Blood test for Alzheimer’s highly accurate in large, international study
A blood test developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has proven highly accurate in detecting early signs of Alzheimer’s disease in a study involving nearly 500 patients from across three continents, providing further evidence that the test should be considered for routine screening and diagnosis.
Innovation never stops
The startup culture in St. Louis has been strong since the early 2000s, particularly at Washington University in St. Louis, where many successful startups began or have an association, including Square, GiftAMeal, Varsity Tutors, Answers.com, Cardialen and Exegy. And it hasn’t slowed down: the venture capital firm M25 recently named St. Louis the fifth-best Midwest city for startups; St. Louis-based Arch Grants awarded 35 new startups with awards; and T-Rex awarded five $100,000 grants through its GeoSeed Grant Program. In 2020, St. Louis venture capital firm BioGenerator funded 22 startups in health care and agriculture.
Valo Health announces acquisition of Courier Therapeutics
A biotechnology company founded in 2015 by Dr. Alexander Krupnick and colleagues at Washington University in St. Louis and Mercury Fund, Courier developed a protein therapeutics platform that has the potential to make cancer immunotherapy safer and more efficacious than treatments currently available or in development.
Arch Oncology secures $105 million Series C financing
“Arch Oncology’s highly differentiated approach to the development of anti-CD47 agents is a promising development in the immuno-oncology space,” said John McKearn, Ph.D., Managing Director, RiverVest Venture Partners and Chairman of the Board of Arch Oncology.