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 P-I Tech Writers, Todd Bishop and John Cook, Bolt for Puget Sound Business Journal

The Puget Sound Business Journal got significantly stronger today. Two of Seattle’s best-known technology journalists, John Cook and Todd Bishop, have resigned from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to take new jobs at the crosstown Business Journal. Cook, the author of the widely-read John Cook’s Venture Blog, joined the newspaper in April 1999. As he says in … Continue reading “Seattle P-I Tech Writers, Todd Bishop and John Cook, Bolt for Puget Sound Business Journal”

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Starts Clinical Trial of Antibiotic for Drug Resistant Bacteria

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, a Watertown, MA-based developer of anti-infection drugs, said today it has started an early stage clinical of an oral antibiotic for drug-resistant bacteria. The drug, EDP-322, is being tested for hospital and community-acquired infections, including drug-resistant MRSA. In previous animal tests, the drug showed activity against MRSA strains that resist other potent antibiotics … Continue reading “Enanta Pharmaceuticals Starts Clinical Trial of Antibiotic for Drug Resistant Bacteria”

Proteostasis Eyes Technique to Keep Your Proteins in Balance

One of those foggy concepts from eighth-grade biology came back to me the other day when I spoke with David Pendergast. It’s homeostasis, the idea that the human body naturally makes constant adjustments on the fly to maintain a proper balance of things like body temperature, water, or salt in your system. Pendergast, the CEO … Continue reading “Proteostasis Eyes Technique to Keep Your Proteins in Balance”

Gilead’s Seattle Crew Awaits FDA Clearance of Cystic Fibrosis Drug, Catalyst for Future Growth

The people at Gilead Sciences in Seattle have been working toward this moment for seven years. Tomorrow is the FDA’s deadline to decide whether to approve aztreonam lysine, an inhalable antibiotic for cystic fibrosis. The drug was developed by Seattle-based Corus Pharma and led to its acquisition two years ago by Gilead for $365 million. … Continue reading “Gilead’s Seattle Crew Awaits FDA Clearance of Cystic Fibrosis Drug, Catalyst for Future Growth”

Star Wars Inspires UW Scientist, Yoky Matsuoka, to Think Big About Making Artificial Hands

One of the scenes from The Empire Strikes Back gives you an idea of what Yoky Matsuoka is pursuing. It’s the part where Luke Skywalker tests out a prosthetic hand that he can control with all the dexterity of a natural one, well enough to wield one mean light saber. Matsuoka, a MacArthur “genius” award … Continue reading “Star Wars Inspires UW Scientist, Yoky Matsuoka, to Think Big About Making Artificial Hands”

Novartis To Beef Up Vaccine Research in Cambridge

Novartis is doubling down on vaccine research. The Basel, Switzerland-based drug giant is announcing today that it is opening a new facility and hiring an additional 150 people by the end of 2009 for a Research Center of Excellence in Virology in Cambridge, MA. That will boost the company’s employment in Cambridge to more than … Continue reading “Novartis To Beef Up Vaccine Research in Cambridge”

Arzeda, a University of Washington Spinout, Sees Future in Directed Evolution

Arzeda sees a future in which it will custom design enzymes, on a computer, to do things in the body that biologists now can only dream about. The technology, emerging from David Baker‘s lab at the University of Washington, has generated enough interest from biotechnology industry partners that three of his young apprentices have decided … Continue reading “Arzeda, a University of Washington Spinout, Sees Future in Directed Evolution”

Trubion Wins Patent Dispute With Genentech, Biogen Idec

Trubion Pharmaceuticals just scored a victory in the world of patents over a couple of biotech heavyweights. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TRBN]]), which is developing a drug for rheumatoid arthritis, said today that the European Patent Office granted its request to revoke a patent held by Genentech and Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) … Continue reading “Trubion Wins Patent Dispute With Genentech, Biogen Idec”

Biofuels: The Wild West of Today, As a New Industry Takes Shape

There was a sense of urgency in the air yesterday in Vancouver, B.C., about biofuels. It’s no surprise, with gas at $4 a gallon, that some smart people have gotten motivated to come up with alternatives. So I hopped in a rented 2008 Toyota Yaris (estimated 36 highway mpg) and joined about 450 people at … Continue reading “Biofuels: The Wild West of Today, As a New Industry Takes Shape”

Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Sets Up Stem Cell Registry With $570,000 Grant

