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.

Gilead Buys Calistoga Pharma for $375M, Making Move Into Cancer Drugs

Gilead Sciences is the world’s biggest maker of HIV medications, and today it’s making a big move to diversify into the cancer drug field by acquiring Seattle-based Calistoga Pharmaceuticals. Foster City, CA-based Gilead (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) said today it has agreed to pay $375 million to acquire Calistoga, plus another $225 million if certain milestones are … Continue reading “Gilead Buys Calistoga Pharma for $375M, Making Move Into Cancer Drugs”

Quanterix, Novartis Test Out Super-Sensitive Diagnostic Tool for Neuro Disorder

Quanterix envisions its technology could someday be a driving force in the $8 billion a year global diagnostics industry. Now it has one of the industry’s big players on board, taking a look for itself at close range to see what the Cambridge, MA-based startup can do. Novartis Diagnostics, the unit of the giant healthcare … Continue reading “Quanterix, Novartis Test Out Super-Sensitive Diagnostic Tool for Neuro Disorder”

Biocom Follows the Money, Revamps Local Confab to Lure Big Pharma VIPs To San Diego

San Diego’s leading life sciences trade association spent the last five years putting together a fall confab that recruited venture capitalists and institutional investors to look at the most innovative life sciences companies in town. This year, Biocom is taking a different tack, seeking to play the role of matchmaker not so much with VCs, … Continue reading “Biocom Follows the Money, Revamps Local Confab to Lure Big Pharma VIPs To San Diego”

Scripps Names UC Berkeley Chemist Marletta as New President

The Scripps Research Institute, one of San Diego’s leading nonprofit research institutions, has officially named UC Berkeley chemistry researcher Michael Marletta as its new incoming president. Marletta, 60, will join the Scripps faculty on July 1, and formally take over from Richard Lerner as president on Jan. 1, 2012, Scripps said yesterday in a statement. … Continue reading “Scripps Names UC Berkeley Chemist Marletta as New President”

Dendreon Scopes Out Downtown Seattle Headquarters

Dendreon could soon be headed from Belltown to downtown. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]), currently based in an aging lab building at 3005 First Avenue near Denny Way, appears to on its way into the 42-story Russell Investments Center, according to a Seattle Times story by commercial real estate reporter Eric Pryne. An architecture … Continue reading “Dendreon Scopes Out Downtown Seattle Headquarters”

Alkermes Sees Chance to Reinvent Vivitrol For Fighting Drug Addiction, Not Just Alcoholism

If you were to poll Wall Street a few months ago for impressions of Alkermes’ naltrexone injection (Vivitrol), you’d hear a number of things. Most aren’t good. It’s a bust. They still own that? Who cares? Seeing the name Vivitrol in my inbox, I must admit, makes me think first about a drug that never … Continue reading “Alkermes Sees Chance to Reinvent Vivitrol For Fighting Drug Addiction, Not Just Alcoholism”

We’re On the Hunt For a Social Media Marketing Intern Here at Xconomy

We have a bunch of journalists at Xconomy who know how to report and write. Now we are looking to add some electricity on the marketing side of the house. I’m specifically looking to fill a position here in the Seattle office for a summer intern with desire to build a career in social media … Continue reading “We’re On the Hunt For a Social Media Marketing Intern Here at Xconomy”

CalciMedica Moves Psoriasis Drug Into Clinic, Pockets $6M

CalciMedica has been saying for a while that it is about to enter clinical trials with a novel oral treatment for autoimmune diseases, and today is the day. The San Diego-based biotech company said it has delivered the first doses to people in a clinical trial of CM2489, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe … Continue reading “CalciMedica Moves Psoriasis Drug Into Clinic, Pockets $6M”

Jennerex, Maker of Cancer-Fighting Virus, Says Early Data Shows Survival Benefit

Viruses that are genetically engineered to fight tumors, without harming healthy cells, may sound like sci-fi. But San Francisco-based Jennerex Biotherapeutics has started gathering some intriguing—albeit quite preliminary—clinical trial evidence that suggests this approach may be helping liver cancer patients live longer, Xconomy has learned. Jennerex, which I first wrote about here in September, flies … Continue reading “Jennerex, Maker of Cancer-Fighting Virus, Says Early Data Shows Survival Benefit”

