The Swedish Neuroscience Institute has pieces of brain tumors waiting to be analyzed. The Institute for Systems Biology has computing power and ambitious scientists. Now the two Seattle-based groups are pooling their efforts to see if they can make breakthroughs to detect deadly brain cancers at an earlier, and more treatable, stage. The collaboration is … Continue reading “Brain Cancer Breakthroughs Wanted: Swedish and ISB Pool Resources To Spot Disease Early”
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.
Seattle Genetics Hires Waller To Lead Regulatory Affairs, as SGN-35 Heads to Pivotal Trial
Seattle Genetics, the developer of targeted cancer drugs, said today it has hired Elaine Waller as senior vice president in charge of regulatory affairs. The Bothell, WA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) has some big meetings on the docket with U.S. regulators this fall, as it prepares its plan for a pivotal clinical trial of SGN-35 for … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Hires Waller To Lead Regulatory Affairs, as SGN-35 Heads to Pivotal Trial”
CombinatoRx Judgment Day Coming Soon, Arthritis Drug Results On the Way
CombinatoRx is coming to one of those defining moments where it will either vault into becoming an emerging biotech industry player or it will take a big leap backwards. The Cambridge, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRXX]]) will find out within the next four weeks whether its experimental combination drug for arthritis is likely to become a … Continue reading “CombinatoRx Judgment Day Coming Soon, Arthritis Drug Results On the Way”
ZymoGenetics “Sleeper” for Hepatitis C Aims to Wipe Out Side Effects of Anti-Viral Therapy
Lots of people on Wall Street are hyped up about new treatments for hepatitis C from Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Schering-Plough. But a little-known drug in development from Seattle-based ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) could steal a bit of thunder, and possibly ride the wave of enthusiasm those companies are creating among doctors and patients. Hepatitis C, a … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics “Sleeper” for Hepatitis C Aims to Wipe Out Side Effects of Anti-Viral Therapy”
CMC/Icos Beefs Up Biotech Manufacturing in Bothell
CMC/Icos Biologics is growing in Bothell. The Danish company is planning to double its workforce from 135 people, and quintuple its manufacturing capacity by mid-2010, according to this report in The Seattle Times. It’s a dose of some needed good news for the region, after Eli Lilly & Co. axed most of the 500 Icos … Continue reading “CMC/Icos Beefs Up Biotech Manufacturing in Bothell”
Covidien Cuts Costs in All Four Business Units, Corporate
Covidien, the Bermuda-based healthcare products company that is one of the largest life sciences companies in Massachusetts, said today it is implementing a restructuring program that includes projects in all four of its business segments and in corporate. The company didn’t disclose any job cuts, although it said it plans to take a $200 million … Continue reading “Covidien Cuts Costs in All Four Business Units, Corporate”
Avant Changes Name to Celldex Therapeutics, Hires Marucci as Permanent CEO
Avant Immunotherapeutics said today it is changing its name to Celldex Therapeutics as part of the merger the two companies announced in the first quarter. The Needham, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVAN]]) will change its ticker symbol to (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLDX]]), starting Oct. 1. The company’s board also announced that Anthony Marucci, who has worked as interim … Continue reading “Avant Changes Name to Celldex Therapeutics, Hires Marucci as Permanent CEO”
Aethlon Medical Starts First Trial of Device Against HIV
San Diego-based Aethlon Medical (OTCBB: [[ticker:AETH]]) said today it has begun the first clinical trial of a medical device to treat HIV. The device, called Aethlon Hemopurifier, filters viruses and immune-suppressing proteins, in order to help the immune system fight HIV. The trial, of six patients, is being conducted in India.
