Learn about the history of biotechnology, life science, medical device, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical companies and industry in Seattle and state of Washington.

Washington Life Science History

Get Your Washington Life Science Genealogy 2019 poster!

Free Washington Life Science Genealogy poster!

The following includes select facts from life science history, both global and Washington specific, that help explain the origins of the state's life science industry. We encourage you to learn about the scientists behind the discoveries, the entrepreneurs, philanthropists, political leaders, and significant events, institutions and companies that are the foundation of the life science industry in Washington. If you are aware of a notable event, person, organization/company or accomplishment that we should include, please e-mail: Suggestions@InfoResource.org

We also invite you to explore Washington Life Science Genealogy, a one-of-a-kind image that illustrates the founding technology origins of nearly 400 science firms located in the state. Specifically, the origins of the companies' founding technology with the state's universities, non-profit research organizations and federal laboratories -- longstanding centers of innovation, technology transfer and job creation.

The Washington poster is available in high-resolution digital and printed format. To get your poster, simply click on the image above.

Explore other state/province genealogy posters

We also publish Washington Life Science E-History made daily... a monthly educational resource of state specific events by month to help stay abreast of the science, people, companies, institutions, and events that are the foundation of the life science industry in the state. If you are interested in receiving our monthly Washington Life Science E-history made daily... please complete the following:

1848 -- American Association for the Advancement of Science was founded.

American Association for the Advancement of Science, founded in 1848, marked the emergence of a national scientific community in the United States, and was the first organization established to promote the development of science and engineering at the national level and to represent the interests of all its disciplines. Today, the AAAS serves nearly 300 affiliated societies and academies of science and publishes the peer-reviewed general science journal Science.

1859 -- Charles Darwin published "The Origin of Species."

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life" in which he postulated his theory of evolution that explained how the diverse of species on Earth evolved from a simple, singled-celled ancestor.

Darwin's theory of evolutionary selection holds that variation within species occurs randomly and that the survival or extinction of each organism is determined by that organism's ability to adapt to its environment. Darwin's theory of evolution remains the foundation of modern biology.

1861 -- University of Washington was founded.

Since 1979, the University of Washington (UW), with one exception (2009), has received more federal research funding than any other U.S. public university. The UW has been the technology foundation of more than 100 life science companies located in the state of Washington and elsewhere.

1865 -- Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics, presented his laws of heredity.

Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian considered the father of modern genetics, conducted crossbreeding experiments with pea plants between 1856 and 1863. Through this work, he established many of the rules of heredity.

"In 1859 I obtained a very fertile descendant with large, tasty seeds from a first generation hybrid. Since in the following year, its progeny retained the desirable characteristics and were uniform, the variety was cultivated in our vegetable garden, and many plants were raised every year up to 1865. (Gregor Mendel to Carl Nägeli, April 1867).

1882 -- Benjamin P. Cheney Academy (Eastern Washington University) was founded.

Eastern Washington University (EWU), originally named Benjamin P. Cheney Academy for the wealthy transportation industrialist who contributed $10,000 to found the school, is now a regional, comprehensive public university located in Cheney with programs also offered in Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Yakima.

EWU has offered biotechnology courses emphasizing on the job training since 1983, and has spun-off several life science companies.

1887 -- Marine Hospital Service Hygienic Laboratory (National Institutes of Health) was founded.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) traces its roots to 1887, when a one-room laboratory was created within the Marine Hospital Service (MHS), predecessor agency to the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS). The MHS was established in 1798 to provide for the medical care of merchant seamen -- charged by Congress with examining passengers on arriving ships for clinical signs of infectious diseases, such as cholera and yellow fever, to prevent epidemics.

During the 1870s and 1880s, scientists in Europe presented compelling evidence that microscopic organisms were the causes of several infectious diseases, and MHS officials closely followed these developments. In 1887, Joseph Kinyoun, a MHS physician trained in the new bacteriological methods, set up a one-room laboratory in the Marine Hospital at Stapleton, Staten Island, New York. Kinyoun called this facility a "laboratory of hygiene" in imitation of German facilities, and within a few months, he identified the cholera bacillus and used his Zeiss microscope to demonstrate it to his colleagues as confirmation of their clinical diagnoses (Photo: courtesy of the NIH Almanac).

1890 -- Washington State University was founded.