Burrill’s Bet on Seattle, Yamada Exits Gates Foundation, Stewart Parker’s New Gig, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week the Seattle life sciences beat was all people coming and going from high-profile jobs, which may say something about where the action is heading. —Steve Burrill, the biotech jack of all trades from San Francisco, likes to say he’s a “geographic agnostic” when it comes to looking around for the best investments in … Continue reading “Burrill’s Bet on Seattle, Yamada Exits Gates Foundation, Stewart Parker’s New Gig, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Stewart Parker Joins IDRI as New CEO, Bringing Biotech Sensibility to Global Health Effort

[Updated: 2:15 pm] H. Stewart Parker did some soul-searching after her dreams fizzled out at Seattle-based Targeted Genetics, but now the well-known biotech executive has found herself a big new challenge at the Infectious Disease Research Institute. Parker, 55, the founder and longtime CEO of Targeted Genetics, has agreed to sign on as the CEO … Continue reading “Stewart Parker Joins IDRI as New CEO, Bringing Biotech Sensibility to Global Health Effort”

NanoString Names VPs

NanoString Technologies, the Seattle-based maker of a genetic analysis instrument, said today it has hired two new vice presidents to fill out its commercial management team. Chris Grimley, the new vice president of marketing, previously worked at Agilent Technologies and Applied BioSystems. Katherine Webster, NanoString’s new vice president of worldwide sales, comes from Qiagen, and … Continue reading “NanoString Names VPs”

RIM Buys Gist, RealNetworks Cuts Jobs, Microsoft’s Nokia Deal, & More Seattle-Area Tech News

The biggest deal this week around the Xconomy office is that we have a new writer to cover the local tech beat. More on that and other Seattle area deals news below. —Seattle-based Gist, the maker of software for managing your contacts online, said this week it has agreed to be acquired by Research in … Continue reading “RIM Buys Gist, RealNetworks Cuts Jobs, Microsoft’s Nokia Deal, & More Seattle-Area Tech News”

Genomic Health, Taking a Hit on Bottom Line, Bets Next-Gen Sequencing Will Yield Next-Gen Diagnostics

Genomic Health built itself into a profitable business in molecular diagnostics by using genetics analysis instruments that were state-of-the-art in the middle part of the last decade. But as the Redwood City, CA-based diagnostics company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GHDX]]) looks further into the future, it has come to a clear conclusion. Out with the old, and in … Continue reading “Genomic Health, Taking a Hit on Bottom Line, Bets Next-Gen Sequencing Will Yield Next-Gen Diagnostics”

Tachi Yamada, Gates Foundation’s Global Health Leader, Stepping Down in June

The former Big Pharma executive who ran the global health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is moving on. Tachi Yamada, 65, an accomplished physician/scientist and former chairman of R&D at London-based pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, joined the Seattle-based Gates Foundation as the executive director of global health back in June 2006. He plans … Continue reading “Tachi Yamada, Gates Foundation’s Global Health Leader, Stepping Down in June”

RIM Buys Gist To Help Manage Contacts in BlackBerry Smartphones

The early scuttlebutt was right on the mark. Seattle-based Gist, which was reportedly in talks to be acquired by Research in Motion back in December, has closed the deal and agreed to be sold to the giant maker of BlackBerry smartphones. Gist, which makes software to help people keep track of their contacts online, said … Continue reading “RIM Buys Gist To Help Manage Contacts in BlackBerry Smartphones”

Meet Xconomy Seattle’s Newest Team Member: Ace Reporter Curt Woodward

Xconomy Seattle is adding a lot more journalistic horsepower to serve the Northwest innovation community, starting today. I’m searching for the right word here—ecstatic pretty much nails it—to say how I feel about Curt Woodward joining us as the new senior editor here in Seattle. Curt’s job will be to cover the people and companies … Continue reading “Meet Xconomy Seattle’s Newest Team Member: Ace Reporter Curt Woodward”

Mirador Adds VP of Sales

Seattle-based Mirador Biomedical has a veteran of Arrow International, a medical device company now part of Teleflex (NYSE: [[ticker:TFX]]) as its vice president of sales. Steve Gappa will take on that key role in commercializing Mirador’s Compass family of medical devices. Mirador won FDA approval last October for a digital device that can tell whether … Continue reading “Mirador Adds VP of Sales”

Optimer Nabs $68M in Stock Sale

San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPTR]]) said today it has raised $67.5 million through a stock offering. The company sold 6 million new shares at $11.25 apiece. The underwriters have an option to buy another 900,000 shares over the next 30 days, which would add more money to the deal. Jefferies & Co., Baird, Canaccord … Continue reading “Optimer Nabs $68M in Stock Sale”

