Internet Commerce Pioneer Seeks to Crack Secretive Culture With Cancer Commons

[Update 7:10 am 1/5/11] Cancer patients share their personal ups and downs all the time on Facebook and who knows how many Internet message boards. Now if one Silicon Valley entrepreneur gets his way, scientists and physicians will start sharing their experiences in treating cancer in ways that might actually help them come up with … Continue reading “Internet Commerce Pioneer Seeks to Crack Secretive Culture With Cancer Commons”

John Mendlein, Biotech Exec With Surfer Look, Follows Winding Path as “Parallel Entrepreneur”

When John Mendlein walks down the street, most people think one thing: surfer dude. But for those who know better in the biotech industry, Mendlein represents a lot more than a laid-back stereotype. The tall guy with long blond hair is an intense driving force behind one of the big success stories of the past … Continue reading “John Mendlein, Biotech Exec With Surfer Look, Follows Winding Path as “Parallel Entrepreneur””

The Immunex Alumni: Where Are They Now?

[Update: 10:30 am, 12/30/11] Immunex was the company that made Seattle believe it could become a world-class cluster for the biotech industry. The company was born during the industry’s founding wave in the early 1980s. Young genetic engineering hotshots from around the world gravitated to its culture of freewheeling scientific inquiry, can-do entrepreneurship, and irreverence. … Continue reading “The Immunex Alumni: Where Are They Now?”

How Can San Diego Win the Fight Against Diabesity? Xconomy to Dig Deep on Jan. 27

One of San Diego’s strengths as a biotech hub is its expertise fighting two of the biggest epidemics of the 21st century—obesity and diabetes. Yet the FDA has taken a tough stance, demanding more and more evidence, before it will allow new drugs for these conditions on the U.S. market. It’s been a rough year … Continue reading “How Can San Diego Win the Fight Against Diabesity? Xconomy to Dig Deep on Jan. 27”

Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: Speakers from Isilon, Arch Join Stellar Lineup

The quest to sequence entire human genomes for $1,000 or less is one of the stories that many predict will change healthcare in the 21st century. It’s an enormously complex puzzle that requires some of the brightest minds in both IT and life sciences to put their heads together. And quite a few of them … Continue reading “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: Speakers from Isilon, Arch Join Stellar Lineup”

Editor’s Picks: The Best of 2010 From Xconomy Seattle

This is the time of year for counting blessings, so I have to say we consider ourselves fortunate as journalists to have what is sometimes called the front row seat to history. That’s how I feel when I look back at the year’s mix of features, breaking news stories, scoops, and up-close profiles. We feel … Continue reading “Editor’s Picks: The Best of 2010 From Xconomy Seattle”

Come Shoot the Breeze, Have a Cup of Tea, With Me and Thong Le of WRF Capital

The news is starting to wind down as we head into the holiday season, so that can only mean one thing—it’s time to shoot the breeze at a special holiday edition of “Xconomy Meetup.” Here’s the idea. In between our fancy-pants productions where we sell tickets, like “Biotech’s Back in Seattle” and “Computing in the … Continue reading “Come Shoot the Breeze, Have a Cup of Tea, With Me and Thong Le of WRF Capital”

Get Your Expenses in Now! Concur Declares Today the Biggest Moment for Expense Filing

We all know about Black Friday, and Cyber Monday and the implications they have for business worldwide. But apparently now we have File-Your-Gosh-Darn-Expenses-Already Tuesday. That’s what we learned today from Redmond, WA-based Concur Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CNQR]]). The company, which makes software that helps companies manage business expenses, said December 21 is the busiest day of … Continue reading “Get Your Expenses in Now! Concur Declares Today the Biggest Moment for Expense Filing”

XDx, After a Long Slog in Molecular Diagnostics, Predicts First Profit in 2011

The numbers tell a sobering story at Brisbane, CA-based XDx. Ten years in business. Five years with a diagnostic product on the market. About $140 million of capital invested. And after all that, projections are that the company might start running in the black for the first time next year, its 11th year in business, … Continue reading “XDx, After a Long Slog in Molecular Diagnostics, Predicts First Profit in 2011”