Washington State University, Thompson & Bryan Halls, 1925

Washington State University (WSU), a land-grant institution located in Pullman, is one of the nation's leading agricultural research universities offering programs in agriculture and veterinary medicine that have received national recognition for work in bioenergetics, high yield wheat, and disease control.

1902 -- The Biologics Control Act was established.

The Biologics Control Act, established in 1902, had major consequences for the Hygienic Laboratory. It charged the laboratory with regulating the production of vaccines and antitoxins, making it a regulatory agency four years before passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act. The danger posed by biological products that had emerged from bacteriologic discoveries resulted from their production in animals and their administration by injection. In 1901, thirteen children in St. Louis died after receiving diphtheria antitoxin contaminated with tetanus spores. This tragedy spurred Congress to pass the Biologics Control Act, and between 1903-1907 standards were established and licenses issued to pharmaceutical firms for making smallpox and rabies vaccines, diphtheria and tetanus antitoxins, and various other antibacterial antisera. (In 1972, responsibility for regulation of biologics was transferred to the Food and Drug Administration).

The Marine Hospital Service (MHS), established in 1798, was reorganized in 1912 and renamed the Public Health Service (PHS). The PHS was authorized to conduct research into noncontagious diseases and into the pollution of streams and lakes in the U.S. During World War I, the PHS attended primarily to sanitation of areas around military bases in the U.S., and when the 1918 influenza pandemic struck Washington, physicians from the laboratory were pressed into service treating patients in the District of Columbia because so many local doctors had fallen ill.

1907 -- Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association was founded.

Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association now known as Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, was founded in 1907 when Anna Clise filed the articles of incorporation for the new Hospital Association -- the first pediatric facility in the Northwest.

Anna Herr Clise, her husband James W. Clise and their newborn daughter Ruth arrived in Seattle June 7, 1889, with the urging of James’ sister they left their home and prosperous real-estate business in Colorado to join her in Seattle. James quickly became one of Seattle’s leading real-estate developers and financiers, and by 1893, Anna and James added two more children — both boys — to Seattle’s rapidly growing population of 43,000. In 1898, tragedy struck the Clise family when their youngest son, 6-year-old Willis succumbed to an untreatable inflammatory rheumatism (acute swelling of the body’s joints). At the time of Willis’ death, the closest children’s hospital was in San Francisco; and the most advanced treatments for children was at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Out of this tragedy, Anna Herr Clise, with her family and other Seattle community leaders founded the Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association.

Today, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center occupies a 24-acre site in Seattle's Laurelhurst neighborhood and serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. In 2006, the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute was founded to “treat, prevent and eliminate childhood disease”. The Research Institute campus encompasses two city blocks in Seattle's Denny Triangle Neighborhood, and occupies two buildings totaling 500,000 square feet with adjacent land capable of supporting an additional 800,000 square feet.

The Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute is built around research centers with a common thematic focus and an identifiable core set of programs. Each Center includes faculty from multiple disciplines, departments and divisions. Research Centers include: Immunity & Vaccines, Translational & Clinical Science, Developmental Therapeutics, Childhood Infections & Prematurity; Childhood Cancer; Tissue and Cell Biology; Genetics & Development; and Health Services & Behavioral Science.

1918 -- Spanish Influenza Pandemic.

Spanish Flu, Seattle, 1918 It is estimated that between 25 and 40 million people died from the the influenza outbreak that began in 1918, swept across America in a week and around the world in three months. In all, between 500,000 and 700,000 Americans --civilians and soldiers-- died from the influenza, more than were lost in World War I, II, and the Korean and Viet Nam wars combined.

In October, 1918, the Spanish Flu reached the state of Washington when Seattle newspapers reported that one cadet at the naval training station at the University of Washington had died of influenza and that over 700 more were ill, 400 of them in the hospital under treatment and observation.

Across the state, public assemblies were prohibited and citizens were required to wear gauze masks to prevent the spread of the virus. Seattle’s influenza epidemic claimed over 1,400 lives from September 1918 through February 1919, and left the city with an excess death rate of 414 per 100,000.

Additional information about the Spanish influenza pandemic, including audio interviews, photographs, teacher guides and more can be found through the The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: A Digital Encyclopedia, PBS's The American Experience, and Centers for Disease Control, National Vaccine Program Office.

1919 -- Stanley Cup playoffs between the Montreal Canadians and Seattle Metropolitans cancelled by Spanish flu.