Genzyme Thinks Small, and Big, With Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Mipomersen
Genzyme has built an empire by thinking small—treating diseases that affect tiny groups of patients. Now it’s seeking to capitalize on a cholesterol-lowering drug that requires it to think small and big at the same time. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) is starting to show how it intends to make mipomersen into a … Continue reading “Genzyme Thinks Small, and Big, With Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Mipomersen”
From White Center to Stanford: Technology Access Foundation Helps Kids of Color Prepare for High-Tech Jobs
Something like 2.7 percent of the workforce at Microsoft is composed of African Americans. This under-representation is true of plenty of other technology companies, too. Lots of people complain about the disparities in education that lead to numbers like that, but Trish Millines Dziko and her colleagues at the Technology Access Foundation are doing something … Continue reading “From White Center to Stanford: Technology Access Foundation Helps Kids of Color Prepare for High-Tech Jobs”
GI Dynamics Device Helps Obese Patients Shed 30 Pounds
Promising results are continuing to trickle in from GI Dynamics. The Lexington, MA-based maker of a gut-lining sleeve that mimics the effect of gastric-bypass surgery without all the slicing and dicing, is reporting that its device helped obese patients drop an average of 30 pounds after three months in a clinical trial, compared with about … Continue reading “GI Dynamics Device Helps Obese Patients Shed 30 Pounds”
Leroy Hood’s Latest Big Idea: Integrated Diagnostics, a Startup that Will Spot Tiny Cancers in Blood
Leroy Hood has a big idea for a new company. The legendary scientific entrepreneur, who invented the high-speed DNA sequencer that made the Human Genome Project possible, wants to develop a new generation of screening tests that are so precise at examining a drop of blood that they will usher in the era of what … Continue reading “Leroy Hood’s Latest Big Idea: Integrated Diagnostics, a Startup that Will Spot Tiny Cancers in Blood”
With Backing From MPM and Kleiner Perkins, EpiZyme Aims to Turn Genes On and Off
MPM Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers see a big idea for medicine emerging from the science of epigenetics. The two venture firms are building a startup, called EpiZyme, to take advantage of research that looks at how genes can be turned on or off without any alteration to the underlying sequence. I got … Continue reading “With Backing From MPM and Kleiner Perkins, EpiZyme Aims to Turn Genes On and Off”
HaloSource Expands Into China
HaloSource, the Bothell, WA-based developer of low-cost water purification technology for the developing world, said today it has opened an office and factory in Shanghai to commercialize and further develop its technology in China. The office will be led by Joseph Chen. The company has already made significant headway in India, where more than 200,000 … Continue reading “HaloSource Expands Into China”
Concert Pharmaceuticals Enters Clinical Trials with Drug for Hot Flashes
Concert Pharmaceuticals is moving ahead with a drug that it hopes will be the first of its kind to treat the hot flashes women get during menopause, without exposing them to the well-documented risks of hormone-replacement therapy. The Lexington, MA-based company said today it has begun its first clinical trial with a drug candidate called … Continue reading “Concert Pharmaceuticals Enters Clinical Trials with Drug for Hot Flashes”
Omeros, Developer of Knee-Surgery Enhancer, Raises $20 Million in Debt Financing
Maybe the credit markets aren’t as tight as so many people think. Omeros, the Seattle company that’s developing a treatment to boost the effectiveness of arthroscopic knee surgery, said it has borrowed as much as $20 million to finance its clinical trials and earlier-stage animal tests. Omeros, which has no marketed products, filed to go … Continue reading “Omeros, Developer of Knee-Surgery Enhancer, Raises $20 Million in Debt Financing”
Boston Scientific Wins FDA Approval of Stent for Smaller Blood Vessels
Boston Scientific said today it has won clearance from the FDA to market the Taxus Express2 Atom Stent System. The new device, which props open clogged heart arteries, emits a small dose of a chemotherapy drug designed to minimize scarring around the implant. It is the only device approved for vessels as small as 2.25 … Continue reading “Boston Scientific Wins FDA Approval of Stent for Smaller Blood Vessels”
Archus Orthopedics Angles For a Deal, Alder Takes on Roche, Cocrystal Raises $10 Million, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
There wasn’t a lot of headline news in Seattle biotech in the last week, but we found several interesting features that offer previews of what’s coming in the worlds of new drugs and devices. –I learned about a small nonprofit in the Tri-Cities that has come up with a simple, elegant way to fix broken … Continue reading “Archus Orthopedics Angles For a Deal, Alder Takes on Roche, Cocrystal Raises $10 Million, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Fixing Broken Bones in the Developing World: Tri-Cities Nonprofit Develops Simple Technique To Help Healing
