News Digest #208 – IDT’s $1.9b Acquisition! Melinda Gates on Tech Meets Bio

Hi all,Big news for Integrated DNA Technologies: this week, the company was acquired by Danaher for an estimated amount of $1.9 billion. IDT will operate as a standalone operating company and brand within Danaher’s Life Sciences platform.Melinda Gates recently shared her views in an interview at SXSW 2018. She recognizes the power of biotechnology: “We are just on the tip of the cusp of where we might go.” Read more here.

In other news, Atomwise raised $45 Million in a Series A round to become the preferred artificial intelligence partner for pharmaceutical, biotech, and agrochemical companies. Check out Abraham Heifets’ presentation at SynBioBeta SF 2017 starting at 36:44. OxSyBio has secured £10m in Series A financing to further develop its artificial cell platform and 3D bioprinting technology to create therapeutic tissues for patients.Y Combinator updated their request for startups to include cellular agriculture and clean meat, carbon removal technologies, cleaner commodities, and longevity and anti-aging. Kat Manalac will be speaking at SynBioBeta 2018, register by March 31st to get a discount.MD Anderson and Berkeley Lights launched Optera Therapeutics to develop cell therapies for cancer, and Emily Leproust was featured by the San Francisco Chronicle. “What happened over the years in making transistors from silicon, we’re doing the same thing with DNA,” she said. Read more about how DNA could transform the way data is stored, and don’t miss Berkeley Lights and Twist Bioscience at SynBioBeta 2018.

Finally, Autolus, a biopharma company in the UK engineering T-cell therapies for cancer, filed for a Nasdaq IPO, Their most recent funding was a £59 million Series C, followed by £70 million Series A and B financings.

Enjoy the rest of the week.Regards,John

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