July 17, 2019 Comments (0) Views: 1313 Biotech, Biotech Briefing, Blog

Biotech Briefing: Trefoil Raises $28 Million for FGF-1 Treatment to Reverse Vision Loss

Plus: Scripps Research Leads HIV Vaccine Effort with $129 Million NIH Grant

Reports + Research

Trefoil Raises $28 Million for FGF-1 Treatment to Reverse Vision Loss

For patients with corneal dystrophies, a cornea transplant surgery is currently the only option to prevent blindness. Trefoil Therapeutics is hoping to change that with TTHX1114, an engineered form of fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1). The goal of the treatment is to stimulate proliferation and migration of corneal endothelial cells, which are lost in these genetic eye disorders. CEO David Eveleth told FierceBiotech, “Our goal is to be able to treat them with a drug, without surgery.”

Scripps Research Leads HIV Vaccine Effort with $129 Million NIH Grant

The $129 million grant was awarded to The Scripps Consortium for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development (CHAVD), an international collaboration led by Scripps Research to advance into clinical testing an HIV vaccine against numerous strains of the virus. HIV has been difficult to disarm with a vaccine because it rapidly mutates and evolves. This grant builds on previous research by Dennis Burton and other scientists at Scripps Research in the development of a “sequential vaccine regimen that induces sustained protective levels of anti-HIV bnAbs (roadly neutralizing antibodies).”

Arch Venture, Bain Capital, and Forsite Capital Invested Millions in San Diego

Brittany Meiling at The San Diego Union-Tribune takes a look at three out-of-town venture capital firms that have invested millions in San Diego startups over the last quarter. San Diego startups raised $890 million in venture dollars in the second quarter of 2019. Leading the pack for investments were Vividion Therapeutics, Locana, Tealium, and Turning Point Therapeutics.

Read + Listen

POW: Podcast of the Week

Did you know that a team doctor for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is also a family and sports medicine physician at UC San Diego Health? Listen to his story on N=1 podcast.