Ebb & Flow

Integrative Proteomics raised $25 million last week through a group of investors that looked more like a who's-who of life science instrumentation suppliers than an investor syndicate. The group included Vertex's newly acquired Aurora Biosciences subsidiary, which develops ultra-high throughput screening systems and two companies under the Bruker BioSpin Group umbrella - X-ray provider Bruker AXS, and the mass spec division Bruker Daltonics. VCs on the deal included Lombard Odier, Genesys Capital and HBM BioVentures.

Attracting corporate money was a conscious strategy for Integrative Proteomics, which tied in the equity arrangements as part of two collaborations signed with Aurora and Bruker BioSpin earlier this year. The company is building out a suite of technologies to bridge the gap between genomics and drug discovery, a task that often requires technology from outside parties. Equity ownership often can grease the tech-transfer wheel, according to Chairman and CEO John Mendlein...