Author: Luke Timmerman

Luke is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News. Luke got started covering life sciences at The Seattle Times, where he was the lead reporter on an investigation of doctors who leaked confidential information about clinical trials to investors. The story won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and several other national prizes. Luke holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and during the 2005-2006 academic year, he was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.

Tekmira Sues Alnylam, Alan Aderem Bolts to Seattle BioMed, Dendreon’s Warhorse Retires, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week’s big headlines came from a couple of personnel moves, and one potentially nasty trade secrets lawsuit. —Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said that David Urdal, the chief scientific officer who lived through the company’s roller coaster story over the past 15 years, plans to retire at the end of 2011. Urdal, 62, says it’s time … Continue reading “Tekmira Sues Alnylam, Alan Aderem Bolts to Seattle BioMed, Dendreon’s Warhorse Retires, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Tekmira Sues Alnylam for $1 Billion, Accusing Partner of Misusing RNAi Trade Secrets

[Updated 10:40 am ET, with Alnylam response] Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, the Vancouver, BC-based maker of technology to deliver RNA interference therapies, has filed a lawsuit against Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals seeking damages of more than $1 billion because of what Tekmira’s CEO calls “relentless and egregious” misappropriation of trade secrets. Tekmira filed the legal complaint (see full … Continue reading “Tekmira Sues Alnylam for $1 Billion, Accusing Partner of Misusing RNAi Trade Secrets”

FivePrime Nabs $495M Deal With Human Genome Sciences to Develop Cancer Drug

FivePrime Therapeutics said last summer that there was “significant interest” in its lead protein drug for cancer, and now we can see that interest has translated into a big new partnership. South San Francisco-based FivePrime said today it has secured a $50 million upfront payment, plus as much as $445 million in additional milestones, as … Continue reading “FivePrime Nabs $495M Deal With Human Genome Sciences to Develop Cancer Drug”

See You Tonight at Bay Area Life Sciences 2031

Will the San Francisco Bay Area continue to be the world’s No. 1 hub for life sciences innovation 20 years from today? What kind of impact can we expect this next wave of GenenExers to make? Or will San Francisco lose its mojo to other places with high quality of life and low cost of … Continue reading “See You Tonight at Bay Area Life Sciences 2031”

SeaGen Expands Millennium Deal

Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said today that it has gotten an additional undisclosed fee from its partner, Cambridge, MA-based Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, to expand a collaboration that seeks to develop “empowered antibody” drugs for cancer. Millennium first gained access to Seattle Genetics’ technology, which links antibodies to toxins that make them more potent, … Continue reading “SeaGen Expands Millennium Deal”

Will the Bay Area Still Be the No. 1 Biotech Cluster in 20 Years? We’ll Ask Tomorrow

It’s tough, as baseball great Yogi Berra once famously observed, to make predictions, especially about the future. But that’s the risky business we’ve signed up for tomorrow night, as I plan to ask a handful of visionaries to think big about how they see the San Francisco Bay Area biotech hub evolving over the next … Continue reading “Will the Bay Area Still Be the No. 1 Biotech Cluster in 20 Years? We’ll Ask Tomorrow”

Grab a Beer With Me and My New Partner in Crime, Curt Woodward, at the Xconomy Meetup March 22

Every now and then—pretty much whenever I feel like it—we here at Xconomy like to invite our readers to come out and shoot the breeze with us over a beer. These are some of my favorite events, and I have a really good excuse to schedule a new one now—it’s time to introduce readers to … Continue reading “Grab a Beer With Me and My New Partner in Crime, Curt Woodward, at the Xconomy Meetup March 22”

Alan Aderem, With Team in Tow, Bolts From ISB to Take Leading Role at Seattle BioMed

Alan Aderem, the immunologist who co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology a decade ago with Leroy Hood and Reudi Aebersold, is leaving the Seattle research center to take over the presidency of another of one of the Northwest’s other leading centers of biomedicine—the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. Aderem, 55, is joining Seattle BioMed as director, … Continue reading “Alan Aderem, With Team in Tow, Bolts From ISB to Take Leading Role at Seattle BioMed”

Solazyme Seeks $100M IPO to Build Up Renewable Biofuel Business

Solazyme, the South San Francisco-based maker of renewable biofuels that was started by a couple of college friends, is going to see just how much interest public investors have in their once “delusional” idea. Solazyme is out to raise as much as $100 million through an initial public offering, according to a prospectus filed with … Continue reading “Solazyme Seeks $100M IPO to Build Up Renewable Biofuel Business”

