Alder BioPharmaceuticals has raised $170 million in a stock offering and is ramping up operations after filing an FDA application for eptinezumab, a therapy for patients with chronic migraines. Alder CEO Bob Azelby said the publicly-traded company is using the funds to invest in its supply chain, human resources, and IT and financial infrastructure. It also plans to build out a commercial representative…
A major report recently published by the medical journal The Lancet finds that a tuberculosis-free world is possible. While TB is not an issue that many in Seattle think about, many of the city’s leading institutions are actually doing a tremendous amount to reduce the 4,400 deaths from tuberculosis that occur each and every day. TB is a contagious, potentially fatal infectious disease that…
Allen Institute for Cell Science researchers have developed a new technique that will enable better understanding of human heart muscle cells. The method, described in a study published April 4 in the journal Stem Cell Reports, lays the groundwork for possible future studies of genetic cardiac defects and provides a key marker that could benefit cardiac regenerative medicine research. The method, known…
Aimée Dudley doesn’t just want to be a scientist, she has to be a scientist. At least that is what her lab colleagues at PNRI say. Aimée Dudley, PhD “I’ve wanted to be a scientist since I was three years old,” says Aimée. “I like challenges and the thrill of discovering something no one knew before – especially answers to questions that have stumped researchers…
Each year at least 2 million Americans are infected with bacteria that cannot be treated with antibiotics, and at least 23,000 of these people die, according to the Centers for Disease Control. These bacteria can end up in our water, which is why we use disinfectants to kill or stop them from growing to treat both waste and drinking water. But…
Seattle is the top emerging life sciences hub in the U.S., according to a recent report from commercial real estate firm CBRE. That’s welcome news for an industry that has faced its share of ups and downs in the past decade. “This is a cluster that is over 20 years old and it’s really maturing in a tremendous way,” said Leslie…
For years, the idea seemed as far-fetched as a fairy tale. Once upon a time, there was a tumor cell that died. Its innards spilled out into the bloodstream of the body where it had lived. The owner of that body went to a doctor and got a blood draw for a test, which identified the cell’s floating DNA fragments…
It’s possible to prod immune cells to attack and kill pancreatic cancer cells, according to a report from scientists at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Their findings challenge the commonly held view that pancreatic cancer does not elicit an immune system response that is robust enough for immunotherapy to be effective. “The failures…
In order to optimize our health, live into our 90s and effectively deal with chronic diseases, Dr. Lee Hood says we need to adopt 21st century health care. Hood was speaking to an audience of 75 people Monday night at a Town Hall Seattle panel discussion focusing on the future of health. 21st century health care, he said, will optimize…
When Ferric Fang, a laboratory medicine and microbiology professor at the UW was first breaking into the field of research, his father told him, “If you have a good idea, it can be funded.” Now, years later, Fang no longer believes that. Research is the foundation of science. Theories are put forth and tested and for every question that is…
