As gene editing technologies gain traction in laboratories around the world, companies producing the new technologies are attracting more money from investors. An example is CRISPR Therapeutics which has a number of preclinical projects where it is investigating gene editing for therapeutic use.
Verona Pharmaceuticals Plc, which is developing products for respiratory diseases, has made arrangements to raise £44.7 million with an equity placement sweetened with warrants. The proceeds will be used for a Phase 2b trial of its lead product RPL554 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Woodford Investment Management LLP has raised its stake in Imperial Innovations Group to 21% making it the group’s second most significant investor behind Invesco Asset Management.
Medical device company Mainstay Medical International Plc has raised €30 million in a share placement to new and existing investors to commercialise its implantable neurostimulation device for back pain in Europe and complete a trial for a US regulatory submission.
Allecra Therapeutics, a three-year old biotech company co-located in Germany and France, has raised €22 million in a Series B investment round to finance the development of an antibiotic combination therapy designed to treat Gram-negative bacteria.
Gilde Healthcare Partners BV has raised €250 million for its fourth life science fund that targets investments in medical devices, digital health technology and therapeutics in Europe and North America. Koninklijke Philips NV acted as a cornerstone investor.
Vedanta Bioscience Inc has raised $50 million in equity finance to advance candidate therapies targeting the human microbiome for the treatment of infectious and autoimmune diseases.
Ablynx NV, a Belgian developer of antibody fragments originating in llamas, has raised €74.2 million with a private placement of new shares.
Life Sciences Partners BV has closed its fifth fund, LSP 5, with a total investment of $280 million, comfortably higher than its initial target of $170 million. The fund will aim to invest in around 20 companies across the healthcare sector.
Novacyt SA, a listed French cellular diagnostics company, has raised €1.4 million from a private equity placement in order to help finance the expansion of its recently acquired UK company Primerdesign, which has technology for analysing bacteria and viruses.