Where Are Tomorrow’s Blockbuster Biotech Drugs Coming From? You Might be Surprised

The San Francisco Bay Area has a storied tradition as the birthplace and leading hub of biotechnology, but something curious has happened the past couple years. Most of the scientifically groundbreaking, medical-textbook rewriting, financially lucrative new biotech drugs of the 21st century are coming from somewhere else. This dawned on me last week as I … Continue reading “Where Are Tomorrow’s Blockbuster Biotech Drugs Coming From? You Might be Surprised”

Dendreon’s Warhorse, Chief Scientific Officer Dave Urdal, To Retire at Year-End

David Urdal, the scientific entrepreneur who co-founded the modern version of Dendreon over 15 years ago and helped turn it into a pioneer of cancer immunotherapy, is stepping down from his job as chief scientific officer at the Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]). Urdal, 61, will be retiring as Dendreon’s executive vice president and chief … Continue reading “Dendreon’s Warhorse, Chief Scientific Officer Dave Urdal, To Retire at Year-End”

Exelixis Bags $156M, Tethys Bets on Prevention, UCSF’s Delicate Dance With Industry, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

One of the highfliers in Bay Area biotech, which had a lousy 2010, looks like it’s turning into a comeback story in 2011. —South San Francisco-based Exelixis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXEL]]) scooped up $156 million through a stock offering this week, as investors piled in to get a piece of the action in cabozantinib (XL184). This is … Continue reading “Exelixis Bags $156M, Tethys Bets on Prevention, UCSF’s Delicate Dance With Industry, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Dendreon Gets FDA Green Light for NJ Factory

Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said today it has won FDA clearance to quadruple the output from the New Jersey factory where it makes its lone product, sipuleucel-T (Provenge). The drug, for men with advanced forms of prostate cancer, was first cleared for sale in the U.S. last April, at a time when Dendreon had extremely … Continue reading “Dendreon Gets FDA Green Light for NJ Factory”

Gates Amps Up Biotech Investment, Calypso Seeks Rebound, Targeted Genetics’ Obit, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

One of our local billionaires made a couple of significant biotech investments this week, while one of the venerable names from the biotech scene faded away. —The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made its first-ever direct equity investment in a for-profit biotech company last week, when it plunked down $10 million on Research Triangle Park, … Continue reading “Gates Amps Up Biotech Investment, Calypso Seeks Rebound, Targeted Genetics’ Obit, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Q&A: UCSF’s Jeff Bluestone on the Tricky Balancing Act Between Academia and Industry

Jeff Bluestone has one of those jobs in academia where you almost expect the guy to wear a flak jacket to work. As executive vice chancellor and provost, part of the gig is to make sure UCSF’s 2,400 very smart, very strong-willed faculty remain happy, and keep doing world-class work in research and teaching. He … Continue reading “Q&A: UCSF’s Jeff Bluestone on the Tricky Balancing Act Between Academia and Industry”

Forma, After Building Cancer Drug Discovery Engine, Makes First Big Bet on Starving Tumors

Forma Therapeutics could choose to do a lot of different things after spending its first couple years raising $50 million, forming a series of partnerships, and assembling a staff of 100 people around the world with all kinds of skills in the cancer drug R&D business. After all that, Cambridge, MA-based Forma has decided to … Continue reading “Forma, After Building Cancer Drug Discovery Engine, Makes First Big Bet on Starving Tumors”

Exelixis Pockets $156M in Stock Sale, Riding Wave of Prostate Cancer Drug Results

Exelixis has seized on the newfound momentum for its experimental prostate cancer drug by raising a big new load of cash. The South San Francisco-based drug developer (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXEL]]) said today it has grossed $165 million through a new stock offering, and will take home about $156 million after paying expenses. The company sold 15 … Continue reading “Exelixis Pockets $156M in Stock Sale, Riding Wave of Prostate Cancer Drug Results”

Targeted Genetics, Re-invented as AmpliPhi, Bets on Anti-Bacterials, Moves HQ to London

Targeted Genetics has been a shell of its former self for a couple years now, but today it’s officially no longer the same old Targeted Genetics. The Seattle-based company, a one-time trailblazer in the field of gene therapy, said today it has made a slew of changes to its business, including ditching the old name … Continue reading “Targeted Genetics, Re-invented as AmpliPhi, Bets on Anti-Bacterials, Moves HQ to London”

