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.

So Much For Gardening: Bruce Carter Joins Vaccine Startup Immune Design To Raise Cash

One of Seattle’s leading life sciences entrepreneurs, Bruce Carter, is back in the saddle. Carter has agreed to take an active management role as executive chairman of Seattle-based Immune Design, a year after he announced he was retiring as CEO of ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]). Carter has agreed to work about three days a week at … Continue reading “So Much For Gardening: Bruce Carter Joins Vaccine Startup Immune Design To Raise Cash”

Bezos Family Pledges $10M to the “Hutch” for Next-Generation Cancer Therapies

The parents of Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos have pledged a $10 million donation to the Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center with an eye toward creating new therapies that trigger the immune system to seek out and kill cancer cells like a virus. The offering from Jackie and Mike Bezos, one of the … Continue reading “Bezos Family Pledges $10M to the “Hutch” for Next-Generation Cancer Therapies”

Bio Architecture Lab, Maker of Seaweed Biofuel, Snags $8M Venture Round, DuPont Deal

[Updated and corrected: 11:04 am Pacific, 11/23/09] Seattle-based Bio Architecture Lab, the company using the emerging science of synthetic biology to make alternative fuels, has raised $8 million in its initial venture financing and secured a research collaboration with chemical giant DuPont to make biofuels from ocean seaweed. [Correction: An earlier version said Energy Capital … Continue reading “Bio Architecture Lab, Maker of Seaweed Biofuel, Snags $8M Venture Round, DuPont Deal”

Receptos, Led By Biogen Idec Vets and Scripps Stars, Snags $25M For Drug Discovery Engine

Receptos, a San Diego-based biotech startup formed by a number of Biogen Idec veterans, has nailed down $25 million in venture capital to develop a vivid new way to look at certain protein structures on cells that it hopes will ultimately take a lot of the guesswork out of drug discovery. The cash infusion is … Continue reading “Receptos, Led By Biogen Idec Vets and Scripps Stars, Snags $25M For Drug Discovery Engine”

Ironwood Files to Go Public, Seeks to Raise as Much as $172.5M

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals is gearing up for the possibility of an IPO. The Cambridge, MA-based developer of a new treatment for bowel disorders like for irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation said it may raise as much as $172.5 million from investors through the deal, according to a prospectus filed late today. The proposed offering would … Continue reading “Ironwood Files to Go Public, Seeks to Raise as Much as $172.5M”

Blue Marble Snags $2M State Grant

Seattle-based Blue Marble Energy, the developer of renewable energy and specialty chemicals from biomass, said it has received a $2 million state grant through a partnership with the Odessa Public Development Authority. The company plans to use the grant, from the Washington Community Economic Revitalization Board, to build a refinery in Lincoln County that will … Continue reading “Blue Marble Snags $2M State Grant”

Biogen Idec Accused Again of Excessive CEO Pay, Lousy Performance, By Big Shareholder

[Update: 1:55 pm Eastern, 11/20/09] After a bitter standoff earlier this year with billionaire investor Carl Icahn over alleged mismanagement, Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec now faces another sharp attack from a major shareholder. New York-based HealthCor Management, a hedge fund that invests in health and biotech companies, said today in a regulatory filing that Biogen … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Accused Again of Excessive CEO Pay, Lousy Performance, By Big Shareholder”

Dendreon FDA Deadline Set For May 1

Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]), the developer of what it hopes will be the first FDA-approved treatment to actively stimulate the immune system against cancer, said today the U.S. regulatory agency has received its amended application and set a deadline of May 1, 2010 to complete its review. The company is seeking clearance to start selling … Continue reading “Dendreon FDA Deadline Set For May 1”

Omeros Banks on First FDA Filing Next Year, Plans to “Unlock” Inaccessible Drug Targets

Seattle-based Omeros expects to apply for FDA clearance to start selling its first product by the second half of next year, and it also hoping to strike at least one partnership over the next couple of years with a bigger drugmaker, CEO Greg Demopulos said today in his first quarterly update running a public company. … Continue reading “Omeros Banks on First FDA Filing Next Year, Plans to “Unlock” Inaccessible Drug Targets”

ImmunoGen Nabs $1M From Amgen

Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMGN]]) said today that Amgen has purchased a second license to develop a treatment that uses ImmunoGen’s technology for linking targeted antibodies to cell-killing agents that make them more potent. ImmunoGen will get $1 million upfront and could receive $34 million worth of milestone payments over time if Amgen is successful … Continue reading “ImmunoGen Nabs $1M From Amgen”

Ligand Nabs $2M From Merck

San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LGND]]) said today it has received $2 million in milestone payments as part of research collaboration with Merck that is due to expire next month. The partnership started with Organon, which was later acquired by Schering-Plough, which was then acquired by Merck.