On April 1, 1919, the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Montreal Canadians and the Seattle Metropolitans ended tied at 2-2-1 after the city of Seattle health department called off the series. Several of the Canadians and Seattle players caught the flu, and recovered. On April 5, 1919, five days after the final was cancelled, one Canadian player Joseph Henry “Bad Joe” Hall, the oldest player in NHL hockey, succumbed to pneumonia. He was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. He was 37 years old.

George Kennedy, manager of the Canadiens, tried to forfeit the Cup, but Pete Muldoon, manager and coach of Seattle, declined. The series was ruled a tie and the Stanley Cup was not awarded in 1919, for the only time since it's inception in 1893. The Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup in 1917 when they defeated the Montreal Canadiens.

1921 -- Hollister-Stier was founded.

Hollister-Stier Laboratories, now Jubilant HollisterStier, is the oldest name in allergy science. The company, located in Spokane, was founded by chemist Guy Hollister and Robert E. Stier, M.D., and began partially as the result of Mrs. Hollister's "summer cold," which Hollister and Stier discovered was caused by grasses in the area. The two friends developed a vaccine to help Mrs. Hollister, and the company has been the leader in allergen extracts ever since.

Today, the company is a world leader in the manufacturer of allergenic immunotherapy products and devices, and a nationally recognized contract manufacturer of sterile injectable pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products.

1930 -- The name of the Hygienic Laboratory was changed to the National Institute of Health.

In 1930, the Ransdell Act changed the name of the Hygienic Laboratory to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and authorized the establishment of fellowships for research into basic biological and medical problems. The roots of this act extended to 1918, when chemists who had worked with the Chemical Warfare Service in World War I sought to establish an institute in the private sector to apply fundamental knowledge in chemistry to problems of medicine.

1933 -- Thomas Hunt Morgan was awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his chromosome theory of heredity.

Thomas Hunt Morgan pioneered the new science of genetics through experimental research with the fruit fly (Drosophila), laying the foundations for the future of biology. On the basis of fly-breeding experiments he demonstrated that genes are linked in a series on chromosomes and that they determine indentifiable, hereditary traits.

In 1928, Thomas Hunt Morgan transferred to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to organize work in biology, and five years later he was awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his chromosome theory of heredity. (Photo: © The Nobel Foundation)

1937 -- Senator Homer T. Bone of Washington introduced Senate bill 2067, "...to control and prevent the spread of the disease of cancer."

Senator Homer T. Bone introduced S. 2067 "Authorizing the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to control and prevent the spread of the disease of cancer."

The legislation authorized an annual appropriation of $1 million. Congressman Warren G. Magnuson of Washington introduced an identical bill (H.R. 6100) in the House. In 1945, Magnuson introduced a bill to create a National Research Foundation now known as the National Institutes of Health. (Photo: Courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office)

1937 -- The National Cancer Institute was created.

In 1937, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was created with sponsorship from every Senator in Congress, and was authorized to award grants to nonfederal scientists for research on cancer and to fund fellowships at NCI for young researchers.

Today, the NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training.

1944 -- Public Health Service Act was established.

The 1944 Public Health Service Act defined the shape of medical research in the post-war world. The entire NIH budget expanded from $8 million in 1947 to more than $1 billion in 1966, now fondly remembered as "the golden years" of NIH expansion. The 1944 PHS Act authorized NIH to conduct clinical research, and after the war Congress provided funding to build a research hospital, now called the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The Center which opened in 1953 with 540 beds was designed to bring research laboratories into close proximity with hospital wards in order to promote productive collaboration between laboratory scientists and clinicians.

The NIH today, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research and is composed of 27 Institutes and Centers, providing leadership and financial support to researchers in every state and throughout the world.

1941-1983 -- Federal revenues flowed into Washington State under the political leadership of U.S. Senators Henry "Scoop" Jackson and Warren Magnuson.

Senators Henry "Scoop" Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson, nicknamed the "Gold Dust Twins" for their ability to attract federal money, represented Washington in the U.S. Congress for an amassed total of eighty-nine years, and during that period their rise to seniority leadership (a combined sixty-four years in the Senate) resulted in a growing stream of federal dollars into Washington State. (Photos: Henry Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office)

Senator Jackson was an influential Democrat in Washington State who served in the Served in House of Representatives from 1941-53 and the U.S. Senate from 1953-83. . He Chaired the Democratic National Committee in 1960, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the democratic nomination for president in 1972 and 1976.

