Derived from Strategic Transactions, a fully searchable premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Venture Funding column provides a comprehensive monthly review of emerging life science companies that have received venture funding, including companies within the In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. This month’s column covers deals announced February through March 2014.

The onetime Celera CEO says his new attempt to centralize biological information into a massive database could lead to breakthroughs that extend the human life span. Behind that bold goal is a more mundane data-licensing strategy that, although not splashy, could still improve medicine.

The former Celera CEO has raised $70 million for a new organization that will use genomic, biochemical and microbiome data to find stem cell-based treatments for aging-related disorders.

Advancis Pharmaceutical Corp. is tackling antibiotic resistance with pulsed dosing technology that delivers repetitive bursts of anti-infective medications--both existing drugs and NCEs--in an attack pattern that denies microorganisms the chance to regroup between doses. This approach promises to work with lower total dosages and shorter durations of therapy, reducing side effects and aiding patient compliance.