Cost-effective Services
The recent addition of over $5M in state-of-the-art Chemistry Analytics and Biology Lab equipment has completed the BioCenter’s evolution as the destination location for bioconvergence companies and research scientists alike. The newest Bay Area Chemistry Analytics Lab features complete NMR Spectroscopy services as well as LC/MS and HPLC equipment and related services.

The Biology Lab now offers:

• Thermo Electron Varioskan Multimode Microplate Reader
• BD BioSciences FACSCanto II Flow Cytometer
• Leica DMI 6000B (without IMC) Fluorescence Microscope
• Promega Glomax 96 Microplate Luminometer
• Fluor Chem HD2 Gel Dock
• Virtis Wizard 2.0 Freeze Dryer
• Allegra 64 Centrifuge
• Access to 3 Tissue Culture Rooms

~Visit the Biology Lab Webpage~

BioCenter Plans for Expansion, adding 40,000 sq ft of Lab Space
The BioCenter is starting the build out of an additional 40,000 square feet of state of the art space for bioconvergence companies. Upon completion, the BioCenter will totalize approximately 80,000 square feet of individual labs, shared labs and business space, and equipment rooms.
~Read Related Article by Mercury News~
~Read Related Article by Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal~

BioCenter Welcomes Two New Members!
The BioCenter is proud to announce several new additions to its portfolio: TheraJect, Inc. and Synvascular, Inc.
~Review our Clients' Profiles~

BioCenter Brief

Building Biotech to Incite Innovation, Developers Continue to Invest in Research Parks and Incubators ~Read Full Article~

BioCenter CEO Speaks at IEEE SF Bay Area Nano Council Third Annual All Day Symposium ~Read Full Article~

BioCenter Partners with EBD Group, which puts together major Life Science conferences such as BIO-Europe, Europe's largest and most successful partnering conference, BIO-Europe Spring, and BioDevice. ~Read More~

BioCenter Partners with the International Association of Nanotechnology ~Read More~

BioCenter Partners with Bay Area Capital Connections II ~Read More~

BioCenter CEO to Speak on Panel with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ~Read More~

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BioCenter External Events

Legal Workshop: Term Sheet Negotiations - Oct. 18, 2007
This workshop will focus on reviewing and discussing term sheets and how they pertain to the needs of your company. The program topics will include: Liquidation preference; Right of first offer; Board composition; Voting rights / Protective Provisions; Conversion rights...
Speaker: Scott M. Iyama, Corporate Lawyer, Member of the Emerging Companies Group, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
~Read More & Register~

Business Workshop: Property and Casualty 101 - Nov. 15, 2007
Learn how to develop the basics of a sound Risk Insurance program that will allow you to anticipate what insurance policies to buy as your company grows. Featured topics will include, but not limited to: What insurance policies are typical for a start-up? How to evaluate different insurance companies? How to decide on levels of insurance? The 5 steps of the Risk Management.
Speakers: Eric Long, Vice President, Technology Services Group, ABD Insurance & Financial Services | Peter Daly, Senior Vice President, Technology Services Group, ABD Insurance & Financial Services.
~Read More & Register~

"Show Me the Money" Trends in Financing - Looking Back, Looking Ahead & Holidays Celebration - Dec. 13, 2007
The key to funding is understanding who can show you the money. Join us for an Expert Panel with the key players of the Investment world who will reveal trends in Bioconvergence financing and identify what to expect for 2008.
Panelists:

Dr. Campbell Murray, Managing Director, Novartis Venture Fund

Nina Kjellson, Partner, InterWest Partners

Nagesh Mhatre, Partner, The Angels’ Forum

Jonathan Norris, Managing Director, Private Equity Group, SVB Capital

Moderator: Scott M. Iyama, Corporate Lawyer, Member of the Emerging Companies Group, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
~Read More & Register~

~Visit the BioCenter Events Page~

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Partner News

Orrick Named on A-List
For the first time in its history, Orrick has made The American Lawyer's A-List, which is reported in the magazine's July issue. In The American Lawyer's own words, "This is the cream of the crop among the nation's elite law firms," and it is, by definition, difficult to make the cut: the A-List is composed of just 20 firms, or 10 percent of The Am Law 200. Orrick is the only firm to appear for the first time, and is number 10 on the list. To be counted among the nation's elite, law firms need more than sheer size or money. The American Lawyer compiles the list by measuring performance of Am Law 200 firms in four key areas: financial success, commitment to pro bono, associate satisfaction and workplace diversity. The list aims to determine, as objectively as possible, the firms that have been able to build successful practices without abandoning the profession's core values.
~Read Full Article~

ABD Insurance & Financial Services discusses Clinical Trials Insurance at PricewaterhouseCoopers Start Up Show on wsRadio, the worldwide leader in business talk
The Life Science Unit's expertise and unique brand of personal client advocacy will be a huge “value add” for any life science company engaged in clinical trials. ABD takes complete ownership of the complex, time consuming process of placing domestic and international clinical trials coverage. Using advanced technology tools like ABD’s proprietary “Overview of Country Requirements Coverage Matrix” and online “Country Specific Quote Request Forms” in CyberSure, the Life Science Unit takes the mystery, the headaches and the occasional heartache out of the clinical trials coverage placement process.
~Listen ABD's Presentation~