Fluidigm Completes IPO on 2nd Try, Geron CEO Exits, Amgen Pushes ‘Son of Dmab,’ & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

We’re starting to see a little—just a little—bit of life get injected into the IPO market for life sciences companies. Nothing much to get too excited about yet, but it’s worth monitoring. —South San Francisco-based Fluidigm had an epic yarn of a story when it first IPO attempt was botched during the financial crisis of … Continue reading “Fluidigm Completes IPO on 2nd Try, Geron CEO Exits, Amgen Pushes ‘Son of Dmab,’ & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Adriana Jenkins, Boston Biotech PR Maven, Dies from Breast Cancer at 41

The New England biotech community has lost one of its well-known members way too early. Adriana Jenkins, a public relations specialist for numerous biotech companies, has died from breast cancer. She was 41. Jenkins worked the last several years with The Yates Network, an independent PR firm that represents quite a few of the Boston … Continue reading “Adriana Jenkins, Boston Biotech PR Maven, Dies from Breast Cancer at 41”

Anacor Strikes Acne Deal With Medicis

Palo Alto, CA-based Anacor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ANAC]]) said today it has formed a research collaboration with Scottsdale, AZ-based Medicis Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:MRX]]) to discover and develop boron-based small molecule drugs against acne. Anacor will get $7 million upfront, and could get milestone payments of as much as $153 million. Anacor went public back in November, … Continue reading “Anacor Strikes Acne Deal With Medicis”

The Geographic Agnostic Looking for Hot Biotechs, Steve Burrill, Gravitates to Seattle

Steve Burrill, the biotech prognosticator/meeting impresario/speaker/writer/banker/investor, likes to say he’s “geographically agnostic.” To me, that sounds like one way of saying he hunts for the best biotech investing opportunities in the world. It also essentially means he could care less about the chamber-style boosterism and sentimentality that sometimes clouds the judgment of well-intended folks who … Continue reading “The Geographic Agnostic Looking for Hot Biotechs, Steve Burrill, Gravitates to Seattle”

Dendreon Adds $80M, Amgen Advances ‘Son of Dmab,’ Mobisante Wins FDA OK, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

My favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, won the Super Bowl on Sunday. So it’s kind of amazing I was able to concentrate on work at all this week. I’m beginning to think there’s a Green & Gold glow coming out of my skin, as a matter of fact. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) tacked on … Continue reading “Dendreon Adds $80M, Amgen Advances ‘Son of Dmab,’ Mobisante Wins FDA OK, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Orexigen Axes 40 Percent of Workforce After FDA Turns Down Obesity Drug

No surprise here, the axe has fallen at San Diego-based Orexigen Therapeutics. Orexigen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OREX]]) said today it has eliminated 23 jobs, or about 40 percent of its workforce, a little more than a week after the FDA shot down Orexigen’s application to start selling its first product, a new drug for obesity. The company … Continue reading “Orexigen Axes 40 Percent of Workforce After FDA Turns Down Obesity Drug”

Amgen Pushes Ahead With ‘Son of Dmab’ For Treating Broken, Frail Bones

Folks who follow Amgen closely know there’s really been one main theme to this story the past couple years—Dmab, Dmab, Dmab. Also know as denosumab, this is the targeted antibody drug Amgen developed for bone disorders that is supposed to be biggest thing to emerge from its internal R&D pipeline in about 20 years (although … Continue reading “Amgen Pushes Ahead With ‘Son of Dmab’ For Treating Broken, Frail Bones”

Physio-Control Cuts Deal With San Diego’s BeneChill to Cool the Brain, Buy Time for Doctors

Science fiction writers have long imagined putting humans into a hibernation-like state to travel long distances in space. Doctors see another application here on Earth, in which cooling the body could slow down blood flow just enough to buy time when a patient could bleed to death or suffer serious brain damage. Now Redmond, WA-based … Continue reading “Physio-Control Cuts Deal With San Diego’s BeneChill to Cool the Brain, Buy Time for Doctors”

UW, Microsoft Get 2 Members of NAE

Microsoft Research and the University of Washington each have new members who have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Susan Dumais, who works on interfaces for improved information retrieval at Microsoft, was elected along with Hank Levy, the chairman of UW’s Computer Science and Engineering department. Levy, who has written two books and … Continue reading “UW, Microsoft Get 2 Members of NAE”

