Japan-based drugs group Daiichi Sankyo is paying $805m in cash and a further $130m in performance fees for oncology treatment company Plexxikon, which is Astellas Venture Management's ninth exit.

Safeguard owns 1.59 million shares, 28.1% of Advanced BioHealing ahead of its Nasdaq flotation, while venture capital firms Canaan Partners and Wheatley Partners own 40.7% and 14.7%, respectively.

Sorin Group joins medical device peer Medtronic in backing MD Start, a Switzerland-based healthcare incubator.

Novo joined Merck Capital Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of US-based drugs company Merck & Co, in the High Throughput Genomics investment consortium along with venture capital firms Fletcher Spaght Ventures, Solstice Capital and Valley Ventures.

Avrio makes second investment after previously providing an undisclosed amount to Biopharmacopae's series A round in December 2008.

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals worth up to $600m after less than $100m of backing from a consortium including Amgen Ventures.

The liver helps regulate one of medical sciences' four humours in the blood and Royal Society Enterprise Fund has backed OrganOx.

Merck last year agreed to invest C$100m over five years in research and development in Quebec, a province of Canada, and has provided nearly $7m to AmorChem, a Canada-based life sciences venture capital fund.

Seven investors provide $25m for Viamet Pharmaceuticals.