Posts Tagged ‘Allston’
Monday, August 10th, 2009
New England Tech Stock Index
In today’s NewsFlash roundup, Dataupia may not be coming down for breakfast, Genzyme’s Allston problem gets worse, and Drew Bledsoe, VC, makes a cleantech investment.
• Dataupia reportedly seeking asset buyer
Just two months after the company cut its staff levels by more than 50 percent, data-warehousing appliance company Dataupia Inc. is seeking to sell its assets, according to an online report.
• Bledsoe’s investment firm backs water tech company
Former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe’s investment firm has invested $10 million in a Florida water purification technology company. Bledsoe Capital Group, founded in 2007 by the 14-year NFL veteran and Montana attorney Chad Wold, will receive a 33 percent stake in Ecosphere Energy Services LLC, a subsidiary of Stuart, Fla., water engineering and services firm Ecosphere Technologies Inc.
• Allston plant woes drop Genzyme’s profit outlook
As a result of dumping the unfinished batches of Cerezyme, Genzyme will have to take an $8.4 million write-off in addition to the $14.2 million already announced. (more…)
Tags: Allston, Cerezyme, Clinical Data, Dataupia, Drew Bledsoe, EMD Serono, Genzyme, Imaginatik, iRobot, Nexamp, Northeast Utilities, PackBot
Posted in Defense, Energy, Envirotech, Financial Services, Hardware, IT, Internet, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Massachusetts, Public Policy, Recovery | No Comments »
Monday, July 6th, 2009
In today’s NewsFlash Roundup, gadgets, biotech manufacturing and, as always, fruit juices.
• Genzyme drug shortage aided by Israeli firm
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has contacted Israel-based Protalix BioTherapeutics Inc. about the possibility of initiating a treatment protocol for use of its Phase 3 drug target for Gaucher’s disease. The drug has not yet been approved for use in the U.S. but would be used to blunt the effect that the Cerezyme shortage is having on patients, who have no other approved treatment options.
• NMT Medical eyes conservative plans amid slow sales
The Boston-based company (Nasdaq: NMTI) said revenue for the second quarter that ended June 30 will be around $3.2 million, down from the $3.8 million to $4.3 million predicted in May.
• From the print edition: Ocean Spray, Welch’s pursuing scientific claims of fruits
Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. has won a patent for a method of extracting oil from the tiny seeds of cranberries, which the patent claims can be used for “treating or reducing the occurrence of breast cancer,” among other diseases. It’s a bold claim, but when asked if he believes the yellowish oil that smells and tastes faintly of cranberries could really have that power, inventor Wassef Nawar says, “Absolutely.” (more…)
Tags: Allston, FDA, gadgets, Genzyme, iPhone, NMT Medical, Ocean Spray, Palm Pre, Welch's
Posted in Education & Training, Hardware, Internet, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Massachusetts, Startups | No Comments »
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
A Vanity Fair report says Harvard’s endowment is losing money, just not as much as the college says it is. A source tells VF that the endowment will shrink 23 percent to 25 percent, rather than the 30 percent Harvard has predicted.
In a denial that shows how fully upside down the recession has turned the world, Harvard president Drew Gilpin-Faust issued a statement saying, no, the endowment really is losing 30 percent.
Well that certainly settles that. Either way, now might not be the best time to ask about finishing up that science complex in Allston.
Tags: Allston, endowments, Harvard, recession, Vanity Fair
Posted in Education & Training, Financial Services, Massachusetts | No Comments »
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
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The Globe is reporting that Genzyme’s Allston plant, which shut down earlier this month due to a virus contaminating one of the plant’s six bioreactors, will be closed longer than expected.
The Cambridge-based biotech now says the plant will be shut down six to eight weeks. Genzyme has decided to clean the entire facility, rather than just the affected area.
Genzyme initially said production of the drugs made at the facility, Cerezyme and Fabrazyme, would be on hold for four and six weeks, respectively.
Tags: Allston, Genzyme
Posted in Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Massachusetts | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Walter Bender
Walter Bender’s nonprofit Sugar Labs has released the first version of Sugar on Stick, a version of its Sugar operating system for children that can be run from a USB drive. The release, called Strawberry, is designed for classroom testing.
Sugar Labs, which Bender founded after leaving One Laptop Per Child about a year ago, has also been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Gould Charitable Foundation to deploy Sugar at the Gardner Pilot Academy in Allston.
After the jump, watch video of Sugar’s art program. (more…)
Tags: Allston, Gardner Pilot School Academy, Gould Charitable Foundation, One Laptop Per Child, Sugar, Sugar Labs, Sugar on a Stick, Walter Bender
Posted in Education & Training, Internet, Massachusetts, Software | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
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Genzyme has stopped production at its Allston facility, the Cambridge-based biotech announced this morning. A virus was found in one of six bioreactors at the site. The virus, thought to have entered the bioreactors during the manufacturing process, inhibits cell growth necessary for the production of drugs such as Cerezyme and Fabrazyme, which are manufactured at the Allston site.
The company said the virus was responsible for declines in cell production in Allston and another site in 2008. The Allston facility is being sanitized and is expected to be back up and running by the end of July.
The company said the virus, Vesivirus 2117, “has not been shown to cause human infection.”
Universal Hub notes that Genzyme was warned by the FDA in March that such a contamination was possible.
Update: MHT’s coverage by staff writer Julie M. Donnelly can be found here.
Tags: Allston, Genzyme
Posted in Life Sciences, Massachusetts | No Comments »
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