Tysabri, the MS Drug Haunted by Deadly Side Effect, Doesn’t Look So Deadly Anymore

Few doctors knew much about a rare brain infection called PML back in 2005, when two patients on a hot new multiple sclerosis drug from Biogen Idec and Elan died from the side effect. The infection, at the time, was generally considered a death sentence. But now with three years of data from more than … Continue reading “Tysabri, the MS Drug Haunted by Deadly Side Effect, Doesn’t Look So Deadly Anymore”

The Icos Alumni Guide, Trubion CEO Resigns, OVP Leads $30M Fate Deal, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Three years have gone by since the region’s top biotech company was taken over by Eli Lilly, so it seemed like a good time to find out where all that talent migrated around the Northwest. —Icos was once the great hope for Seattle biotech, but now three years have passed since the Bothell, WA-based company … Continue reading “The Icos Alumni Guide, Trubion CEO Resigns, OVP Leads $30M Fate Deal, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Genzyme Halts Development of New Kidney Drug; A “Very Significant” Bust, Analyst Says

Another day, another piece of bad news from Genzyme. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech giant (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) said today it is scrapping development of a next-generation drug for kidney disease after it was unable to beat its existing treatment on the market. Genzyme’s experimental drug, called an advanced phosphate binder, didn’t appear any better at getting … Continue reading “Genzyme Halts Development of New Kidney Drug; A “Very Significant” Bust, Analyst Says”

NanoString Forges Closer Ties With Broad Institute to See What Genetic Tool Can Really Do

NanoString Technologies, the maker of a machine that lets scientists digitally analyze how genes are turned on or off in a tissue sample, just won a glowing endorsement from one of the biggest names in biology—Eric Lander of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The Seattle-based company has nailed down a three-year research collaboration … Continue reading “NanoString Forges Closer Ties With Broad Institute to See What Genetic Tool Can Really Do”

The Icos Alumni: Where Are They Now?

[Update: 9:41 pm Pacific, 9/7/10] Icos was once the great hope for Seattle biotech. Founded in 1990 with an investment from Bill Gates, it went on over the next 15 years to create a $1 billion molecule for treating erectile dysfunction, and employed about 700 people nationwide at its peak. For a while, it looked … Continue reading “The Icos Alumni: Where Are They Now?”

Isis, Genzyme Cholesterol Drug Passes Test, But Investors Get Nervous About Liver Safety

The big new cholesterol-lowering drug from Genzyme and Isis Pharmaceuticals, which both companies are counting on as a future profit driver, passed its first major clinical trial, but investors didn’t like what they saw when full details were released this morning at a major medical meeting. Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) fell 16 percent … Continue reading “Isis, Genzyme Cholesterol Drug Passes Test, But Investors Get Nervous About Liver Safety”

Trubion CEO Peter Thompson Steps Down, Arch’s Gillis To Step Up Temporarily

[Updated: 5:55 pm Pacific, 11/16/09] Trubion Pharmaceuticals, the Seattle-based company developing new drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer, said today that its founding CEO, Peter Thompson, has resigned and director Steve Gillis of Arch Venture Partners will step in to fill the void as executive chairman. Trubion (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TRBN]]) said today that Thompson is leaving … Continue reading “Trubion CEO Peter Thompson Steps Down, Arch’s Gillis To Step Up Temporarily”

Fate Therapeutics Bags $30M Venture Deal, Led by OVP, to Develop “Industrialized” Stem Cells

Fate Therapeutics, the San Diego-based company on a quest to develop techniques that make stem cell research practical for the pharmaceutical industry, has raised $30 million in a Series B round of venture financing. Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners led the deal, which included the three venture firms that co-founded the company two years ago—Arch … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Bags $30M Venture Deal, Led by OVP, to Develop “Industrialized” Stem Cells”