A tiny nonprofit organization in Richland, WA, has developed a simple, elegant fix for one of the big health problems in the developing world. A group that calls itself Sign has found a way to properly treat broken bones that people suffer in car accidents—like how it’s done in the U.S.—but without any of the … Continue reading “Fixing Broken Bones in the Developing World: Tri-Cities Nonprofit Develops Simple Technique To Help Healing”
Genzyme Expects FDA Review of Myozyme Factory by Thanksgiving Weekend
If Genzyme gets its way, it will be able to start selling larger amounts of Myozyme in the U.S. by the end of this year. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]) said it expects the FDA to make a decision on whether to approve supplies of the product (a treatment for Pompe disease) made … Continue reading “Genzyme Expects FDA Review of Myozyme Factory by Thanksgiving Weekend”
Third Rock Ventures Heads “Back to the Basics,” Nurtures Disruptive Life Sciences Companies
It has been almost exactly a year since Third Rock Ventures burst onto the local innovation scene with a $378 million life sciences fund, and now its strategy is becoming clear. Third Rock has backed Agios Pharmaceuticals, a company that starves cancer cells of essential nutrients. Zafgen, another in the Third Rock portfolio, is developing … Continue reading “Third Rock Ventures Heads “Back to the Basics,” Nurtures Disruptive Life Sciences Companies”
Archus Orthopedics Is Doing for the Spine What Doctors Do for the Knees, Hips
First came artificial hips and knees that were good enough to let people walk normally, or even run again. Now Redmond, WA-based Archus Orthopedics is doing the same thing with artificial spinal joints. If it can pull this off, patients will be able to have back surgery, and still be able to play golf with … Continue reading “Archus Orthopedics Is Doing for the Spine What Doctors Do for the Knees, Hips”
Ariad Loses Patent Case Against Amgen
Ariad Pharmaceuticals said today it lost a patent lawsuit filed against Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company. Cambridge, MA-based Ariad (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARIA]]) the U.S. District Court in Delaware said Amgen’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel doesn’t infringe on Ariad’s patent on reducing NF-(kappa) B activity. Ariad holds an exclusive license on the patent, called ‘516, from … Continue reading “Ariad Loses Patent Case Against Amgen”
Cell Therapeutics To File for FDA Approval of Zevalin In First-Line Lymphoma
Cell Therapeutics said today that it has been informed by FDA that results from a clinical trial of patients with newly-diagnosed lymphoma will be enough to file an application for expanded usage of Zevalin. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) said it plans to apply for FDA clearance of the expanded use in the fourth … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics To File for FDA Approval of Zevalin In First-Line Lymphoma”
Targanta Aims to “Simplifi” Treatment of Deadly Bugs With Single-Shot Antibiotic
Plenty of investors have been skeptical about Targanta Therapeutics’ claim that it has an antibiotic that can kill drug-resistant pathogens like MRSA with a single shot. That’s what the Cambridge, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TARG]]) claimed in a press release on Sept. 2, when the stock closed at $7.46. Since then, it’s dropped to $6.83 at … Continue reading “Targanta Aims to “Simplifi” Treatment of Deadly Bugs With Single-Shot Antibiotic”
Live From New York, It’s Seattle Biotech’s Most Famous Daughter, Anna Faris
Seattle biotechies, set your calendar this Saturday for a date with the city’s most famous offspring from life sciences. Anna Faris, the daughter of Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association president Jack Faris, is getting some big-time exposure this weekend when she hosts Saturday Night Live. The younger Faris’s profile is on the rise. She starred … Continue reading “Live From New York, It’s Seattle Biotech’s Most Famous Daughter, Anna Faris”
EntrepreneurWeek UW
Entrepreneurs have a determination to succeed, tremendous initiative and energy, perseverance in the face of challenge, a capacity for observation, confidence, an understanding of the value of money, and an ability to thrive on ambiguity. Does this describe your personality? If so, come hear more at a week of entrepreneurial events, speakers, and networking. Attend … Continue reading “EntrepreneurWeek UW”
Meet the Angel Organizations, MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest
Angel organizations connect entrepreneurs and investors. This event provides an opportunity to meet with representatives from the Alliance of Angels, Keiretsu Forum, Puget Sound Venture Club, Seraph, Tacoma Angel Network, and Zino Society. Representatives from each organization will explain the services they provide and how entrepreneurs can work best with them. They will also address … Continue reading “Meet the Angel Organizations, MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest”
October Pub Night, Northwest Entrepreneur Network
Pub Night is an event for NWEN members only, designed specifically for entrepreneurs to get together and share ideas, build networks and have a great time at a well-known Northwest brew-pub, FX McRory’s. This is your opportunity to meet other energetic, dynamic entrepreneurs and to hear their stories. Pub Night will allow five NWEN members … Continue reading “October Pub Night, Northwest Entrepreneur Network”
