Some big emerging trends in Boston biotech this week. The field of RNA interference is heating up again, with Dicerna Pharmaceuticals raking in $60 million in new venture funding. Drugs for rare diseases are also hot, with Edimer Pharmaceuticals raising new money and shares of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals rising above $90. Meanwhile, the local IPO pipeline keeps growing, as Foundation Medicine, a cancer diagnostics company backed by Bill Gates, has filed paperwork to go public. It all adds up to one thing for companies and their investors, though: stay disciplined.
In other innovation news…
-Boston accelerator Bolt has unveiled the seven companies in its first class of hardware startups. The group is working on new business models around connected sensors, prosthetic devices, and social robots.
-Our deal of the week is Lexington-based Cubist Pharmaceuticals’ $1.2 billion acquisition of Trius Therapeutics and Optimer Pharmaceuticals. The move should make Cubist a stronger player in antibiotics.
-And lastly, the state of Massachusetts has passed a new sales tax on computer and software services, which is drawing criticism and a lot of confusion in the tech community. It’s not clear yet how broadly the 6.25 percent tax will be applied, but legislators now have the full attention of the Bay State’s software and IT companies. Funny how that works.