LS9 Pockets $30M for Renewable Fuels, in Deal Led by BlackRock

LS9 got itself a new CEO earlier this month, and now it’s got a lot more cash in the bank, too. The South San Francisco-based developer of renewable fuels—whose technology is based on synthetic biology research at UC Berkeley and Harvard University—has pulled in $30 million in equity financing, according to a regulatory filing today. … Continue reading “LS9 Pockets $30M for Renewable Fuels, in Deal Led by BlackRock”

Gilead Buys Arresto for $225M

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]), the Foster City, CA-based biotech company, said today it has agreed to acquire Palo Alto, CA-based Arresto Biosciences for $225 million plus future milestone payments based on product sale levels. Arresto’s lead drug candidate is an antibody for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that Gilead has been studying with its … Continue reading “Gilead Buys Arresto for $225M”

GlobalScholar’s Kal Raman, Fresh Off $160M Deal, Seeks to Build an Oracle for K-12 Schools

Kal Raman has one of those classic poor-boy-makes-good life stories. He was born and raised in a village in India, hungry, with no electricity, no running water. The poor boy grew up to make a small fortune in the executive ranks in the U.S. at companies like Wal-Mart, drugstore.com, and Seattle-based Amazon. Now Raman, a … Continue reading “GlobalScholar’s Kal Raman, Fresh Off $160M Deal, Seeks to Build an Oracle for K-12 Schools”

How Michael French, a Military Brat Turned Dealmaker, Kept Marina Biotech Alive

Not once has J. Michael French scraped together more than six months of operating cash for his company since he became CEO in June 2008. More than once, almost any rational person would have concluded bankruptcy was imminent. Yet 30 months have come and gone and French’s company, Bothell, WA-based Marina Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]), is … Continue reading “How Michael French, a Military Brat Turned Dealmaker, Kept Marina Biotech Alive”

Intermune Gets EU Advisory Nod; Shares Boom

Intermune (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ITMN]]), the Brisbane, CA-based maker of a drug for a deadly lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis, said today that it has won a positive recommendation for its treatment from a panel of expert advisors to European Union regulators. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency recommended that … Continue reading “Intermune Gets EU Advisory Nod; Shares Boom”

Genentech Loses Avastin Battle, Fluidigm’s Second Chance at an IPO, Ion Torrent’s Debut, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

Genentech dominated the Bay Area life sciences headlines this week. Some of the news was good, some not so good. —The FDA said it plans to revoke its approval of South San Francisco-based Genentech‘s blockbuster antibody drug, bevacizumab (Avastin), for women with breast cancer. The drug, the first of its kind shown to cut off … Continue reading “Genentech Loses Avastin Battle, Fluidigm’s Second Chance at an IPO, Ion Torrent’s Debut, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Mobisante, Striving to Put Ultrasound on Smartphones, Raises Cash from WRF Capital

Mobisante has a vision of taking the next step in miniaturization of ultrasound technology, and today it has raised some of the cash it needs to carry out the idea. The Redmond, WA-based company has raised an undisclosed amount of seed financing from Seattle-based WRF Capital. Mobisante plans to use the cash to finish some … Continue reading “Mobisante, Striving to Put Ultrasound on Smartphones, Raises Cash from WRF Capital”

FDA To Yank Avastin Breast Cancer Approval

The FDA said today it is planning to rescind its approval of Genentech’s bevacizumab (Avastin) as a treatment for breast cancer. The drug, a targeted antibody drug that chokes off blood flow to tumors, is also approved for colon and lung cancer, and will remain so. The benefits of using the treatment for breast cancer … Continue reading “FDA To Yank Avastin Breast Cancer Approval”

GlobalScholar Bought By Scantron

Bellevue, WA-based GlobalScholar, the maker of technology for K-12 education, has agreed to be acquired by Scantron, a unit of San Antonio, TX-based Harland Clarke Holdings. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. GlobalScholar’s programs, which are used for tracking student and teacher performance, are used to support 5 million students, Harland Clarke said in … Continue reading “GlobalScholar Bought By Scantron”

Adaptive TCR Seeks to Dominate New Industry, Ultrasound on an iPhone, AVI Names CEO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

