develop drugs for autoimmune disease, just a few blocks away from each other in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. I spoke to VLST CEO Marty Simonetti about why proximity means so much in making this budding partnership work.
—Most scientists would scoff at the idea of developing antibodies against HIV, because the virus is known to mutate well enough to dodge these kinds of genetically engineered bullets. But Seattle’s Theraclone Sciences (formerly known as Spaltudaq) is using some of the clues offered by unique antibodies found in rare people who can innately fight off the virus, and is engineering copies of these antibodies that appear to work in the lab. If the company can find a couple more of these antibodies, it might have an alternative treatment to the daily regimen of pills, which patients might take in a once-monthly injection, says CEO David Fanning.
—SonoSite, the Bothell, WA-based maker of portable ultrasound machines, warned investors this week that its revenue dropped 1 to 2 percent in the first quarter. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SONO]]) plans to report earnings on April 27.
—Seattle Genetics, the cancer drug maker that’s in the same Bothell, WA office park as SonoSite, said it pulled in $4 million in an upfront technology license fee from Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. Seattle Genetics gave Millennium permission to use its antibody-drug conjugate technology, which is designed to link antibodies that seek out tumors to toxins that can make them more potent tumor-killers.
—PATH, the Seattle-based nonprofit that works to reduce worldwide health disparities, said it has outgrown its headquarters in Ballard and is moving to new offices under construction in South Lake Union.