Jackson was influential on issues of particular interest to the West, including public lands, reclamation, and hydroelectric power development. Senator Jackson authored the landmark National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Land Conservation Act of 1964, Wilderness Act of 1964, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, established the Council on Environmental Quality (forerunner to the Environmental Protection Agency, and sponsored legislation to preserve vast park lands and wilderness areas throughout the U.S., including the North Cascades Park, Olympic National Park, and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area in Washington State, and Redwood National Park in Calfornia. He also authored the Alaska and Hawaii Statehood Acts.

Warren G. Magnuson was an influential Democrat in Washington State served in the in the House of Representatives from 1934-44 and U.S. Senate from 1944-81. In 1937, Senator Magnuson introduced legislation creating the National Cancer Institute, and in 1945 introduced a bill to create a National Research Foundation now known as the National Institutes of Health.

In the 1960's Senator Magnuson was instrumental in establishing the Medicare and Medicaid programs, civil rights legislation and consumer protection legislation. In 1970, Senator Magnuson introduced legislation establishing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and is known as the "Father of NOAA." In 1972, Senator Magnuson helped secure federal funds through the National Cancer Institute to establish the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle now the leading bone marrow transplant facility in the world.

The University of Washington’s health Science Center, established in 1970, was renamed the Warren G. Manguson Health Sciences Center in 1978. Senator Magnuson has been called one of the 20th century's most powerful legislators West of the Mississippi next to his mentor Sam Rayburn and close friend Lyndon Johnson. Magnuson's impact on the state of Washington continues to be felt ranging from legislation and funding of hydroelectric dams and public utility districts to the World's Fairs in Seattle and Spokane (including the Pacific Science Center), the 200 mile foreign fishing limit, military bases, national parks and much more.

1947 -- Transistor was invented at AT&T's Bell Laboratories.

The transistor, the invention that marked the dawn of the information age, was invented by John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain at AT&T's Bell Laboratories. Bardeen, Shockley and Brattain were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of the transistor effect.

Transistors have become an invisible technology that is part of almost every electronic device. Every major information age innovation was made possible by the transistor and its application can be found all around us.

Brattain received his B.S. degree from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA and a M.A. degree from the University of Oregon. (Photos: © The Nobel Foundation)

1947 -- Ground was broken for the new University of Washington Health Sciences building.

Ground was broken for the new University of Washington's Health Sciences building. The new facility was dedicated Oct. 9, 1949.

Renamed the Magnuson Health Sciences Center in 1978 in honor of Senator Warren G. Magnuson, the complex consists of more than 20 wings, with nearly 5.8 million square feet of floor space -- making it one of the largest buildings in the U.S.

1953 -- Double helix structure of DNA was revealed.

The double helix structure of DNA, the hereditary molecule is revealed by two scientists, James D. Watson and Francis Crick. This is one of the key discoveries of the century. Watson and Crick shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine with Maurice Wilkins for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nuclear acids and its significance for information transfer in living material.

Rosalind Franklin, whose work contributed to the discovery, died before this date and the rules do not allow a Nobel Prize to be awarded posthumously. (Photos: © The Nobel Foundation)

1953 -- Quinton Instruments was founded by University of Washington biomedical engineer Wayne Quinton.

Quinton Instruments was founded by University of Washington biomedical engineer Wayne Quinton with the initial focus of developing the first treadmill for cardiac stress testing. Quinton was a pioneering innovator and developer of over thirty biomedical devices ranging from treadmills to cardiac diagnostic equipment.

In 1984, the business, with more than $100 million in sales annually was sold for $55 million to A.H. Robbins. The Company was the leading U.S. provider of cardiac stress testing systems and cardiac rehabilitation equipment. Today, Quinton is part of Banglore, India-based Opto Circuits.

1955 -- Physio-Control was founded by Dr. K. William Edmark, a Seattle cardiovascular surgeon.

Physio-Control was incorporated by Dr. K. William Edmark, a Seattle cardiovascular surgeon, who was determined to reduce the number of sudden deaths during cardiac surgery. Physio's products are used primarily for emergency treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Events.

The LIFEPAK line of defibrillators includes both advanced units for ACLS trained personnel, as well as Automated External Defibrilators for use by First Responders and the general public. In 1980, the company was acquired by Eli Lilly and Company.