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center said today it has provided a $570,000 grant to establish an international stem cell registry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The registry will be an online resource for academic researchers, companies, and members of the public looking for information on stem cell research. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center … Continue reading “Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Sets Up Stem Cell Registry With $570,000 Grant”

Targeted Growth Sees Future in Your Breakfast Bowl

Targeted Growth has a business strategy that leads straight to your morning bowl of cereal. The Seattle-based biotech company is taking its technology to the market with a high-yield seed crop that can be turned into biodiesel, but it sees a bigger future in boosting production of what it calls “small grain cereals,” the type … Continue reading “Targeted Growth Sees Future in Your Breakfast Bowl”

Millennium CEO Dunsire Juggles Growing Pipeline, Works to Maintain Nimble Culture—as New Owner Takeda Makes the Company its Center for Cancer Drug Development

Four months have passed since Cambridge, MA-based Millennium Pharmaceuticals was taken over by Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceutical for $8.8 billion. Now that some of the dust has settled, we checked with CEO Deborah Dunsire to see just how much has changed at one of Cambridge’s leading biotech companies. Quite a bit, although it’s not the usual … Continue reading “Millennium CEO Dunsire Juggles Growing Pipeline, Works to Maintain Nimble Culture—as New Owner Takeda Makes the Company its Center for Cancer Drug Development”

AVI Biopharma Out to Reinvent Itself, Making RNA-based Drugs for Ebola and Other Nasty Things

The first five minutes of digging on Portland, OR-based AVI Biopharma turns up some jaw-dropping facts. It’s been in business since the dawn of biotechnology in 1980. Never has it developed an FDA-approved drug. Never has it become profitable. It has burned through $243 million in investor capital in its history, according to its most … Continue reading “AVI Biopharma Out to Reinvent Itself, Making RNA-based Drugs for Ebola and Other Nasty Things”

The Sky Isn’t Falling on Venture Capital in Washington State, VCs Say

The national economy may be limping along, and IPOs seem like a distant dream, but that doesn’t mean it’s doomsday for the people who invest in startup businesses. Two prominent local venture capitalists—Chad Waite of OVP Venture Partners in Kirkland, WA, and Matt McIlwain of Madrona Venture Group in Seattle—both said their industry is getting … Continue reading “The Sky Isn’t Falling on Venture Capital in Washington State, VCs Say”

Healionics Signs Deal To Make Components for Glaucoma Device in Dogs

First come dogs, then people—at least in the Pacific Northwest. Redmond, WA-based Healionics is announcing today that it has signed an agreement to manufacture bioengineered components for Chandler, AZ-based TR BioSurgical so it can make implants used in dogs with glaucoma. Healionics will provide TR BioSurgical with its bioengineered material, which will be incorporated into … Continue reading “Healionics Signs Deal To Make Components for Glaucoma Device in Dogs”

Zafgen, Developer of Fat-Shrinking Drugs, Hires Novartis Scientist as New CEO and Emerges From Stealth Mode

Zafgen is creating drugs to shrink fat. Today, the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company took an early step toward its goal by hiring its first permanent CEO, Tom Hughes, the former vice president and global head of cardiovascular and metabolism research at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge. Hughes, 49, says he was drawn … Continue reading “Zafgen, Developer of Fat-Shrinking Drugs, Hires Novartis Scientist as New CEO and Emerges From Stealth Mode”

Vertex Fending Off Competitors By Treating the Toughest Patients With Hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is being chased by a couple of deep-pocketed competitors—Schering-Plough and Roche—in the race to develop the next big thing for patients with the hepatitis C virus. Now Vertex, the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company, thinks it has found a way to fend off the challengers. It intends to show its drug—telaprevir—can cure patients who … Continue reading “Vertex Fending Off Competitors By Treating the Toughest Patients With Hepatitis C”

Seattle Genetics’ Medical Point Man, Tom Reynolds, Aims to Capitalize on Hodgkin’s Drug

The people at Seattle Genetics think they have a blockbuster-drug-in-the-making for Hodgkin’s disease. Tom Reynolds is the guy whose job it is to prove it to the world. Few drugs ever demonstrate the kind of promise SGN-35 did in its initial clinical trial in June, says Reynolds, the company’s chief medical officer. The drug showed … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics’ Medical Point Man, Tom Reynolds, Aims to Capitalize on Hodgkin’s Drug”