The medical meeting season has passed, and pretty soon Seattle biotechs will go into hibernation for the holidays. But here are a few headlines to catch up on you may have missed in the last week. —Washington’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund had never invested in a corporation until October, when it agreed to pump $5 … Continue reading “Adaptive TCR Seeks to Dominate New Industry, Ultrasound on an iPhone, AVI Names CEO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Spoken Raises $4M

Bellevue, WA-based Spoken Communications, the maker of speech recognition technology for customer call centers, said today it has raised $4 million from Ignition Growth Capital. The company said it plans to use the money to provide extra capacity to customers that are looking to expand with virtual call centers.

Report: Genoptix is on the Auction Block

One of San Diego’s profitable biotech success stories, Genoptix, is reportedly looking to be acquired. Carlsbad, CA-based Genoptix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GXDX]]) has hired an investment bank, Barclays, to seek out buyers of the company, according to a report today by Bloomberg News, which cited two people familiar with the situation. Takeover speculation helped drive the stock … Continue reading “Report: Genoptix is on the Auction Block”

Life Technologies Debuts Ion Torrent Machine, Next Big Bet on Fast, Cheap Sequencing

Life Technologies turned heads four months ago with a bold acquisition of one of the hot startups in the field of faster/cheaper gene sequencing, and now it says the new product is ready for prime time. The Carlsbad, CA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIFE]]) said today it has started selling what it calls the Ion Personal Genome … Continue reading “Life Technologies Debuts Ion Torrent Machine, Next Big Bet on Fast, Cheap Sequencing”

Vivus Submits Document to FDA

Vivus (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VVUS]]), the Mountain View, CA-based based obesity drug developer, said today it has submitted a briefing document to the FDA to answer questions the agency raised when it turned down the company’s new drug application in October. The company said it has also gotten a meeting scheduled with the FDA for late January … Continue reading “Vivus Submits Document to FDA”

Fluidigm, Maker of Genomic Tools, Takes Second Crack at IPO, Hoping for Less Drama

If there are any aspiring authors on the management team of Fluidigm, they certainly have the kind of material that best-sellers are made of. Back in mid-September 2008 this South San Francisco-based company was out hustling on an IPO road show. It was the precise moment people were wondering if the global financial system would … Continue reading “Fluidigm, Maker of Genomic Tools, Takes Second Crack at IPO, Hoping for Less Drama”

Life Sciences Discovery Fund Debunks Perceptions with Omeros Deal, Shows State Can Bankroll Companies

Railroad barons from the 19th century ruined it for Washington State, the common business perception goes, by snookering states into coughing up egregious corporate welfare. It led to a popular uprising and a subsequent state Constitution that forever prohibited direct aid to corporations. That, politicians often say, is the reason the state can’t invest in … Continue reading “Life Sciences Discovery Fund Debunks Perceptions with Omeros Deal, Shows State Can Bankroll Companies”

AVI Names New CEO

AVI Biopharma, the Bothell, WA-based developer of RNA-based therapies, said today it has hired Chris Garabedian as its new president and CEO. Garabedian, 44, previously was a vice president of corporate development with Summit, NJ-based Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]). AVI has had an opening for a permanent CEO since April, when Les Hudson was ousted in … Continue reading “AVI Names New CEO”

Anaphore Snags $110M Deal With Mitsubishi Tanabe to Make Drugs for Immune Disorders

Anaphore has found a new corporate benefactor to help create a new generation of more effective biotech drugs. The San Diego-based biotech company is announcing today it has formed a partnership with Osaka, Japan-based Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma to develop new protein drugs for autoimmune disorders. Anaphore will get $5 million in upfront cash, plus research … Continue reading “Anaphore Snags $110M Deal With Mitsubishi Tanabe to Make Drugs for Immune Disorders”

Adaptive TCR Seeks to Dominate New Industry in Profiling The Immune System

Seattle is known for spawning companies that grow up to define entirely new industries like Amazon, Starbucks, and Costco. One startup with similar aspirations for a new niche of the biotech world, Seattle-based Adaptive TCR, is making huge strides in an industry that didn’t exist a couple years ago, and would have been unfathomable then. … Continue reading “Adaptive TCR Seeks to Dominate New Industry in Profiling The Immune System”