1956 -- Pacific Northwest Research Foundation was founded.

The Pacific Northwest Research Foundation, now Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI), was founded by Dr. William Hutchinson to "correct man’s infirmities."

PNRI was among the first private non-profit biomedical and clinical research institutes in the Northwest, and in 1972 helped establish the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

1956 -- Virginia Mason Research Center was founded.

The Virginia Mason Research Center, now known as Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI), located in Seattle, is a world-renowned leader in autoimmune disease research, and has contributed to major advances against 80+ autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and others.

1958 -- Integrated circuit was invented.

Photo of Jack Kilby, inventor of the integrated circuit.

Jack Kilby, an engineer at Texas Instruments shows only a transistor and other components on a slice of germanium. This invention (7/16-by-1/16-inches in size), called an integrated circuit, revolutionized the electronics industry. Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention of the integrated circuit. (Photo: Jack Kilby courtesy of Texas Instruments)

Jack Kilby went on to pioneer military, industrial, and commercial applications of microchip technology. He headed teams that built both the first military system and the first computer incorporating integrated circuits. He later co-invented both the hand-held calculator and the thermal printer that was used in portable data terminals. Mr. Kilby officially retired from TI in 1983, but he maintained a significant involvement with the company throughout his life.

1958 -- SpaceLabs was founded.

SpaceLabs was founded by scientists Ben Ettelson and James A Reeves who developed cardiac monitoring and telemetry systems for NASA. These systems were used to monitor astronauts’ vital signs in the early Gemini and Apollo space missions culminating in Neil Armstrong wearing Spacelabs medical telemetry for the first moon landing in 1969.

1959 -- Lester R. Sauvage, MD founded the Hope Heart Institute.

In 1959, Lester R. Sauvage, MD founded the Reconstructive Cardiovascular Research Laboratory as a branch of Providence Seattle Medical Center. The center was renamed The Bob Hope International Heart Research Institute in 1980, and in 1988 renamed the Hope Heart Institute.

in 1963, the world's first successful experimental coronary artery bypass graft operation using the patient's own vein as a bypass graft was performed at the Hope Heart Institute.

In 1967, Dr. Sauvage performed the first “bloodless” open-heart surgery in the Northwest on a patient whose religious beliefs precluded the acceptance of blood transfusions.

1961 -- President John F. Kennedy expanded the U.S. Space Program

President John F. Kennedy expands U.S. Space Program

Listen to President John F. Kennedy's speech in his historic message to a joint session of the Congress, on May 25, 1961 declared, "...I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." This goal was achieved when astronaut Neil A. Armstrong became the first human to set foot upon the Moon at 10:56 p.m. EDT, July 20, 1969. Shown in the background are, (left) Vice President Lyndon Johnson, and (right) Speaker of the House Sam T. Rayburn. The expansion of the U.S. Space Program resulted in the development of a wide range of technology with enormous benefit to human and animal kind. (Photo: courtesy National Aeronautics & Space Administration)

1962 -- The Seattle Artificial Kidney Center (Northwest Kidney Centers) in Seattle was founded.

In 1962, the Seattle Artificial Kidney Center, now known as the Northwest Kidney Centers was established in Seattle by Dr. Belding H. Scribner of the University of Washington and King County Medical Society president, James W. Haviland, as the world’s first out-of-hospital outpatient hemodialysis treatment center.

Today, the Northwest Kidney Centers is a not-for-profit community based organization whose mission is: "to promote the optimal health, quality of life and independence of people with kidney disease, through patient care, education, and research.

1965 -- Battelle Pacific Northwest Division was founded.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was founded in 1965 when Battelle was awarded a contract to perform R&D for the Hanford Site, a nuclear site in southeastern Washington State. Since its creation, PNNL has produced dozens of major innovations and advances in the areas of the environment, energy, health, national security and the basic sciences that support these areas.

1969 -- Man walked on the moon.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the Moon.

In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, American astronauts, made history by becoming the first men to walk on the moon. Listen to Neil Armstrong's first words as he steps onto the lunar surface (66 kb .wav file). Photo: Courtesy of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration)

An important benefit of the Apollo Lunar Program and other NASA programs is the ever-growing pipeline of technology that improves human and veterinary healthcare diagnostics and therapeutics.

1969 -- Victor McKusick published "Mendelian Inheritance in Man".