Calypso Medical’s New CEO Seeks to Steady Ship After a Rough Couple of Years

Calypso Medical Technologies, on the surface, looked like it was on the brink of breakout success in September 2009. The Seattle-based company raised $50 million in venture capital—the biggest investment that year in Washington state—to beef up R&D, hire more people, and take its system for precision-guided cancer radiation treatment beyond the U.S. market and … Continue reading “Calypso Medical’s New CEO Seeks to Steady Ship After a Rough Couple of Years”

ISB, Covance Form Brain Tumor Partnership

Covance (NYSE: [[ticker:CVD]]), said today that its genomics laboratory in Seattle has agreed to a new collaboration with the Institute for Systems Biology to study brain tumors, according to GenomeWeb. Researchers will study the genetic differences that lurk within tumors, and find molecular targets that would enable researchers to select the right drug for the … Continue reading “ISB, Covance Form Brain Tumor Partnership”

Tethys Seeks to Double Sales of Test, Prove Value of Preventing Diabetes

Fortunes have been made many times over with new drugs and medical devices to treat chronic and deadly diseases. The folks at Emeryville, CA-based Tethys Bioscience have a different idea that is actually quite radical: They want to make money by preventing disease, not treating it. “Here we are spending about $200 billion a year … Continue reading “Tethys Seeks to Double Sales of Test, Prove Value of Preventing Diabetes”

Gates Foundation Makes First Equity Investment in a Biotech Startup, Liquidia Technologies

Global health innovators have a rich new venture capitalist to turn to—the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Seattle-based nonprofit, the world’s largest philanthropy with $36.4 billion in assets, made its first direct equity investment in a for-profit biotech company last week when it pumped $10 million into Research Triangle Park, NC-based Liquidia Technologies. While … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Makes First Equity Investment in a Biotech Startup, Liquidia Technologies”

TechFlash Duo, Todd Bishop and John Cook, Quit PSBJ to Start New Site, GeekWire

Todd Bishop and John Cook, two of the Northwest’s well-known technology journalists, have decided to leave TechFlash, the Puget Sound Business Journal website they started two and a half years ago, to start their own online media company called GeekWire. The two Seattle-based journalists, who worked together for years at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer before joining … Continue reading “TechFlash Duo, Todd Bishop and John Cook, Quit PSBJ to Start New Site, GeekWire”

Forget About the IPO Market: It’s Time for Biotechs To Think Differently

When a company like Plexxikon can’t pull off a big-time IPO, you know something’s out of whack in the biotech world. Berkeley, CA-based Plexxikon hit the motherlode last week when it agreed to be acquired for $805 million upfront, plus $130 million in milestones, by Japan-based Daiichi Sankyo. VCs everywhere drooled. That’s because in this … Continue reading “Forget About the IPO Market: It’s Time for Biotechs To Think Differently”

PhaseRx Angles for a Deal, Tom Clement’s New Device Gig(s), InDi’s Alzheimer’s Plan, & More in the Life Science Innovation Northwest Wrap-Up

My head is spinning from the whirlwind of presentations and hobnobbing at this year’s Life Science Innovation Northwest. The regional biotech showcase drew by far the most people in its 11-year history, almost 1,000. More importantly, folks I talked to from outside the region were impressed with the technology here, combined with the community’s can-do … Continue reading “PhaseRx Angles for a Deal, Tom Clement’s New Device Gig(s), InDi’s Alzheimer’s Plan, & More in the Life Science Innovation Northwest Wrap-Up”

Plexxikon’s Big Payday, InterMune Wins EU Approval, UCSF’s $48M Windfall, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

The biotech world was buzzing this week on the first 10-bagger I’ve seen in a long, long, time. —Berkeley, CA-based Plexxikon captured all that buzz when it agreed to be acquired by Japan-based Daiichi Sankyo for $805 million upfront, plus another $130 million in milestone payments. Not shabby for a company that raised $67 million … Continue reading “Plexxikon’s Big Payday, InterMune Wins EU Approval, UCSF’s $48M Windfall, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Will the Bay Area Lose Its Edge as the Top Biotech Hub in 20 Years? We’ll Ask March 16