Genzyme Shares Tank After FDA Discovers Bits of Steel, Rubber in Five Different Drugs

[Update: 6:22 pm Eastern, 11/13/09] Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for Genzyme, it did. The FDA reported today that it has found tiny bits of garbage—steel, rubber, and fiber—in vials of five of the major drugs produced by the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company. Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) shares fell $3.89, or about 7 … Continue reading “Genzyme Shares Tank After FDA Discovers Bits of Steel, Rubber in Five Different Drugs”

Qliance Nabs First Union Health Plan

Qliance Medical Management, the Seattle-based company that operates primary care clinics that don’t accept insurance payments, has been selected for a one-year pilot program to offer services to members of Washington state’s largest employee union. The agreement is with the South Health & Wellness Trust, which provides health benefits to 50,000 union members and their … Continue reading “Qliance Nabs First Union Health Plan”

Oncothyreon Advances Cancer Drug

Seattle-based Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]) said it has decided to advance an experimental cancer drug into mid-stage clinical trials in the first half of 2010. The company plans to run two or more trials of PX-866, an oral pill made to block the PI3 Kinase pathway implicated in cancer cell growth. This shift in priorities, from … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Advances Cancer Drug”

Alder’s Breakout $1B Deal, Kineta Teams With UW on Vaccines, Verathon Gets Acquired, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This was the week that a little biotech company in Bothell that few of the locals have ever heard of, burst onto the national stage. —Bothell, WA-based Alder Biopharmaceuticals had its breakout moment this week when it pulled in $85 million in upfront cash, and stands to gain more than $1 billion over time from … Continue reading “Alder’s Breakout $1B Deal, Kineta Teams With UW on Vaccines, Verathon Gets Acquired, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Isis Spinoff Altair Therapeutics Closes $17M Venture Round For Asthma Drug

[Corrected: 7:26 am Pacific, 11/12/09] San Diego-based Altair Therapeutics, a company developing inhalable drugs to block inflammatory proteins involved in asthma and other respiratory diseases, has closed on the second part of a Series A venture financing, meaning it has raised a total of $17 million this year. [An earlier version said the company has … Continue reading “Isis Spinoff Altair Therapeutics Closes $17M Venture Round For Asthma Drug”

Aileron’s New Class of Drugs Shown to Get Inside Cells to Block Prime Cancer Target

Cambridge, MA-based Aileron Therapeutics has bet the company on the idea that it has discovered a whole new class of drugs that, like RNA interference, can hit targets in the body that are beyond the reach of conventional chemical compounds and biotech therapies. Today, scientists are reporting the drugs can achieve this goal and block … Continue reading “Aileron’s New Class of Drugs Shown to Get Inside Cells to Block Prime Cancer Target”

Alder and New Partner, Bristol, to Give Amgen and Abbott a Run for Their Money

Alder Biopharmaceuticals keeps such a low profile that even after five years in business, few people in Seattle biotech know who they are. That changed yesterday as the private Bothell, WA-based company burst onto the local, and national, biotech scene by striking a deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb that could be worth more than $1 billion … Continue reading “Alder and New Partner, Bristol, to Give Amgen and Abbott a Run for Their Money”

Vertex Turns $109M Debt Into Stock

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of treatments for hepatitis C, said today that investors who hold about $109 million worth of debt securities have converted those holdings into equity stakes. The deal doesn’t leave Vertex debt free, because the company still has to pay back $35 million in principal, at a 4.75 percent interest … Continue reading “Vertex Turns $109M Debt Into Stock”

ISB Nabs $8M for Cancer Genome

The Institute for Systems Biology, a Seattle-based nonprofit research center, said today it has secured an $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health as part of The Cancer Genome Atlas, an effort to identify new targets for cancer drugs based on deeper genomic understanding. ISB professor Ilya Shmulevich is the co-primary investigator on … Continue reading “ISB Nabs $8M for Cancer Genome”

