News round up 14 May 2018

Glialign coordinates funding
The UCL Technology Fund has contributed to a funding round for Glialign, a spinout from the institution’s School of Pharmacy.

Vascugen adds Indiana licences
Vascugen has brought on-board more licences related to stem cell therapies that could restore blood vessels in tissues where the blood flow has been restricted.

Nanoco 2D assembles $540,000
Nanoco, a nanomaterials spinout from University of Manchester, expects its new subsidiary can solve the problem of producing 2D materials at commercial scale.

Humphrey and Gladden to leave IP Group
Mike Humphrey, chairman of IP Group, will step down from his position once a replacement has been found, while Lynn Gladden will leave the firm to join a research council later this year.

UCD opens in-hospital TTOs
University College Dublin has joined forces with two local teaching hospitals to open Ireland’s first in-hospital tech transfer offices.

Yissum enlists startups for HUGrow accelerator
The food and agtech accelerator has accepted an inaugural cohort of eight, with half of the intake focusing on the agtech space.

Foresite closes $668m fourth fund
A range of unnamed university endowments have contributed to Foresite Capital’s fourth fund, which brought the firm’s total assets under management to $2bn.

Autolus targets $100m IPO
UCL spinout Autolus has filed for an initial public offering on Nasdaq and plans on using the proceeds to further develop its range of cancer treatments.

Invizius hooks up $680,000 round
The Edinburgh spinout has been backed by Mercia Fund Managers to support development of its kidney dialysis camouflage coating.

MIP diagnoses $2m series A
The University of Leicester spinout will put the funding towards recruitment and moving its synthetic antibody operation into larger premises.

Benevir to benefit from $1bn acquisition
Janssen Biotech has agreed to acquire NYU spinout Benevir for a total of up $1.04bn, including $140m in an upfront payment.

Lyncean sources $13.8m
Lyncean, based on research at Stanford University and its SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, has raised $13.8m in a first close of its series B round from backers such as Intel.

Fictiv spins $15m narrative
Stanford-StartX Fund has contributed to a $15m series B round for Fictiv, which also attracted commitments from Intel Capital and Bill Gates.

Escient ascends with $40m series A
Based on research at Johns Hopkins University, Escient Pharmaceuticals is developing treatments for serious but unserved medical needs.

ITM accelerates medical research with $35m
The Institute for Translational Medicine has been launched with $35m in funding from the National Institutes of Health to commercialise research from multiple universities.

Blavatnik Fund grows to $25m
Blavatnik Family Foundation has made a $15m grant to Yale University to boost its life sciences-focused fund to $25m two years after it was first established.

BlueWillow inhales $10m funding round
The University of Michigan-linked vaccination technology developer has pivoted from its previous focus on antimicrobial ointments for skin infections.

MIT and Socar spud Azerbaijan-focused fund
MIT has teamed up Socar-AQS to fund app-based technologies originating from the entrepreneurship ecosystem of Ada University.

StartToday’s interest in StretchSense wears off
Wearable sensor producer StretchSense has been forced to make 140 staff redundant after StartToday cancelled a takeover agreement signed in November 2017.

Parkwalk drills further into Salunda
Salunda has raised an undisclosed sum from the University of Oxford Innovation Fund IV and the Parkwalk Opportunities Fund, both managed by Parkwalk Advisors.

Axiom abides by $7.6m series A
Axiom Energy, backed by the Stanford-StartX Fund, has received series A capital from a consortium including corporates Great Plains Energy and Shell.

Intel chipped in for SiFive series C
Intel Capital has been identified as a backer in customised chipmaker SiFive’s $50.6m series C round, which was co-led by Osage University Partners last month.

Stanford-StartX sues MedWhat
The Stanford-StartX has filed a lawsuit against its portfolio company MedWhat in California.

Canon pictures BriefCam acquisition
BriefCam, a spinout from Hebrew University, has agreed to be acquired by Canon for an undisclosed amount, providing an exit to investors including Motorola.

TAU Ventures accepts Xcelerator mission
Less than a month after being launched itself, TAU Ventures has joined forces with the Israel Security Authority to establish an accelerator program dubbed Xcelerator.

OncoSynergy makes series A headway
The UCSF oncological therapeutics spinout will move from California to Connecticut following a leading investment from state-owned Connecticut Innovations.

Robert Gordon registers startup accelerator
RGU expects its University Entrepreneurship Accelerator to back at least 25 projects each year in areas such as healthcare, digital and social enterprise.