Will the San Francisco Bay Area still be the world’s most vibrant place for life sciences innovation 20 years from now? Will this region still have gravitational pull on bright young scientists who want to make their careers and build great companies? We are less than two weeks away from the big Xconomy event “Bay … Continue reading “Will the Bay Area Lose Its Edge as the Top Biotech Hub in 20 Years? We’ll Ask March 16”

Dendreon Moves Across Town, SeaGen Files FDA App, Alder Takes Road Less Traveled, & More Seattle Life Sciences News

The big boys of Seattle biotech made some news this week, but the town was humming with activity from little companies you haven’t heard of, who appeared at Life Science Innovation Northwest. More on that later. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) confirmed this week that it has signed leases on a new headquarters at the Russell … Continue reading “Dendreon Moves Across Town, SeaGen Files FDA App, Alder Takes Road Less Traveled, & More Seattle Life Sciences News”

Alder Steers Next Antibodies To Unusual Places: Treating Migraines and High Cholesterol

Alder Biopharmaceuticals prides itself on challenging conventional wisdom. But while Alder has proved the skeptics wrong, showing it can make targeted antibody therapies in a new way with cheap and fast-dividing yeast cells, it has used this technology in a pretty conventional way—to make weapons against cancer and autoimmunity. Now Alder is stepping out with … Continue reading “Alder Steers Next Antibodies To Unusual Places: Treating Migraines and High Cholesterol”

Angel Investing is Up, But Will It Spark the NW Economy? Check Out “The Conversation”

Most people on the street would struggle to define what an angel investor does. Mostly, in Seattle anyway, they are the little-known startup investors who operate behind the scenes while venture capitalists get all the glory for bankrolling the would-be Googles and Facebooks of the future. But for a few minutes yesterday, Seattle angels got … Continue reading “Angel Investing is Up, But Will It Spark the NW Economy? Check Out “The Conversation””

Physio-Control Buys Jolife

Physio-Control, the Redmond, WA-based unit of Medtronic (NYSE: [[ticker:MDT]]) that makes heart defibrillators, said it has acquired Jolife, the Sweden-based maker of the Lucas Chest Compression System. The two companies have had a partnership since 2004, in which they have worked on the early stages of a mechanical cardio-pulmonary resuscitation device, according to a statement … Continue reading “Physio-Control Buys Jolife”

Dendreon Makes It Official, Grabs Downtown Office and Former Zymo Lab Building

[Update: 12:40 pm] Dendreon has been searching around Seattle for months to find a new home to accommodate its growth, and now it has made its moving plans official. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has signed a lease to take eight floors, or about 185,000 square feet of office space, at the Russell Investments … Continue reading “Dendreon Makes It Official, Grabs Downtown Office and Former Zymo Lab Building”

Plexxikon, Creator of Hot Melanoma Drug, Bought by Daiichi Sankyo for $805M Upfront

Plexxikon, one of the Bay Area’s breakout biotech success stories of the past year, has concluded with a happy ending. The Berkeley, CA-based cancer drug developer said today it has agreed to be acquired by Japan-based Daiichi Sankyo for $805 million upfront, plus another $130 million in potential milestone payments that could bring the final … Continue reading “Plexxikon, Creator of Hot Melanoma Drug, Bought by Daiichi Sankyo for $805M Upfront”

Vivus to Try Again By Year’s End

Vivus (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VVUS]]), the Mountain View, CA-based developer of an obesity drug, said today it hopes to resubmit its new drug application to the FDA for phentermine and topiramate (Qnexa) by the end of the year. The first application from Vivus was shot down by the FDA in October, when the FDA asked for an … Continue reading “Vivus to Try Again By Year’s End”

UCSF Nabs $48M Gift

UC San Francisco has received a $48 million donation from the estate of Nina Ireland, a longtime donor to the university who died in October. UCSF said the money will be put toward lung disease research and care, particularly strengthening the university’s research into complex pulmonary conditions such as interstitial lung disease and idiopathic pulmonary … Continue reading “UCSF Nabs $48M Gift”

Big Pharma’s Hardball Tactics Won’t Kill Biotech, But They Could Kill Off Some Pharmas

