Morphotek gains $40M in fourth venture round

Morphotek has raised $40 million in fourth round of funding to advance its therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Morphotek's lead antibody, MORAb-003, specifically targets the folate receptor alpha, a cell surface receptor over-expressed on ovarian, breast, colorectal, lung and renal tumors. Investor Growth Capital of New York led the round for the Exton, PA-based developer.

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PLUS: Amyris Biotechnologies has gained $20 million in first-round venture financing from a group that includes Khosla Ventures, which is operated by Sun co-founder Vinod Khosla. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers also participated. John G. Melo, previously president of U.S. Fuels Operations, was named CEO. Amyris is using synthetic biology techniques to develop rare chemicals for use in pharmaceuticals and energy. Release and Report