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Connecticut companies make inroads at international biotech conference

Aman Khant, chief business officer of Guilford-based InveniAI, left, talks with Krishnan Nandabalan, the company's president and chief executive officer, at Bio 2019, an international biotech conference being held in Philadelphia this week.Photo: Contributed photo

The setting for one of the world's largest biotech conferences this week may be Philadelphia's Center City, but the presence of several New Haven technology companies is giving the proceedings a little Connecticut flavor.

Guilford-based InveniAI is one of four New Haven-area companies exhibiting at Bio 2019, one the world's largest forums for the biotech sector. More than 16,000 attendees are taking part in the conference, which concludes Thursday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The other New Haven-area companies participating in the conference are:

Woodbridge-based Vistara Biosciences, which specializes in developing bioinformatics for drug discovery. Bioinformatics is the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data such as genetic codes.

Thetis Pharamaceuticals of Branford, which is developing therapy for treating gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

AlloMek Therapeutics of Woodbridge, which is developing low-toxicity treatments for cancers. Read More

Bayer inks Arvinas deal to develop protein degraders

Bayer is paying Arvinas $17.5 million (€15.5 million) upfront to develop protein-degrading treatments for cardiovascular, oncological and gynecological diseases. The partners will apply Arvinas' targeted protein degrader technology to targets selected by Bayer.

Arvinas moved the first targeted protein degrader into human testing earlier this year, beating rival biotechs and Big Pharmas including C4 Therapeutics, Kymera Therapeutics, Merck and Novartis to that milestone. The number of companies pursuing Arvinas reflects excitement about the potential to use cellular machinery to degrade disease-causing proteins rather than simply block their activity.

Bayer is the latest company to commit money to the idea. The German pharma is paying Arvinas $17.5 million upfront and making a $32.5 million investment for the chance to collaborate on protein degraders. The money extends Arvinas' cash runway from the first half of 2021 to the second half of the same year. Read More

New Owner Closes On 9th Square Properties

A Boston-based developer has closed on its purchase of the 335-unit, mixed-use complex that anchors the Ninth Square, thereby preserving over half of the buildings' apartments as affordable in exchange for a 20-year tax break.

The developer, Beacon Communities, announced the finalization of its purchase of the Residences at Ninth Square from the previous landlord, the Ninth Square Limited Partnership, in a press release put out Monday afternoon. Read More

Introducing the all-new Tourism Industry Portal from The Connecticut Office of Tourism!

This new section of CTvisit, created just for the tourism industry, makes it easy for businesses with a free listing page on the website to find out where you are featured, to learn how to get featured in future content and public relations, to access no-cost Regional Marketing program opportunities, to view planning calendars and much more.

There are even video tips for maximizing your listing on CTvisit.com, and you can view marketing plans and research, too. It's a hub for all things Connecticut Tourism, and we invite you to come on in and look around!

Simply click the Tourism Partners link in the footer of CTvisit.com to access it, or click here.

State approves integration of Bridgeport and Milford hospitals Read More

Oracle Challenger Series brings men's and women's tennis back to New Haven Read More

Madison Officials Discuss Cracking Down On Airbnb Rentals Read More

Legislature Passes Key Amendments to the Connecticut Transfer Act Read More