Silicon Maps Renews Sponsorship
Silicon Maps recently renewed its BioCenter Sponsorship. Since 1989, Silicon Maps has published hundreds caricature style maps. The Bioscience West Map & Calendar highlights over 70 prominent California Bioscience companies. Silicon Maps is also a leader logo imprinted promotional products with over 750,000 items to promote your business.
~Visit Silicon Maps Website~

Become a BioCenter Sponsor
The BioCenter is now entering its cycle for securing 2008 Sponsorship. We work with our sponsors to provide them with opportunities to establish relationships with our internal clients and branding and visibility for the external market. We only do a select number of sponsorships (and only 1-2 per category of service) because we want to maximize a sponsor’s opportunity to form relationships and to be branded the best in the category of service for which the sponsor applies (banking, recruitment, etc.).
~Review our Sponsors' Brochure~
~Review our Sponsors' Profiles~

Kathryn Bowsher, BioCenter Mentor and CEO of Act One Marketing, Partners with Healogix to Serve Biotech Companies
Act One Marketing and Healogix, LLC have joined forces to bring Healogix’ proprietary methodologies and primary market research driven techniques to development stage biopharma companies. The Healogix’ products were designed specifically to maximize future commercial value from development stage drugs...
~Read Full Article~

"Make the Difference - Nurture Success": Become a Mentor
The BioCenter Mentors are a community of experts committed to the success of the BioCenter companies. To achieve this, they play a big role in the BioCenter Program by offering pro-bono assistance to the clients during Pitch Practices. They are also listed in the “Executive Rolodex”, a secured online database accessible by BioCenter Clients only, with contact details, areas of expertise, summaries and bios. By providing such assistance, they help the BioCenter team in its mission to accelerate growth and funding, build top managers and brightest companies, within the BioCenter clientele.
~Review our Mentors' Brochure~

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Partner Events

BioCenter Members are entitled to a discount for the partners events listed below. Please contact Aurélie for more information on these discounts.

CE in the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries: 9th Symposium on the Practical Applications for the Analysis of Proteins, Nucleotides and Small Molecules - Oct 14-18, 2007 - CaSSS - Miami, Florida
~Read Description~

Professional Development Workforce Training Programs in Nanotechnology - Oct 17-19 | Nov 5-7 | Dec 5-7, 2007 - International Association of Nanotechnology - San Jose, California
~Read Description~

Bay Area Capital Connections II: Investment and Business Resources for Companies in Urban Markets - Oct 19, 2007 - Alliance for Community Development & Bay Area Council - San Jose, California
~Read Description~

Alternative Energy Innovations 2007 - Oct 23-24, 2007 - Dow Jones - Redwood City, California

~Read Description~

MicroVentures 2007 - Oct 25, 2007 - Dow Jones - Redwood City, California
~Read Description~

13th Annual IBF Biotech Investing Conference - Nov 2-3, 2007 - IBF - Millbrae, California
~Read Description~

15th Annual IBF Biotech Investing Conference - Nov 5-6, 2007 - IBF - Menlo Park, California

~Read Description~

The 4th International Congress of Nanotechnology - Nov 5-8, 2007 - International Association of Nanotechnology - San Francisco, California

~Read Full Description~

VC Breakfast Club: Claremont Creek Ventures ~ Focus On Security, Alternative Energy - Nov 8, 2007 - SVASE - Palo Alto, California
~Read Description~

The BioExec Program: Module C - Growing Value - Nov 12-13, 2007 - UC Berkeley Center for Executive Development and Deloitte & Touche USA LLP - Haas School of Business, Berkeley, California

~Read Full Description~

BIO-Europe 2007 - Nov 12-14, 2007 - EBD & BIO - Hamburg, Germany

~Read Description~

Nano Bio Clean Tech Forum - Nov 13 | Dec 11, 2007 - International Association of Nanotechnology - San Jose, California
~Read Description~

Expanding Your Horizons Celebration & Fundraiser - Nov 14, 2007 - EYH - Mountain View, California
~Read Description~

31st International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography & Electrophoresis - Nov 28-30, 2007 - CaSSS - Albuquerque, New Mexico
~Read Description~

BIO-Europe Spring 2008 - Apr 7-9, 2008 - EBD & BIO - Madrid, Spain

~Read Description~

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Become a BioCenter Company

The BioCenter seeks to maintain a balanced and diversified portfolio across the various bioconvergence sectors with companies at various stages of development. Membership is month-to-month. Resident companies receive individual lab space within the facility as well as access to equipment and services. Affiliates have access to all services and common areas but do not reside within the facility. Contact Gayle Fagan at [email protected] or 408.960.3805 for more information or to reserve your space.
~Download Wet Lab Lease Information~
~Download Client Application Form~

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