Are You, or Should You Be an Entrepreneur? September Think Tank
Have you thought about starting a business, but not sure you’re cut out for it? Do you have the emotional and psychological constitution? Do you understand the impact on your spouse and family? We’ve assembled a panel of entrepreneur/investors to address this very topic. Come ask your questions of the panelists and hear their reflections … Continue reading “Are You, or Should You Be an Entrepreneur? September Think Tank”
Social Entrepreneurship, Growing Your Business By Giving Back
The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest is hosting a dinner program on Sept. 24 on how entrepreneurs can have an impact on society. Kent Norton, the CEO of The Starfish Television Network, will moderate a panel discussion that includes Ann Kelly, a partner at Global Philanthropy Group, Monty Montoya, president and CEO of Sightlife, … Continue reading “Social Entrepreneurship, Growing Your Business By Giving Back”
Leaders to Legends Breakfast Lecture: Scott Lipsky
Scott Lipsky, an early employee at Amazon.com and the co-founder of Avenue A (now part of Microsoft), will speak at the University of Washington Oct. 8 as part of the Leaders to Legends Breakfast Lecture Series. All breakfasts are held on Wednesday mornings in the Walker-Ames Room, 2nd floor of Kane Hall on the UW … Continue reading “Leaders to Legends Breakfast Lecture: Scott Lipsky”
Predictions for 2009, With WTIA’s Futurist Panel
Making predictions is risky—especially in the technology industry—but each year the Washington Technology Industry Association invites experts to share their views on what’s coming in the year ahead. Technology journalist John Cook will moderate the panel, which includes Bill Bryant of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Matt McIlwain of Madrona Venture Group and Kelly Smith of Curious … Continue reading “Predictions for 2009, With WTIA’s Futurist Panel”
Will Your Vote Count? An Update on E-Voting With Jim Adler
Jim Adler, the founder and president of Identity.net, will provide an update on e-voting technologies at the Washington Technology Industry Association’s October Urban Leadership Series. Adler was formerly the CEO of VoteHere, a company that pioneered secure electronic voting technologies. Registration costs $25 for WTIA members who register in advance, and $45 for non-members. Onsite … Continue reading “Will Your Vote Count? An Update on E-Voting With Jim Adler”
Understanding the Nature of Reality–Nobel Winner Frank Wilczek
Physicists’ understanding of the essential nature of reality as changed radically over the past quarter century. Frank Wilczek, a 2004 Nobel Prize-winner in Physics, has played a lead role in establishing the new paradigms. His new book for the general public, The Lightness of Being, explores the concepts of space as a dynamic material and … Continue reading “Understanding the Nature of Reality–Nobel Winner Frank Wilczek”
Cocrystal Discovery Raises $10 Million To Make Pills Against Viral Infections
Cocrystal Discovery thinks it has found a way, built on Nobel Prize-winning science, that will lead to effective new pills that stop viruses from replicating. The Seattle-based company said today it has gotten some serious backing for the idea, raising a $10 million round led by The Frost Group, a Miami-based investment group led by … Continue reading “Cocrystal Discovery Raises $10 Million To Make Pills Against Viral Infections”
Alnylam, RXi On Collision Course Over Intellectual Property From Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals may have to be careful what it wishes for. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) supported Gov. Deval Patrick’s 10-year, $1 billion initiative to boost the life sciences industry in the state, and now that it’s become law, the company says the initiative might give one of its competitors an unfair advantage. … Continue reading “Alnylam, RXi On Collision Course Over Intellectual Property From Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative”
Washington’s Tobacco Cash Must Be “Catalyst” For Health Innovation, Says Lee Huntsman
Washington state’s effort to spark the biotech industry tends to get overshadowed when stacked up against bigger initiatives from other states. California has thumbed its nose at President Bush, pouring a whopping $3 billion into stem cell research. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick pushed hard for a 10-year, $1 billion initiative to promote life sciences in … Continue reading “Washington’s Tobacco Cash Must Be “Catalyst” For Health Innovation, Says Lee Huntsman”
Vertex Raises $191 Million in Stock Offering
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of telaprevir for hepatitis C, raised $191.3 million from the sale of 7.5 million shares at $25.50 apiece, the company said. Goldman Sachs & Co. is serving as the sole book runner for the offering, and it has an option to buy another 1.1 million shares at the same … Continue reading “Vertex Raises $191 Million in Stock Offering”
Alder Sets Stage for Showdown With Roche, With “Fast Follower” Antibody Drug Strategy