Ironwood Gets $75M Deal From Astellas to Market Bowel Drug in Asia

[Update: 10:42 am Eastern, 11/10/09] Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, the developer of a treatment for chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, has formed a partnership with Japan-based Astellas Pharma to market the drug in Japan and certain other countries in Asia. Ironwood will get $75 million in upfront and pre-commercial milestone payments as well as … Continue reading “Ironwood Gets $75M Deal From Astellas to Market Bowel Drug in Asia”

Alder Scores Deal With Bristol-Myers Potentially Worth $1 Billion

Alder Biopharmaceuticals has just struck one of the biggest biotech partnerships of the year, both in the Seattle area and nationally. The Bothell, WA-based developer of faster and cheaper technology for making antibody drugs has formed a collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]), focused on the development of Alder’s experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug, that could … Continue reading “Alder Scores Deal With Bristol-Myers Potentially Worth $1 Billion”

Who Will Create the Future of San Diego Biotech? Xconomy Event Will Gather Star Innovators From Inside and Outside the Region

Who are the innovators who will help keep the San Diego region’s life sciences sector vibrant in the years to come? Which of the emerging ideas here will help transform the way we treat and prevent disease around the world? And how is the San Diego region poised to work with leaders from other hubs … Continue reading “Who Will Create the Future of San Diego Biotech? Xconomy Event Will Gather Star Innovators From Inside and Outside the Region”

BioVex Nails Down Another $30M To Finish Pivotal Study of Cancer-Killing Virus

BioVex, the Woburn, MA-based company aspiring to create the first FDA-approved cancer-killing virus, has raised an additional $30 million in private financing to finish off a pivotal clinical trial needed to prove the virus is good enough to reach the U.S. market. This latest round brings BioVex’s grand total of financing this year to $70 … Continue reading “BioVex Nails Down Another $30M To Finish Pivotal Study of Cancer-Killing Virus”

Tokai Pushes Edge With Three-Pronged Attack on Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer has been one of the hot fields for new biotech drug development this year, and now Cambridge, MA-based Tokai Pharmaceuticals is getting into the game with a drug that it hopes will someday help men live longer and push the boundaries of science even further. Tokai, which raised $22 million in May from … Continue reading “Tokai Pushes Edge With Three-Pronged Attack on Prostate Cancer”

Seattle’s Kineta Rakes in Half of $13M Federal Contract to UW For Vaccine Boosters

Kineta, the Seattle-based developer of drugs for autoimmune diseases, has won about half of a $13 million federal contract awarded to the University of Washington to create new compounds which might be used to boost the effectiveness of vaccines against HIV or flu. The five-year contract from the National Institutes of Health is worth about … Continue reading “Seattle’s Kineta Rakes in Half of $13M Federal Contract to UW For Vaccine Boosters”

Helicos Takes Itself Off Block

Helicos Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HLCS]]) said today that it has decided to call off discussions that could lead to a sale of the company, because of its “improving standalone prospects and its current market valuation.” The Cambridge, MA-based company hired Thomas Weisel Partners consider strategic alternatives earlier this year, and will continue to work with the … Continue reading “Helicos Takes Itself Off Block”

ZymoGenetics, King Pharma Brawl Over Drugs to Control Surgical Bleeding

ZymoGenetics started really playing hardball with King Pharmaceuticals in August, and now a high-and-tight fastball has come right back at the Seattle biotech company. The projectile in question is a lawsuit filed on November 2 by Bristol, TN-based King in the U.S. District Court in Eastern Tennessee; the suit accuses ZymoGenetics of false advertising, unfair … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics, King Pharma Brawl Over Drugs to Control Surgical Bleeding”

Verathon, Maker of Diagnostic Ultrasound Tools, Acquired by Roper as Part of $356M Deal

Bothell, WA-based Verathon, which markets a simple ultrasound technology to help doctors diagnose common bladder disorders, has been acquired by Sarasota, FL-based Roper Industries in a pair of transactions worth a combined $356 million. Roper (NYSE: [[ticker:ROP]]), a company with a market capitalization of $4.8 billion, made the announcement Friday. It said it acquired Verathon … Continue reading “Verathon, Maker of Diagnostic Ultrasound Tools, Acquired by Roper as Part of $356M Deal”

Concert Starts HIV Trial, Bags $12M From Glaxo to Help Challenge Gilead’s Once-Daily Pill