Northstar Neuroscience Clinical & Regulatory Head Resigns

Northstar Neuroscience, the Seattle-based maker of a electrical brain stimulation device for depression, said today that Nawzer Mehta has resigned his job as vice president of clinical and regulatory affairs to pursue another opportunity. Mehta will be replaced by Deborah Sheffield, the company’s director of regulatory affairs. Northstar has switched its strategy to concentrate on … Continue reading “Northstar Neuroscience Clinical & Regulatory Head Resigns”

Biogen Idec, Elan Start First Cancer Trial With Tysabri

Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec and its Irish partner, Elan, said today they have started the first clinical trial of Tysabri as a cancer treatment. Tysabri, approved for multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease, is being studied initially in a trial of 12 patients with multiple myeloma, a deadly cancer of the bone marrow. The drug works … Continue reading “Biogen Idec, Elan Start First Cancer Trial With Tysabri”

Pathway Medical, With FDA Clearance in Hand, Starts Selling Device for Wiping Out Blockages in Leg Arteries

Pathway Medical Technologies is in the marketing game for real now. The Kirkland, WA-based company has started selling its Jetstream device for clearing out fatty blockages in leg arteries, after winning FDA clearance for a modified version of the device, hiring its initial sales team, and stocking up on inventory for what it expects will … Continue reading “Pathway Medical, With FDA Clearance in Hand, Starts Selling Device for Wiping Out Blockages in Leg Arteries”

Alnylam Sees Opportunity in Turning Genes On, And Off

A lot has been written about how Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and plenty of other companies, see a gold mine in turning off problem genes through drugs based on the biological phenomenon called RNA interference, or RNAi. It turns out that Alnylam (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]), the highflying Cambridge, MA-based biotech company built around RNAi, sees another big opportunity … Continue reading “Alnylam Sees Opportunity in Turning Genes On, And Off”

Gates Foundation Calls for Proposals to Solve Global Health “Grand Challenges”

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest charitable organization, said it is accepting grant proposals for the second round of its five-year, $100 million initiative to try unconventional approaches against global health problems. The foundation will accept proposals for six topics, which include: new vaccines for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, new approaches to … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Calls for Proposals to Solve Global Health “Grand Challenges””

Acucela Strikes Deal With Otsuka Pharmaceutical to Develop Drug for Eye Disease

Acucela has struck another big deal with its Japanese connections. The Bothell, WA-based biotech company said today it has agreed to form a partnership with Tokyo-based Otsuka Pharmaceutical to develop its lead drug candidate for the top cause of blindness among the elderly—the “dry” form of macular degeneration. The deal has sweet terms for Acucela. … Continue reading “Acucela Strikes Deal With Otsuka Pharmaceutical to Develop Drug for Eye Disease”

Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Department Opening Beijing Office

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Economic Development is opening a new office in Beijing, the agency said today in a statement. The office, led by Daniel Ding, will maintain a satellite contact office in Shanghai that previously had been shared with four other states. Ding will concentrate on helping Massachusetts companies take advantage of … Continue reading “Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Department Opening Beijing Office”

ZymoGenetics Hands Over Atacicept Rights to Partner, Merck KGaA

ZymoGenetics is making a sacrifice to conserve cash. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) said today it has agreed to hand over atacicept—its leading drug candidate for autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis—to its partner, Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck KGaA. The move means that the German partner will now have to pay for … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Hands Over Atacicept Rights to Partner, Merck KGaA”

WTIA’s Technology In Focus Series: Cashing in on Web Services

While display advertising has been the preferred revenue engine for web services, even destinations with millions of users like MySpace and Facebook have had difficulty achieving profitability with this approach. At the same time, advertising is not always welcomed by users of business-related applications. What are the emerging, successful revenue models that eschew display ads? … Continue reading “WTIA’s Technology In Focus Series: Cashing in on Web Services”

WTIA’s Sunset Over Summer Networking Event

The Washington Technology Industry Association will host its “Sunset Over Summer” networking event on Wednesday, Sept. 10th. It will be at the Terrace Garden (Red Lion Hotel) located in the heart of downtown Seattle. This outdoor patio oasis offers a haven to enjoy drinks and appetizers while watching a golden hue fall over Elliot Bay. … Continue reading “WTIA’s Sunset Over Summer Networking Event”