Victor McKusick, widely acknowledged as the father of medical genetics, spent his career studying the genetic basis of diseases and disorders with the belief that such an understanding could lead to new methods of diagnosis and treatment. He studied, identified, and mapped genes responsible for inherited conditions such as Marfan syndrome and dwarfism (specifically in Amish communities). In 1969, he proposed the idea of mapping the human genome, over 30 years before the Human Genome Project was established.

McKusick, a graduate of Johns Hopkins (M.D. 1946), spent his entire career there and founded the Division of Medical Genetics in 1957, the first research center and clinic of its kind. In 1969 he published the 1st edition of his book "Mendelian Inheritance of Man", one of the most comprehensive collections of inherited disease genes. In 2002, McKusick received the highest scientific honor in the U.S., the National Medal of Science.

1969 -- Advanced Technology Laboratories was founded.

Advanced Technology Laboratories was founded in 1969 and became one of the leading diagnostic ultrasound imaging companies in the world. ATL entered the medical ultrasound industry in 1974, the year a transfer of technology from the University of Washington enabled the company to begin manufacturing products for hospitals and physicians.

In Dec. 1979, ATL was purchased by Squibb for $60 million, and became part of a Squibb subsidiary, Westmark International. In 1992, Westmark was dissolved, and its two units, ATL and SpaceLabs Medical, were spun off to form separate, publicly traded companies. In 1995, ATL became part of Philips.

1971 -- NASDAQ Stock Market was founded.

NASDAQ Stock Market was founded as the world's first electronic stock market by the National Association of Securities Dealers. The NASDAQ system, created by the Bunker Ramos Corp. allowed the financial community, for the first time, to determine which market offered the best price on a given security.

1971 -- President Nixon declared war on cancer creating the Cancer Centers Program of the National Cancer Institute.

On Dec. 23, 1971, the National Cancer Act of 1971, enacted by President Richard Nixon as part of the nation’s war on cancer, established the Cancer Centers Program of the National Cancer Institute. The National Cancer Act, "The War on Cancer," gave the NCI unique autonomy at NIH with special budgetary authority. The annual budget of NCI, called the bypass budget, be submitted directly to the president, bypassing traditional approval by the NIH or the Department of HHS required of other NIH institutes.

1972 -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center was founded.

The "Hutch," one of 41 comprehensive cancer centers nationwide, was established through the efforts of Dr. William Hutchinson, brother of baseball hero Fred Hutchinson, and Washington state's legendary U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson. Fred Hutch is the technology foundation of more than twenty life science companies.

The Hutch is a pioneer in the development of bone marrow transplantation and its spinoff, immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to kill cancer with minimal side effects. The Hutch is also home to the nation’s largest and oldest cancer prevention program, which studies the causes of cancer in human populations and how to prevent it.

1973 -- Recombinant DNA was perfected.

The modern era of biotechnology begins when Stanley Cohen of Stanford University and Herbert Boyer of the University of California at San Francisco successfully recombined ends of bacterial DNA after splicing a toad gene in between. They called their accomplishment recombinant DNA, but the media preferred the term genetic engineering. (Photo: Courtesy Stanley Cohen)

Boyer and Cohen's achievement was an advancement upon the techniques developed by Paul Berg, in 1972, for inserting viral DNA into bacterial DNA. Cohen's research at Stanford was with plasmids—the nonchromosomal, circular units of DNA found in, and exchanged by, bacteria, while Boyer's was restriction enzymes produced by bacteria to counter invasion by bacteriophages.

1974 -- Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) was enacted.

John N. Erlenborn, the ranking Republican on the House Committee, was responsible for bringing the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to a floor vote, and is one of the ERISA’s "Founding Fathers." Together with Senator Jacob Javits (R-NY), Senator Pete Williams (D-NJ) and Congressman John Dent (D-PA), Erlenborn crafted provisions and participated in negotiations that were instrumental to the enactment of ERISA which was - and remains - the single most important legislation governing employee benefit plans in the United States creating a growing source of new capital. (Photos: Jacob Javits and Pete Williams courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office).

1975 -- Monoclonal antibodies were produced.

In 1975, Georges Köhler and César Milstein, showed how monoclonal antibodies can be generated by isolating individual fused myeloma cells.

The 1984 Nobel Laureate in Medicine was awarded jointly to: Niels Jerne, Georges Köhler and César Milstein for theories concerning the specificity in development and control of the immune system and the discovery of the principle for production of monoclonal antibodies. (Photos: Niels Jerne and César Milstein © The Nobel Foundation).