Few people in biotech have the guts to stir the pot the way Kevin Kinsella did in an interview with Xconomy’s Bruce Bigelow earlier this month. Kinsella, a venture capitalist with a 30-year track record of biotech investing, delivered a blistering analysis of what he sees as the pharmaceutical industry’s bad-faith negotiating habits, predatory behavior, … Continue reading “Big Pharma’s Hardball Tactics Won’t Kill Biotech, But They Could Kill Off Some Pharmas”

Gilead Bets $600M on Cancer, Genentech Gets a Hearing, Jennerex Shows Early Survival Edge, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

This week we covered a lot of news about cancer, and some of it came from a surprising new source. —Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]), the Foster City, CA-based company that made its name with drugs that turn HIV into a chronic disease, has placed a big new bet for the future on cancer and inflammation. … Continue reading “Gilead Bets $600M on Cancer, Genentech Gets a Hearing, Jennerex Shows Early Survival Edge, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Sound, UCLA Find Hearing Loss Target

Seattle-based Sound Pharmaceuticals said today that its scientists, along with collaborators at UCLA, have found a new molecular target of interest for the treatment of hearing loss. The target, p27Kip1, was described this week in a presentation at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. Sound Pharmaceuticals said it is seeking to build on this research … Continue reading “Sound, UCLA Find Hearing Loss Target”

Pearl Hires New CEO

Pearl Therapeutics, the Redwood City, CA-based developer of treatments for lung diseases, has named Charles (Chuck) Bramlage as its new CEO. Bramlage was most recently the president of pharmaceutical products for Covidien (NYSE: [[ticker:COV]]). Pearl, which raised $69 million in venture capital in October, was previously led by Howard Rosen. I wrote a feature in … Continue reading “Pearl Hires New CEO”

Gilead Wagers $600M on Calistoga, Dendreon Scopes New Digs, Physio to Spin Off, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week’s news flow was dominated by a pretty rare event—a lucrative acquisition of a Seattle-based, venture-backed biotech company. —Calistoga Pharmaceuticals hit the jackpot this week, as it agreed to be acquired by Foster City, CA-based Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) for as much as $600 million if certain milestones are reached. The deal is interesting … Continue reading “Gilead Wagers $600M on Calistoga, Dendreon Scopes New Digs, Physio to Spin Off, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Vertex Nails Pivotal Study for Cystic Fibrosis, Racing Toward Market With Second Drug

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has been moving in this direction for a long time, but it can now say with confidence that it is on its way to shaking up the standard of care for not just one disease this year, but two. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]), which has operations in San Diego, is … Continue reading “Vertex Nails Pivotal Study for Cystic Fibrosis, Racing Toward Market With Second Drug”

Gilead Pursues Cancer, Inflammation as Next Step To Diversify Beyond HIV

Gilead Sciences has heard it all before—it has an awesome cash machine going in the HIV drug business, but it won’t last forever, and it has never really diversified well into other disease categories. Now, through its acquisition of Seattle-based Calistoga Pharmaceuticals for as much as $600 million, Gilead is making clear that one of … Continue reading “Gilead Pursues Cancer, Inflammation as Next Step To Diversify Beyond HIV”

Calistoga Hands the Keys to Gilead, Bets It Can Make Cancer a Chronic Disease Like HIV

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals CEO Carol Gallagher was playing with a strong hand of cards, holding onto an emerging cancer drug she could have sold for a mint to any number of Big Pharma companies hungry for innovative new products. But she and Calistoga’s board took an unusual tack, selling the Seattle-based company for as much as … Continue reading “Calistoga Hands the Keys to Gilead, Bets It Can Make Cancer a Chronic Disease Like HIV”

Medtronic to Spin Off Physio

Minneapolis, MN-based Medtronic (NYSE: [[ticker:MDT]]), the medical device giant, said today it is reviving plans to spin off the Physio-Control unit in Redmond, WA as an independent company. Physio-Control, which makes heart defibrillators that treat sudden cardiac arrest, has been dogged by manufacturing problems for years, although it was given clearance by the FDA to … Continue reading “Medtronic to Spin Off Physio”

Montgomery Startup Gets $1M

Seattle-based Cardeas Pharma, a startup led by prominent biotech entrepreneur A. Bruce Montgomery, has raised its first $1 million, according to a regulatory filing. The company only lists two executives and members of its board—Montgomery and Melissa Yaeger, an experienced drug developer who previously worked with Montgomery at Seattle-based Corus Pharma and Gilead Sciences. Montgomery, … Continue reading “Montgomery Startup Gets $1M”