More than any other company, Immunex made Seattle believe in the ’80s and ’90s that it could diversify its economy beyond aerospace and software to also become a world-class cluster for biotechnology. Immunex suffered some wrenching ups and downs, but ultimately delivered a breakthrough for autoimmune diseases that’s projected to be the world’s third-best selling drug by 2014 with $8 billion in sales. The company that created that drug is long gone from Seattle, having agreed to be acquired 10 years ago this fall by Amgen. But what happened to all those people who lived the dream at Immunex, and what kind of ripple effect are they still having today in Seattle? Xconomy is bringing together some of the leading Immunex alumni for a lively evening of war stories, networking, and thinking about what’s ahead for Seattle biotech. For more information on how to register, click here.
Confirmed Speakers:
Steve Gillis, Managing Director, Arch Venture Partners (Co-founder of Immunex)
Christopher Henney, Chairman, Oncothyreon (Co-founder of Immunex)
Doug Williams, Executive Vice President of R&D, Biogen Idec
Stewart Parker, CEO, Infectious Disease Research Institute
Steve Graham, Co-chair, Life Sciences, Fenwick & West
Janis Wignall, Consultant
Dave Urdal, Chief Scientific Officer, Dendreon
Patricia Beckmann, Executive Director, Oregon Translational Research and Drug Development Institute (OTRADI)