Concert Pharmaceuticals, the Lexington, MA-based company that chemically modifies existing drugs to make them more attractive, has started human testing of an HIV medication which it hopes will help GlaxoSmithKline wrestle back market share it has been losing to Gilead Sciences, the world’s largest maker of HIV drugs. Concert will receive a $12 million payment … Continue reading “Concert Starts HIV Trial, Bags $12M From Glaxo to Help Challenge Gilead’s Once-Daily Pill”

Ion Torrent, Stealthy Company Tied to Harvard’s George Church, Nabs $23M Venture Deal

Ion Torrent Systems, a company advised by Harvard University genomics pioneer George Church, has raised $23 million in new capital to develop what it calls on its website “groundbreaking and highly disruptive technology” and to hire people who “want to do what it takes to put a dent in the universe.” The company, which has … Continue reading “Ion Torrent, Stealthy Company Tied to Harvard’s George Church, Nabs $23M Venture Deal”

Gloucester Pharma Wins FDA Approval of Drug for Rare Skin Cancer

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals has won clearance to start selling its first cancer drug in the U.S. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company said today it has gotten the green light from the FDA to start marketing its romidepsin treatment, under the brand name Istodax, for patients with a rare malignancy of the skin known as cutaneous T-cell … Continue reading “Gloucester Pharma Wins FDA Approval of Drug for Rare Skin Cancer”

Light Sciences Oncology Lines Up Extra $35M Financing For Targeted Cancer Treatment

Light Sciences Oncology, the Bellevue, WA-based developer of an unusual drug-device combo treatment for cancer, has put itself in position to raise $35 million for its product development through setting up a line of credit and offering investors warrants to buy shares, according to a regulatory filing released today. The latest financing comes about 16 … Continue reading “Light Sciences Oncology Lines Up Extra $35M Financing For Targeted Cancer Treatment”

Dendreon Files FDA Application, DxBox Reaches Turning Point, ISB to Do 100 Genomes, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

The local life sciences scene was pretty quiet this week, although we heard more than usual from medical device companies. —Paul Yager, the University of Washington’s chair of bioengineering, offered a detailed status update on a tool called the DxBox his lab has been developing the past four years in collaboration with Redmond, WA-based Micronics, … Continue reading “Dendreon Files FDA Application, DxBox Reaches Turning Point, ISB to Do 100 Genomes, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

See You There Tomorrow at Pharma’s Bet on Boston Innovation

I’m dashing this message off right before I get on a plane for Xconomy’s big event tomorrow afternoon: “Pharma’s Bet on Boston Innovation.” Only a few tickets are left for this gathering at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MA. I’m personally excited to fly in from Seattle for this event because it will bring together … Continue reading “See You There Tomorrow at Pharma’s Bet on Boston Innovation”

Ironwood, Forest Labs Drug for Chronic Constipation Passes Two Pivotal Trials

Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has some new evidence out this morning that its lead drug candidate is an effective treatment for patients with chronic constipation. Ironwood and its partner, New York-based Forest Laboratories (NYSE: [[ticker:FRX]]) said last night that the drug, linaclotide, passed the test in a pair of pivotal clinical trials. A significant percentange … Continue reading “Ironwood, Forest Labs Drug for Chronic Constipation Passes Two Pivotal Trials”

UW Scientists, Backed by Gates Foundation, Enter “Put Up or Shut Up” Phase with Portable Diagnostic

When somebody gets a fever in a poor country, there is no quick or easy way to tell whether it’s a symptom of flu, malaria, a bacterial invader, or some other bug. And if you don’t what it is, then it’s hard to treat. So it’s only natural that shrinking modern diagnostic tools into a … Continue reading “UW Scientists, Backed by Gates Foundation, Enter “Put Up or Shut Up” Phase with Portable Diagnostic”

ISB Cuts Deal to Sequence 100 Genomes

The Seattle-based Institute for Systems Biology and Mountain View, CA-based Complete Genomics said today they are planning to gather full human genome sequences from 100 individuals to study Huntington’s disease. The experiment, the largest complete human genome disease association study ever conducted, will examine samples from patients with Huntington’s, family members, and matched controls to … Continue reading “ISB Cuts Deal to Sequence 100 Genomes”