Ultrasound on an iPhone, Wireless Power Beaming, Making Hybrids Sound Like Mustangs: Highlights from the MIT Enterprise Forum

Writing about business at the microscopic level of genes and cells means that I rarely get to see compelling A/V shows of products in action. So last night was a rare treat to get an up-close look at a half dozen fun and interesting startups in Seattle, from a variety of industries, who were asked … Continue reading “Ultrasound on an iPhone, Wireless Power Beaming, Making Hybrids Sound Like Mustangs: Highlights from the MIT Enterprise Forum”

Genentech’s Old Antibody Shows New Life, as Part of Combo Therapy Vs. Breast Cancer

Drugs fail all the time in clinical trials, and usually are never heard from again. But Genentech is bringing back an old antibody drug that flunked its first clinical test years ago, having now found a new setting where it might be useful against breast cancer. The antibody drug, pertuzumab, was added to a standard … Continue reading “Genentech’s Old Antibody Shows New Life, as Part of Combo Therapy Vs. Breast Cancer”

Onyx Takes a Swing at Myeloma, PacBio Hits Haitian Cholera Genome, Sequenta Nabs $13M, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

Super-fast, super-cheap gene sequencing is changing the way biomedical research gets done, and we saw some very interesting manifestations of that trend on the Bay Area biotech beat this week. —Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PACB]]), the Menlo Park, CA-based developer of high-speed, low-cost DNA sequencing technology, said it teamed up with scientists at Harvard Medical School … Continue reading “Onyx Takes a Swing at Myeloma, PacBio Hits Haitian Cholera Genome, Sequenta Nabs $13M, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

PacBio, Harvard Use Fast Gene Sequencer to Crack DNA Code of Haitian Cholera Strain

Epidemics can travel around the world in a matter of hours on airplanes, killing people before anyone really knows what hit them. But now that DNA sequencing has gotten so cheap and so fast, researchers are finding ways to precisely identify the bugs in real-time to find out where they came from, and how to … Continue reading “PacBio, Harvard Use Fast Gene Sequencer to Crack DNA Code of Haitian Cholera Strain”

Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: Xconomy to Convene Leaders of New Era in Personalized Medicine

An incredible innovation story has been unfolding the past few years in DNA sequencing, giving rise to one of today’s grand challenges of computing. New DNA sequencing tools in development are said to have enough horsepower to decipher the complete 3-billion-letter signature of an individual’s DNA for under $1,000, and possibly with as little as … Continue reading “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: Xconomy to Convene Leaders of New Era in Personalized Medicine”

Seattle Genetics’ Home Run, NanoString’s Diagnostics Foray, PATH’s 50-Cent Vaccine, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Seattle biotech was popping up on this site all over the weekend—when we don’t usually publish—so here’s the place to catch up on some significant news you may have missed. —Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) was one of the belles of the ball at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Orlando, FL over the … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics’ Home Run, NanoString’s Diagnostics Foray, PATH’s 50-Cent Vaccine, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Complete Genomics Zeroes in on Tricks of Cancer Genome With Sequencing Service

Cancer cells pull many dirty tricks to resist therapy and stump researchers. One is a madcap reshuffling of the 3 billion letters of DNA that make up the genome found in healthy human cells. But now that genome sequencing has become so cheap and fast, Mountain View, CA-based Complete Genomics is trying to enter a … Continue reading “Complete Genomics Zeroes in on Tricks of Cancer Genome With Sequencing Service”

DocuSign Raises $27M, Hires New Execs To Ramp Up E-Signature Business

Scribbling your John Hancock on a piece of paper is so 20th century, now that companies are coming along like Seattle-based DocuSign. DocuSign is making a significant strategic move ahead in the electronic signature business. The company said today it has raised $27 million in a Series C venture round led by Scale Venture Partners … Continue reading “DocuSign Raises $27M, Hires New Execs To Ramp Up E-Signature Business”