WTIA’s State-of-the-State on Venture Capital in Washington

Want an inside look at the state of the local VC market? What’s hot? What’s not? Interested in hearing what VC’s look for as they evaluate companies to invest in? Want to pick the brain of some local Venture Capitalists? Then join your peers for breakfast on September 9th as the WTIA introduces its Urban … Continue reading “WTIA’s State-of-the-State on Venture Capital in Washington”

Science & Technology Discovery Series, Hosted by the Technology Alliance

Moe Khaleel from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will discuss computing for accelerating the energy technology development cycle. Presentations are held monthly, September through May, Friday mornings from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Rainier Club in downtown Seattle. The intimate setting, with approximately 70 attendees per breakfast, includes a breakfast buffet, time for networking with … Continue reading “Science & Technology Discovery Series, Hosted by the Technology Alliance”

Science & Technology Discovery Series, Hosted by the Technology Alliance

Dr. Colleen Delaney from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will discuss using umbilical cord blood to save lives. Discovery Series presentations are held monthly, September through May, Friday mornings from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Rainier Club in downtown Seattle. The intimate setting, with approximately 70 attendees per breakfast, includes a breakfast buffet, … Continue reading “Science & Technology Discovery Series, Hosted by the Technology Alliance”

Oncothyreon To Sell Stock, Bet Resources on Developing Two Cancer Drugs

Oncothyreon, a Seattle biotech company developing drugs against cancer, said today it is planning to sell 5.1 million more shares of stock in the second week of September to raise cash for its treatments in development. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]) also said it plans to concentrate its resources on developing two cancer drugs, and on … Continue reading “Oncothyreon To Sell Stock, Bet Resources on Developing Two Cancer Drugs”

Targanta Antibiotic Shown Effective in Less-Frequent Dose

Targanta Therapeutics, the Cambridge,MA-based developer of potent hospital-based antibiotics, is on the rise today. The company’s oritavancin treatment, in a single dose or an infrequent dose, showed comparable safety and effectiveness to a three-to-seven day course of therapy tested in previous trials against complicated skin infections. The new results came from a mid-stage clinical trial … Continue reading “Targanta Antibiotic Shown Effective in Less-Frequent Dose”

Hepregen Raises $3 Million To Screen Drugs for Liver Damage

Hepregen, an MIT spinoff company developing a way to screen drugs in development for liver toxicity, has raised $3 million out of a $5 million first round of venture capital, according to a regulatory filing cited by Private Equity Hub. The backers of the company include Battelle Ventures and Innovation Valley Partners. Sangeeta Bhatia and … Continue reading “Hepregen Raises $3 Million To Screen Drugs for Liver Damage”

ZymoGenetics, Bayer Drug Vying for European Regulatory Approval

ZymoGenetics is going to try to crack the European pharmaceutical market. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) said today that its partner, Bayer, has filed an application with the European Union to market Recothrom, a drug for excess surgical bleeding. The filing means ZymoGenetics will collect a $5 million milestone payment from Bayer (NYSE: [[ticker:BAY]]). … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics, Bayer Drug Vying for European Regulatory Approval”

Ikaria Developing Drug For “Hibernation-on-Demand,” Could Pull Off Biggest Biotech IPO Ever, VC Says

Hibernation-on-demand is one of those enduring concepts of science fiction. If you can slow down breathing, heartbeat, and other metabolic functions without going too far and suffocating people, you could possibly send them on long voyages into space. Here on Earth, it might buy time for a surgeon trying to save someone before he or … Continue reading “Ikaria Developing Drug For “Hibernation-on-Demand,” Could Pull Off Biggest Biotech IPO Ever, VC Says”

Ariad Pharmaceuticals Edging Toward Becoming a Commercial Cancer Drug Company

Investors may not be in the mood to hear it when most portfolios are in the gutter, but life goes on during downturns at smallcap biotechs. One example is Cambridge, MA-based Ariad Pharmaceuticals, (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARIA]]), the developer of cancer drugs. Without generating much buzz in the market, the company is edging closer to becoming a … Continue reading “Ariad Pharmaceuticals Edging Toward Becoming a Commercial Cancer Drug Company”

Boston Scientific Gets Damages Reduced in Patent Case with Medtronic

Boston Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:BSX]]) said today it scored a victory with a U.S. District Court in Texas. A jury had previously determined the Natick, MA-based medical device company violated Medtronic’s patents on balloon catheters and stent delivery systems, awarding damages of $250 million. The court today found that two patents held by Medtronic (NYSE: [[ticker:MDT]]) … Continue reading “Boston Scientific Gets Damages Reduced in Patent Case with Medtronic”

