In the fall of 2016, Stella Novotny, two weeks shy of her third birthday, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Stella lived in New York, where she was first treated with chemotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant. Although the transplant appeared to work initially, Stella soon relapsed, which underscored the seriousness of her situation. “We understood the gravity…
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) in Seattle have been awarded a $12.5 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study variations in the genomes of normal cells that accumulate as we grow, develop and age. The UW effort will be led by Dr. Andrew B. Stergachis,…
Three years after COVID-19 upended their own lives and endangered the lives of their patients, researchers and physicians who specialize in protecting immune-compromised people from infectious diseases gathered in Seattle to assess the past and look ahead. This 4th Symposium on Infectious Diseases in the Immunocompromised Host, organized by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, brought in participants from across the U.S. and around…
Like many of life’s challenges, it turns out that dental plaque is all about how you respond. A team of microbiologists, immunologists and periodontists in the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry are expanding upon their recent discovery that people’s gums respond to plaque with three distinct types of inflammation. The team has received a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes…
As Seattle continues to transform, the life sciences industry has helped buoy the commercial real estate market and has been a major driver in employment growth in the region. With a strong focus on research and development, Seattle has become a hub for biotech and pharmaceutical companies alike, drawing industry-leading talent from around the world. At Martin Selig Real Estate,…
UW Medicine genome experts made significant scientific contributions to a National Institutes of Health Human Genome Research Institute reference collection that better represents the genetic diversity of the world’s populations. Called the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium, the multi-institutional effort expands and updates earlier work that started as the Human Genome Project. That original project, with drafts reported in 2001 and 2003,…
CTI BioPharma, a Seattle-based publicly traded biotech company developing therapies for blood-related cancers, is set to be acquired in a deal with Swedish biotech giant Sobi. The acquisition, announced Wednesday, values CTI at $1.7 billion, nearly double the company’s current market capitalization at end of trading Tuesday. Shares of CTI spiked on Wednesday following the acquisition announcement.
It turns out there is a limited set of pathways diseases can take through the brain. When viewed through the lens of their genes, brain diseases fall into some surprising patterns, a new study has found. The study authors say this way of sorting brain diseases and psychiatric disorders could potentially identify new targets for treatments. In the study, published in April…
Genemod, a Seattle-based lab software startup, raised $4.5 million in a seed funding round. The company’s cloud-based platform helps life sciences companies and researchers manage their data and workflows. The funding will help expand the startup’s workforce and reach more biotech companies. The software helps researchers by providing real-time updates and allows remote collaboration for users to track progress, visualize…
Seattle Children’s researcher Jim Olson has some thoughts about how to go about launching and leading a biotech startup. His research lab has helped forge Seattle-area startups developing a wide range of technologies. Link Immunotherapeutics focuses on developing new immuno-oncology drugs; Presage Biosciences assesses which cancer drugs tumors respond to; and Blaze Bioscience is testing “tumor paint” that lights up cancer cells to help brain surgeons remove tumors.