What if the human body could make its own drugs? That’s the idea behind Moderna Therapeutics, a startup out of Harvard and MIT that has just emerged from stealth. The company, which has raised $40 million, says it has a proprietary method that can trigger the body’s cells to produce protein drugs against anything from heart disease to cancer. If the technology works safely in patients---and that’s a huge “if”---this could be one of the biggest healthcare stories since the dawn of biotech.
In other innovation news, CyPhy Works, a Danvers startup led by iRobot co-founder Helen Greiner, has unveiled its first two flying robot prototypes. The drones are designed for indoor and outdoor surveillance missions.
Battery maker A123 Systems is on the auction block. The former high-flyer has been in federal bankruptcy court after failing to secure a new investment.
Our startup of the week is LearnLaunch, a new nonprofit that’s trying to bring together the 150-odd education-tech companies around Boston.
And speaking of innovation clusters, the future of water management is at stake as a group of Bay State executives heads to Israel this month. The 50-member delegation will meet with Israeli officials to build partnershipsand learn from the country’s leading water experts. And since there’s money to be made, our planet might even be the better for it.