Impel NeuroPharma Develops Novel Delivery System to Get Drugs Into the Brain

Lots of drugs struggle to get into the brain. John Hoekman, the co-founder and chief scientific officer of a new University of Washington spinoff company called Impel Neuropharma, thinks he has found a better way to get certain therapeutics, like pain meds, where they need to go in the brain. Hoekman is new to the … Continue reading “Impel NeuroPharma Develops Novel Delivery System to Get Drugs Into the Brain”

Quanterix Developing Instrument to Detect Cancer at its Earliest, Most Curable Stages

Quanterix made the news this week when it raised the second half of a $15 million financing round from Arch Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, and Flagship Ventures. The Cambridge, MA-based company has no trouble commanding attention, since its technology comes from the lab of Tufts University researcher David Walt, a co-founder of Illumina (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Quanterix Developing Instrument to Detect Cancer at its Earliest, Most Curable Stages”

SonoSite Marketing Boss Resigns to Take Job at Smith & Nephew

Sonosite, the Bothell, WA-based maker of portable ultrasound machines, said today that Thomas Dugan, its senior vice president of global marketing and U.S. sales, is resigning as of Sept. 11. He is taking a new job as president of the North American business within the Advanced Wound Management Division of the medical device company Smith … Continue reading “SonoSite Marketing Boss Resigns to Take Job at Smith & Nephew”

Dendreon Rival Suffers Meltdown, Investors Sitting Tight For Next Big Clinical Trial News

One of the high-profile competitors to Dendreon suffered a major meltdown yesterday in a clinical trial. Cell Genesys, (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CEGE]]), a developer of treatments to stimulate the immune system against cancer, said yesterday that a clinical trial of 600 prostate cancer patients was halted early after a safety monitoring board found a higher risk of … Continue reading “Dendreon Rival Suffers Meltdown, Investors Sitting Tight For Next Big Clinical Trial News”

Nexterra Energy Raises $3.8 Million From ARC Financial

Nexterra Energy, a Vancouver, BC-based company that enables industrial customers to generate heat and power from waste fuels, said it has raised $3.8 million Canadian in a fourth-round equity financing. The financing was led by ARC Financial of Calgary, Alberta, the largest energy investment firm in Canada. ARC has invested more than $20 million Canadian … Continue reading “Nexterra Energy Raises $3.8 Million From ARC Financial”

Spaltudaq Harnessing Mother Nature’s Wisdom to Make Better Drugs For Infections

Spaltudaq has never really said a whole lot publicly about what it’s doing. So I was eager to get an update this week from CEO David Fanning about what’s percolating at the Seattle biotech company, particularly since he’s just down the hall from Xconomy’s Seattle office on First Hill. The basic idea hasn’t changed much … Continue reading “Spaltudaq Harnessing Mother Nature’s Wisdom to Make Better Drugs For Infections”

Biogen Idec Testing Regenerative Medicine Drug to Reverse the Path of Multiple Sclerosis

Biogen Idec has made a lot of its money on Avonex and Tysabri, drugs that slow down the rate of flare-ups for people with multiple sclerosis. Now the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) is pursuing a loftier goal. It is working on the first experimental drug that may reverse the symptoms of the neurodegenerative … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Testing Regenerative Medicine Drug to Reverse the Path of Multiple Sclerosis”

UW TechTransfer’s Linden Rhoads Aiming to Nurture More Startups, Entice More VCs to Look at UW’s Research Cupboard

Linden Rhoads is fired up. The high-tech entrepreneur-turned-university official has been circulating around town since she started on August 14 to lay the groundwork for a new era in technology transfer at the University of Washington. First on her calendar are meetings with all of the Northwest’s venture capital firms. When that’s done, she plans … Continue reading “UW TechTransfer’s Linden Rhoads Aiming to Nurture More Startups, Entice More VCs to Look at UW’s Research Cupboard”

QLT Licenses Atrigel Rights to Reckitt Benckiser

QLT, (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QLTI]]) a Vancouver, BC-based biotechnology company, said today its U.S. subsidiary provided an exclusive license to Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals to develop Atrigel sustained-release drug delivery technology. Reckitt agreed to pay $25 million upfront, and milestone payments of another $5 million if it can successfully develop two Atrigel products. Rickett acquired 18 employees from … Continue reading “QLT Licenses Atrigel Rights to Reckitt Benckiser”