Xalud Therapeutics Inc. raised an oversubscribed $30 million series C financing to continue advancing its lead candidate, XT-150, for regulating interleukin-10 in order to treat pathologic inflammation. The injectable, plasmid DNA gene therapy expresses IL-10v, a modified version of the cytokine IL-10, and is in a phase IIb study for treating moderate to severe pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.

PERTH, Australia – Cardiovascular medical device company Venstramedical Ltd. has raised $2 million in seed funding to support development of a small catheter-inserted collapsible heart pump. The Sydney-based company is aiming to develop devices that provide cardiac support for failing hearts without the use of surgery, Venstramedical co-founder and CEO Martin Cook told BioWorld.

Eclipse Regenesis Inc. received a National Institutes of Health fast track grant of $1.7 million to advance development of the Eclipse Xl1 system for short bowel syndrome. The spring-like Eclipse device harnesses mechanotransduction to stimulate growth of new, functional intestinal tissue. Short bowel syndrome is a devastating and rare condition that leads sufferers with too little small intestine to extract sufficient nutrients to sustain life. The grant for Menlo Park, Calif.-based Eclipse came through NIH’s small business innovation program.

Better Therapeutics Inc. has closed on a $50 million debt facility that advances the company’s push into the market for digital therapeutics for type 2 diabetes, a market that seems poised to expand drastically in the next few years. The $50 million debt facility by Hercules Capital is just one of several important financial benchmarks for Better, which is also planning to go public thanks to a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that may raise well in excess of $100 million, all of which seem to promise a bright future for Better and those with type 2 diabetes.

Vigencell Inc., a company focused on immune cell therapy, raised ₩99.4 (US$85.17 million) through an IPO on South Korea’s Kosdaq board and plans to use the funds to drive its R&D and company operations. “We particularly want to increase the competitiveness of our pipeline by advancing our technology and clinical development,” Vigencell CEO Tai-Gyu Kim told BioWorld. “We will also expand our discovery of new candidates and R&D in general, as well as updating our facilities and hiring researchers.”

DUBLIN – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH has closed a €64 million (US$75 million) series B round, enabling it to move its lead micro-RNA (miRNA) inhibitor program into late-stage development in heart failure. The financing sets the stage for a potential revival of a therapeutic modality that had otherwise fallen out of favor with investors and with big pharma.