Momenta Nabs $57.4M in Stock Offering

Cambridge, MA-based Momenta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MNTA]]) said today it has raised $57.4 million through a stock offering. The company sold 4 million new shares of common stock at $14.35 apiece, about a 5.5 percent discount to yesterday’s closing stock price of $15.18. UBS was the lead underwriter of the deal, while Cowen & Company and … Continue reading “Momenta Nabs $57.4M in Stock Offering”

LS9 Names Ed Dineen New CEO

LS9, the South San Francisco-based developer of renewable fuels, said today that it has hired Ed Dineen as its new CEO. Dineen was previously the chief operating officer of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE: [[ticker:LYB]]), a petrochemical, fuels and polymer company with annual revenues of over $30 billion. Dineen replaces Bill Haywood, who had been CEO of … Continue reading “LS9 Names Ed Dineen New CEO”

Sequenta Pockets $13M To Diagnose, Monitor Immune Systems Going Awry

The age of the $1,000 genome is said to be fast approaching, and the growing availability of fast, cheap DNA sequencing is already paving the way not just for new avenues of academic research, but also for intriguing new diagnostic startups like San Francisco-based Sequenta. This company, formerly known as MLC Dx, is announcing today … Continue reading “Sequenta Pockets $13M To Diagnose, Monitor Immune Systems Going Awry”

Watch Out Big Pharma: PATH, WHO Show that Nonprofits Can Develop New Meningitis Vaccine

Only a few giant corporations on the planet—companies like Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi-Aventis—are thought to have the money, the know-how, and the infrastructure to develop new vaccines that can make a really big impact on public health. So when a little nonprofit from Seattle called PATH is able to band together with some officials at … Continue reading “Watch Out Big Pharma: PATH, WHO Show that Nonprofits Can Develop New Meningitis Vaccine”

Orexigen Beats the Odds, Wins OK from FDA Panel for Obesity Drug

Orexigen Therapeutics, the San Diego-based developer of obesity drugs, beat the odds today by winning a positive recommendation from an FDA advisory panel that said its lead drug deserves a spot on the U.S. market. The FDA’s expert panel on obesity drugs voted 13-7 in favor of allowing Orexigen’s combination of bupropion/naltrexone (Contrave) for sale … Continue reading “Orexigen Beats the Odds, Wins OK from FDA Panel for Obesity Drug”

Seattle Genetics, Millennium’s Encore: Souped-Up Antibody Looks Better in 2nd Trial

Seattle Genetics generated buzz at a medical meeting over the weekend with its new souped-up antibody drug for Hodgkin’s disease, and today it is coming out with an encore that tops the original performance. The biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) and its partner, Cambridge, MA-based Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, are presenting results today from a … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, Millennium’s Encore: Souped-Up Antibody Looks Better in 2nd Trial”

Onyx Unveils Results for Myeloma Drug, Raising Stakes in Rivalry with Millennium

Onyx Pharmaceuticals is betting that it can keep growing on the strength of a new cancer drug that’s supposed to compete with a blockbuster from Cambridge, MA-based Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. Today, Onyx is presenting key data to gird for the market battle. Onyx, the Emeryville, CA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONXX]]), is reporting today … Continue reading “Onyx Unveils Results for Myeloma Drug, Raising Stakes in Rivalry with Millennium”

NanoString Scoops Up Breast Cancer Technology, Pushes Ahead in Diagnostics

NanoString Technologies has been talking for months about diving into the molecular diagnostic business. Now it is going full-steam ahead with a plan to use its genetic analysis instrument to help physicians better understand the severity of certain kinds of breast cancer. The Seattle-based company is announcing today that it has obtained an exclusive worldwide … Continue reading “NanoString Scoops Up Breast Cancer Technology, Pushes Ahead in Diagnostics”

How to Raise Money for an Honest-to-God Innovative Biotech Startup: Highlights from Convergence

[Update: 1:15 pm Eastern] Lots of people in biotech think they are doing innovative things, even when they are really doing something pretty conservative, like testing a proven drug for some new use, or crafting some new way to deliver a therapy with more efficiency or convenience. But how, especially in today’s sluggish economy, do … Continue reading “How to Raise Money for an Honest-to-God Innovative Biotech Startup: Highlights from Convergence”