Scotlands ITI Life Sciences aims to create a unique model for plugging the widening funding gap between publicly funded research and venture-funded commercialization of technology. The firm's first four programs reflect the various ways it aims to drum up life sciences business in Scotland.

Summarizing the month in European dealmaking.

Summarizing the month in European dealmaking.

This genomics-based company has used business development as a strategic tool, swapping for key capacities that have helped it quickly leap forward. As the company demonstrated the merits of its model-organism platform, it began asking partners not for the most money they would give--but for assets that would help it forward integrate. One deal that started small expanded into a life-changing technology swap: from BMS, Exelixis got combinatorial chemistry capacity that it can now use to make compounds against its own targets. It also got a Phase II drug candidate for cancer, and rights to half of the molecules it makes for BMS, and Exelixis has used its new chemistry capacity to sign other barter-driven deals. Rapid evolution has risks: unless Exelixis accesses other fairly mature drug candidates, there will be a gap between launch of its first product and other compounds that haven't been tried yet in humans.