Alder Biopharmaceuticals will find out next year whether it has what it takes to beat Roche, one of the world’s pharmaceutical giants. Alder, the Bothell, WA biotech company, is beginning a well-controlled clinical trial this month that will give it a clear sense of whether it has a drug for rheumatoid arthritis that is better … Continue reading “Alder Sets Stage for Showdown With Roche, With “Fast Follower” Antibody Drug Strategy”
Pulmatrix, Emerging From Stealth Mode, Makes Aerosols to Kill Flu and Bacterial Bugs in the Lungs
If a global flu pandemic strikes, public health officials might someday turn to a company emerging from stealth mode called Pulmatrix. The Lexington, MA-based biotech firm is gearing up for its next steps, hoping to show in clinical trials that its inhalable aerosols can prevent any number of viral and bacterial invaders from making people … Continue reading “Pulmatrix, Emerging From Stealth Mode, Makes Aerosols to Kill Flu and Bacterial Bugs in the Lungs”
Vertex To Sell 7 Million Shares of Stock
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the developer of telaprevir for hepatitis C, said today it is planning to sell 7 million new shares of stock. Goldman, Sachs & Co. is serving as the sole book-runner for the offering. Cambridge, MA-based Vertex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) closed at $26.57 yesterday, down 5.6 percent on the day. The company had $832 million … Continue reading “Vertex To Sell 7 Million Shares of Stock”
Taking Charge of Tech Transfer at the “Hutch”: Q&A With Ulrich Mueller
Linden Rhoads of the University of Washington isn’t the only person in town trying to push a powerhouse research institution to become a hotbed for startups. Ulrich Mueller joined the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle almost a year ago to be its vice president for industry relations and technology transfer. His mission: Forge … Continue reading “Taking Charge of Tech Transfer at the “Hutch”: Q&A With Ulrich Mueller”
Clement Named WBBA Chairman
Tom Clement, the CEO of Pathway Medical, has been named the new chairman of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. He’s been busy lately at his day job, since Pathway, a Kirkland, WA-based maker of medical devices to clear fatty buildups in leg arteries, won FDA approval of its first device. Clement’s term with the … Continue reading “Clement Named WBBA Chairman”
Gilead Drug For Cystic Fibrosis Fails to Win FDA Approval
Gilead Sciences suffered a big blow this afternoon, when it got word that its inhalable antibiotic for cystic fibrosis failed to win FDA approval. The Foster City, CA-based company, which has research and development offices in Seattle, said U.S. regulators are saying that another study must be done before aztreonam lysine can be cleared for … Continue reading “Gilead Drug For Cystic Fibrosis Fails to Win FDA Approval”
Puget Sound Business Journal Tackling Online News With Cook, Bishop
Fans of John Cook and Todd Bishop, never fear. The highly-regarded tech reporters who quit the Seattle Post-Intelligencer together yesterday will continue blogging like they have for years at the P-I, in a new role at the Puget Sound Business Journal. Today, the Business Journal said it is creating a new website featuring Cook’s coverage … Continue reading “Puget Sound Business Journal Tackling Online News With Cook, Bishop”
Amgen’s Dmab Cuts Fracture Risk for Osteoporosis Patients, Just What Investors Wanted to See
Amgen finally has something emerging from its pipeline to thrill investors. The world’s largest biotech company, with research centers in Seattle and Cambridge, MA, is reporting today that its lead drug in development reduced the risk of spinal fractures for women with osteoporosis by a whopping 68 percent. On another dismal day in the markets, … Continue reading “Amgen’s Dmab Cuts Fracture Risk for Osteoporosis Patients, Just What Investors Wanted to See”
GI Dynamics’ Gut-Lining Device Combats Diabetes, Obesity in Small Trial
Patients battling obesity and Type 2 diabetes will sometimes go to great lengths to reduce the amount of food reaching their bloodstream, including having their gastrointestinal tracts rearranged in a procedure known as gastric bypass. But GI Dynamics may soon be able to offer a less drastic alternative—a two-foot-long flexible sleeve slipped into the GI … Continue reading “GI Dynamics’ Gut-Lining Device Combats Diabetes, Obesity in Small Trial”
Frazier Healthcare Hires Bob More of Domain Associates as General Partner
Frazier Healthcare Ventures, the Seattle-based venture firm, said today that Bob More has joined as a general partner in the firm’s California office. More worked the previous 12 years at Domain Associates, where he was involved with investments in ESP Pharma, Proxima Therapeutics, Onux Medical, and NovaCardia, all of which were acquired by larger companies. … Continue reading “Frazier Healthcare Hires Bob More of Domain Associates as General Partner”
Space Explorers Splash Down in Seattle, Try to Spark Childrens’ Imaginations
Space exploration doesn’t captivate the public imagination like it once did—and small wonder, considering that the Space Shuttle is limited to endless circles in low-earth orbit, a mere 250 miles up. So now the small group of people who have had the privilege of looking down on Earth are doing something about it. They are … Continue reading “Space Explorers Splash Down in Seattle, Try to Spark Childrens’ Imaginations”