Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has nominated a Goldman Sachs executive to oversee Connecticut's economic-development efforts. The Governor said that David Lehman, who will take over from Catherine Smith, will recruit businesses through state agency collaborations and managing long-term strategies, including implementing new "opportunity zones." more
Achillion Pharmaceuticals has announced dosing of the first healthy volunteer in a Phase 1 multiple ascending dose (MAD) study of ACH-5228, one of the company’s next-generation oral, small-molecule factor D inhibitors. “This important clinical milestone for our next-generation oral factor D inhibition program marks an exciting time at Achillion as we pursue safe, effective and innovative treatments for patients with complement-mediated diseases,” said Steven Zelenkofske D.O., Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Achillion. more
Passed by the state legislature over a year ago as part of the 2017 state budget compromise, a new tax credit aimed at keeping college graduates in the technology fields in Connecticut – and attracting young professionals to the state – becomes effective this year. It is a “refundable personal income tax credit for college graduates who are employed in the state; receive, on or after January 1, 2019, a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) field; and live in Connecticut or move here within two years after graduating.” The credit is $500 [...]
Alexion announced financial results for the year 2018 ... more Alexion plans to hold an Investor Day on March 20, at which it will highlight its rare disease portfolio ... more Alexion and Caelum Biosciences report a collaboration to develop CAEL-101 for light chain amyloidosis. CAEL-101 is a first-in-class amyloid fibril targeted therapy designed to improve organ function by reducing or eliminating amyloid deposits in patients with AL amyloidosis ... more Alexion announced that the Phase 3 study of ULTOMIRIS™ (ravulizumab-cwvz), the company’s long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, met its primary objective in complement inhibitor-naïve patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome ... [...]
“R&D is really running hot at Pfizer these days,” John Burkhardt, the Groton labs site director and vice president of global drug safety research and development, said during a luncheon meeting of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut. Burkhardt said the nearly 3,000 Pfizer employees in Groton have played a part in the company’s recent string of successes, which includes securing regulatory approvals for four new anti-cancer drugs late last year. The Groton labs are the largest of Pfizer’s global research and development facilities. more
Connecticut Innovations reports the closing of a $750,000 investment in Aureus Analytics, a provider of AI and a predictive analytics platform for the insurance industry. Aureus was selected as an early winner of VentureClash and is the first company to receive an investment from the VentureClash 2018 competition. more
CaroGen has named Harry H. Penner, Jr., to serve as CaroGen’s Chairman of the Board of Directors. CaroGen’s Co-founder and CEO, Bijan Almassian, PhD, stated, “The election of Mr. Penner, a seasoned leader in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, as Chairman of the Board greatly strengthens the CaroGen team, positioning us to execute our Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) program and to continue to build a portfolio of immunotherapies based on our novel Virus-Like Vesicles (VLVs) platform technology”. Mr. Penner noted that “the CaroGen VLV platform technology holds great promise for addressing unmet needs in several important therapeutic indications, including chronic HBV [...]
Vanessa Research reports that its MIDA™ (Microvillus Inclusion Disease Assay) project, under the direction of Dr. Ludmila Kvochina, has been accepted into the 2019 cohort of the highly selective Accelerator for Biosciences in Connecticut (ABCT). MIDA™ is the first-ever dipstick test developed to screen for the incredibly rare and lethal microvillus inclusion disease. more
The Yale startup company Quantum Circuits Inc. (QCI) has opened its New Haven development and testing facility for quantum computing. The facility includes 6,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratories and in-house manufacturing. It will house more than 20 scientists and engineers. QCI aims to develop the first practical quantum computers. Quantum computing has the potential to enable calculations that are orders of magnitudes faster and more powerful than today’s supercomputers for certain types of problems. more
PAREXEL has introduced a new dedicated division to support emerging biotech companies. PAREXEL Biotech builds on the Company’s heritage of clinical, regulatory, commercial and technology expertise with enhanced strategic consulting and asset development capabilities. The division will be led by James Anthony, Global Head of Biotech, and Graciela Racaro, Global Head of Biotech Operations. more
