There was a big ribbon cutting, and lots of back-slapping local politicians, when Merck officially opened up the fancy labs it built for Rosetta Inpharmatics in March 2004.
Merck and Rosetta are long gone now—and so are most of the local officials, come to think of it—but the modern biomedical research center at 401 Terry Avenue North is once again humming with new life as the new home for the Institute for Systems Biology. I had a chance to walk through a week ago and see what Lee Hood & Co. have done to spiff up the place in South Lake Union, right across the street from Amazon‘s new headquarters.
The folks at the ISB have been gracious to open up the new facility (NOT the old one next to Gas Works Park) for our next big Xconomy event on May 19. For folks who are attending “Separating Hype from Reality in Alternative Fuels,” you will get a chance to do a short walking tour around the new labs and offices, right after the program concludes and the networking part of the evening begins.
Bright colors—which I suppose must be good for triggering neural impulses for creativity—are everywhere. If you’re registered for the event, and would like to join the tour, just send me a note at [email protected] so I can get a handle on the headcount for the folks at ISB. See you there on May 19.
