Portfolio News

Akston starts small and likes it that way

Akston Biosciences Corp. emerged from a successful small company that was sold to a pharma major. For Todd Zion, that’s a back-to-basics move that suits him just fine. Zion co-founded Smartcells Inc. in 2003 with technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company went on to develop the once-daily injectable self-regulating insulin product, Smartinsulin, and sold it to Merck & Co. in what was at the time one of the largest preclinical pharmaceutical acquisitions ever. Read more >>
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Pittsfield’s Elizabeth Banks Gives Hometown Shoutout in New Wine Ad

Elizabeth Banks isn't shy about letting you know that her hometown is Pittsfield, MA. And why would she be? Anyone who came from the Berkshires should want to brag about these surroundings! Of course, we've seen Banks in plenty of movies and TV shows. We've seen her in TV commercials as well. But now there's a brand new wine ad that has been making the rounds on the internet. Not only does she appear in the ad, but even gives...
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CytoAgents Announces Appointment of New Chief Medical Officer

CytoAgents, Inc., a clinical-stage therapeutics company developing a safe, effective treatment (CTO1681) for Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), today announced that it has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Arthur P. Bertolino MD, PhD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Bertolino is a seasoned senior pharmaceuticals executive who has led clinical development and business growth for early-stage biotechnology as well as mid-sized and large pharmaceutical companies. Through extensive domestic and international management and drug development experience, including C-level roles...
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Pyramid Biosciences Names Biren Amin as Chief Financial and Strategy Officer

Pyramid Biosciences, Inc., a Boston-based, clinical-stage, biotechnology company focused on developing new and highly differentiated precision therapies for cancer, today announced the expansion of its senior leadership team. Biren Amin, M.S., M.B.A. has joined the company as its Chief Financial and Strategy Officer. Mr. Amin comes to Pyramid Biosciences from Immuneering Corporation (NASDAQ: IMRX), where he previously served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). “We are delighted Biren has joined our leadership team, particularly at this time of significant...
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Aircuity Further Enhances Analytics Platform

Aircuity, a leader in creating healthy and sustainable buildings, has introduced an enhanced version of its data analytics platform, MyAircuity. These new features both enhance security and add further depth to Aircuity’s suite of analytic insights that help clients achieve their goals of real carbon reduction and healthier indoor air quality (IAQ). “We are continuously soliciting customer feedback to drive our innovation roadmap,” said Luca Mazzei, Chief Growth Officer, Aircuity. “We continue to see opportunities to enhance the value our...
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Vision-enhancing eyewear soon to be readily available at VA hospitals

New eyewear fitted with a camera that can help low-vision people see — known as eSight devices — will be much more readily available at Veterans Affairs hospitals thanks to a partnership with veteran-owned medical supplies company Marathon Medical. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, the former acting surgeon general of the Army and an advocate for people with low vision, said eSight is “truly looking to improve the lives of the men and women and the boys and girls...
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Immusoft Announces FDA Clearance of IND Application for ISP-001 for MPS I, the First Engineered B Cell Therapy to Enter into Clinical Trials

Immusoft, a clinical-stage cell therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for ISP-001 in the treatment of MPS I. The open IND enables Immusoft to initiate a Phase 1 clinical study. This milestone is both significant for Immusoft and historic in the field of cell and gene therapies, as ISP-001 will be the first engineered B...
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More kids are going to the ER for swallowing ‘button’ batteries, study finds. Why that’s really dangerous

More than 70,000 children in the past decade went to the emergency room for swallowing batteries, a new study found, a stark increase from the previous decade.More than 84% of patients were under 5, and “button” batteries accounted for nearly 85% of the emergency room visits. Three-volt lithium button batteries are among the most dangerous because they have a higher voltage that can cause more damage in a shorter time. They also can get stuck in the throat more easily...
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Myomo Receives Order from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center to Support MyoPro Clinical Trial

Myomo, Inc., a wearable medical robotics company that offers increased functionality for those suffering from neurological disorders and upper-limb paralysis, today announced receipt of a $120,000 order for MyoPro® units from Cleveland’s Louis Stokes Veterans Administration (“VA”) Medical Center. The primary objective of this trial is to study the efficacy of the MyoPro in motor learning-based therapy for individuals with chronic stroke (>6 months post event) with severe upper limb motor deficits (Fugl-Meyer for Upper Limb score less than 30),...
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CleanFiber raises $8.5 million to expand Buffalo facility

“Extremely strong” demand is driving CleanFiber to expand its Blasdell factory. The company has raised $8.5 million in venture capital to support that expansion. CleanFiber moved to Buffalo in 2017 after winning $500,000 in the 43North startup business competition (43North invested $300,000 in follow-on funding in CleanFiber in 2021). CleanFiber manufactures building insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard. The company moved into its own factory in Blasdell in late 2018 and bought the building earlier this year. CleanFiber will use the...
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