1976 -- Genentech was founded.

Genentech was founded by venture capitalist Robert Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. In the early 1970s, Boyer and geneticist Stanley Cohen at Stanford University pioneered recombinant DNA technology.

Within a few short years Swanson and Boyer invented a new industry - biotechnology. In 1980, Genentech issued its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and raised $35 million with an offering that jumped from $35 a share to a high of $88 after less than an hour on the market. This event was one of the largest stock run-ups ever, and that event set the stage for future biotechnolgy industry offerings.

1976 -- SeaMED Corporation was founded.

SeaMED Corp. designed and manufactured advanced electronic instruments for medical and commercial technology companies. The company, located in Redmond with nearly 500 employees, was headed by Bob Berg who became President and CEO in 1988.

In March, 1999, SeaMED and Plexus Corp. announced a stock-swap based merger agreement. Each share of SeaMED common stock was converted into 0.4 shares of Plexus common stock at a value for each SeaMED share between $12.00 to $15.00 per share. SeaMED operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Neenah, Wisconsin-based Plexus until the facility was closed in 2004.

1976 -- Issaquah Group for Health and Environmental Research (Center for Infectious Disease Research) was founded.

Center for Infectious Disease Research is Seattle’s first global health organization. Originally, known as the Issaquah Group for Health and Environmental Research, the non-profit organization was founded by Ruth Shearer, Ph.D. and Ken Stuart, Ph.D., in a research laboratory in Issaquah, WA, a suburb of Seattle. The mission of the organization was to create an environment where the best and brightest scientists from around the world could come together to combat deadly parasitic diseases.

Ken Stuart, Ph.D., Seattle Biomedical Research Institute

Dr. Stuart was invited to advise the World Health Organization about future research into tropical diseases in 1980, marking the Institute's rise into international significance. The first postdoctoral scientists joined the Institute in 1982. In 1986, the Institute relocated to Seattle and became Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. Staff size has grown from five in 1976 to more than 300. Today, the CIDR is an internationally recognized center for research and training excellence with connections from Seattle to more than 100 partners and collaborators around the world. (Photo: Courtesy Center for Infectious Disease Research).

1977 -- Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) was founded.

Path is an international nonprofit organization founded by Gordon Duncan, Rich Mahoney, and Gordon Perkin with $92,000 in seed money from the Ford Foundation. Path was initially focused on providing access to modern forms of pregnancy prevention.

Today, PATH takes an entrepreneurial approach to developing and delivering high-impact, low-cost solutions, from lifesaving vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and devices to collaborative programs in more than 70 countries.

1977 -- First human gene was cloned.

Walter Gilbert induced bacteria to synthesize insulin and interferon, and Frederick Sanger published the complete sequence of phage FX174. The 1980 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Frederick Sanger and Walter Gilbert for "for their contributions concerning the determination of base sequences in nucleic acids, and to Paul Berg for his fundamental studies of the biochemistry of nucleic acids, with particular regard to recombinant-DNA.

Gilbert and Sanger independently developed different methods to determine the exact sequence of the nucleotide building blocks in DNA. The investigations of Berg, Gilbert and Sanger have given us a detailed insight into the chemical basis of the genetic machinery in living organisms (Photos: © The Nobel Foundation).

1980 -- U.S. Supreme Court ruled man-made organism patentable.

Diamond v. Chakrabarty, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds five-to-four the patentability of genetically altered organisms, opening the door to greater patent protection for any modified life forms.

In 1972, Mohan Chakrabarty, a microbiologist, filed a patent application, assigned to the General Electric Co. for a human-made genetically engineered bacterium capable of breaking down multiple components of crude oil. Because of this property, which is possessed by no naturally occurring bacteria, Chakrabarty's invention was believed to have significant value for the treatment of oil spills. The application asserted 36 claims related to Chakrabarty's invention of "a bacterium from the genus Pseudomonas containing therein at least two stable energy-generating plasmids, each of said plasmids providing a separate hydrocarbon degradative pathway.

Opinions: Chief Justice Warren Burger delivered the opinion of the Court, in which justices Potter Stewart, Harry Blackmun, William Rehnquist, and John Paul Stevens joined. William Brennan filed a dissenting opinion, in which Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, and Lewis Powell joined.

1980 -- Bayh-Dole Act provided for university technology transfer.