LSDF Bets $600K on New Technologies

The Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund said today it has given out four grants worth a combined $600,000. Jane Burns of Seattle Children’s Hospital, along with Maple Valley, WA-based Enertechnix, will use their grant money to work on an air sampling technology to spot lung infections, while University of Washington researcher Patrick Stayton will work … Continue reading “LSDF Bets $600K on New Technologies”

Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: The Photo Gallery

[Updated: 3:35 pm] Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for the latest Xconomy Seattle event, “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome.” We packed the room once again for a highly engaging conversation about the state of the art in genomics. We dug into both the technical and cultural barriers that need to … Continue reading “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: The Photo Gallery”

See You This Afternoon at “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome”

What will your doctor be able to tell you when your entire genome can be sequenced in an afternoon for $1,000 or less? Who out there in the business world has a handle on how to make this data useful? Will it actually help our society improve health and wellness? I’m getting my game face … Continue reading “See You This Afternoon at “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome””

XDx Forms Deal with LabCorp

XDx, the Brisbane, CA-based maker of molecular diagnostics, said today it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]). Under the deal, heart transplant patients eligible for XDx’s AlloMap test can get their blood drawn for testing at participating LabCorp sites around the U.S., and LabCorp will be the preferred … Continue reading “XDx Forms Deal with LabCorp”

Optimer Pockets $68M Upfront From Astellas For Rights to Antibiotic in Europe

San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals has found a partner to help market its most important drug candidate outside the U.S. Optimer (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPTR]]) is announcing today it has struck a deal with Japan-based Astellas Pharma in which Astellas gets exclusive rights to market fidaxomicin in Europe, plus parts of the Middle East, Africa, and the Commonwealth … Continue reading “Optimer Pockets $68M Upfront From Astellas For Rights to Antibiotic in Europe”

Diagnostics Are Warming Up in Era of Fast, Cheap Sequencing, Says MDV’s Rowan Chapman

Quite a few players in the movement toward super-fast, super-cheap gene sequencing see a mix of arcane science, breathless hype, and modest results. Despite a decade of talk about personalized medicine, nobody walks into a doctors’ office today and gets a universal test that can predict their medical future or give advice on how to … Continue reading “Diagnostics Are Warming Up in Era of Fast, Cheap Sequencing, Says MDV’s Rowan Chapman”

Regulus, the MicroRNA Child of Alnylam and Isis, Offers Litmus Test for Biotech Hope in 2011

The notion that Regulus Therapeutics might go public in 2011 sounds like nonsense at first blush. The San Diego-based startup doesn’t have a shred of evidence that says its experimental drugs are safe, or even a little effective, in human beings. And it will be at least another year before the company enters the vital … Continue reading “Regulus, the MicroRNA Child of Alnylam and Isis, Offers Litmus Test for Biotech Hope in 2011”

California Biotech To Add Jobs, Merck’s Bet on Biotech Drugs in Palo Alto, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

We had a number of national stories with local angles in Bay Area biotech this week. —California biotech CEOs have a lot to complain about with high taxes and a lousy state budget predicament making it hard to do business. But despite the headwinds, the California Healthcare Institute, BayBio, and PwC said this week that … Continue reading “California Biotech To Add Jobs, Merck’s Bet on Biotech Drugs in Palo Alto, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Mobisante Wins FDA Approval for “Ultrasound on a Smartphone” Technology

Seattle is the global capital of ultrasound technology, and now it can lay its claim as the place that developed the first FDA-cleared system that puts ultrasound on a smartphone. Redmond, WA-based Mobisante said today it has won FDA clearance to start selling its MobiUS system to healthcare professionals in the U.S. The startup, which … Continue reading “Mobisante Wins FDA Approval for “Ultrasound on a Smartphone” Technology”

Isis Spinoff Altair Therapeutics Shut Down, After Mid-Stage Asthma Study Fails

San Diego-based Altair Therapeutics, a spinoff from Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]), has shut down operations after the startup’s only drug candidate failed in a mid-stage clinical trial against asthma, Xconomy has learned. Carlsbad, CA-based Isis told investors back in November on its quarterly conference call that Altair’s lead drug candidate, AIR645, failed to show enough … Continue reading “Isis Spinoff Altair Therapeutics Shut Down, After Mid-Stage Asthma Study Fails”

Ignition, Barton Bet on Hipmunk

Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners, along with Rich Barton, the former CEO of Expedia and Zillow, and former RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser are among the investors who have joined a financing worth more than $4 million for San Francisco-based Hipmunk, according to a report in VentureBeat. We reported on the financing of Hipmunk last week, when … Continue reading “Ignition, Barton Bet on Hipmunk”