H.R.6933, Public Law: 96-517, December 12, 1980. A bill to amend title 35 of the United States Code. This Act known as the Bayh-Dole Act provided for the legal transfer of research and technology originating from U.S. universities and federal laboratories to private companies for commercialization. Technology transfer offices are now common in universities and federal laboratories and are the technology foundation for numerous biotechnology and medical device companies. (Photos: Birch Bayh and Robert Dole courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office)

1980 -- Genetic Systems was founded.

Genetic Systems, a monoclonal antibody-based diagnostic company, was incorporated in 1980 by Robert Nowinski of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center with $40 million raised by David and Isaac Blech. In 1981, Genetic Systems completed its IPO.

1981 -- Immunex Corporation was founded.

Immunex Corporation, the largest biotechnology company in the Pacific Northwest, was founded by Steven Gillis and Christopher Henney from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Stephen Duzan. It became publicly traded in 1983, and in 1991, with FDA approval of the drug Leukine, it became only the third fully integrated pharmaceutical company to be created in the U.S. since 1945. Ultimately, Immunex became one of the S&P 500 and one of the NASDAQ 100. The company was dedicated to developing immune system science to protect human health. The company was acquired by Amgen in December 2001 for $16 billion in stock and net cash.

Duzan also played a role in the founding of Targeted Genetics Corporation, Corixa Corporation, and Spinal Dynamics Corporation, all three of which became publicly traded or were sold to major corporations. Gillis co-founded Corixa Corporation which became publicly traded and was was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in July 2005. Christopher Henney co-founded ICOS Corporation in 1992 which was sold to Eli Lilly in 2007. Henney also co founded Dendreon Corporation, founded in 1992, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2014, and in 2015 was acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals for $495 million. (Photos: Steven Gillis, courtesy Corixa Corporation, and Christopher Henney courtesy of Dendreon Corp.)

1981 -- ZymoGenetics was incorporated.

ZymoGenetics was founded by UW professors Earl Davie and Benjamin Hall, and the late Nobel award winning University of British Columbia professor Michael Smith. Beginning in 1988, ZymoGenetics served as the primary U.S. discovery arm of Novo Nordisk, contributing to the development of several of Novo Nordisk's current marketed products and pipeline candidates.

In 2000, the company was spun off as a public company, and in 2002, ZymoGenetics launched its IPO at $12.00 per share with net proceeds of $111.6 million. Following the IPO, Novo Nordisk held 39% of ZymoGenetic's capital stock. In 2010, Bristol-Myers Squibb acquired ZymoGenetics after entering into a strategic collaboration to co-develop PEG-Interferon lambda.

1983 -- Orphan Drug Act was created.

The Orphan Drug Act encouraged the research and development of drugs for rare or "orphan" diseases defined as a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans.

The Orphan Drug Act provided for financial incentives to help companies recover the cost of developing much needed therapies for small patient populations. The FDA estimates that more than 11 million patients in the U.S. and millions more around the world, have benefited from this legislation.

1983 -- MDRNA (Marina Biotech) was founded.

MDRNA, now known as Marina Biotech, was founded in 1983, and was focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutic products based on RNA interference.

In 2010, the Bothell-based company acquired Cequent Pharmaceuticals, implemented a reverse stock split and changed the name of the Company to Marina Bioetch. Today, Marina Biotech is an oligonucleotide therapeutics company with broad drug discovery technologies, its subsidiaries include Cequent Pharmaceuticals, MDRNA Research, and Atossa Healthcare.

1984 -- Alec Jeffreys and technician Vicky Wilson discovered minisatellites leading to the development of genetic fingerprinting.

In 1984, geneticist Sir Alec Jeffreys, and technician Vicky Wilson at the University of Leicester in England discovered minisatellites leading to the development of genetic fingerprinting. The new technology was first used in 1985 to resolve a disputed immigration case that confirmed the identity of a British boy whose family was from Ghana.

In 1988, Colin Pitchfork was convicted of murdering two girls in 1983 and 1986 in Narborough, Leicestershire, England after his DNA samples matched semen samples taken from the two dead girls. Jeffreys' work in this case convicted the killer, but also exonerated Richard Buckland, a suspect who otherwise might have spent his life in prison. In 1994, Jeffreys' was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to genetics.

1986 -- Genetic Systems was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Genetic Systems was incorporated in 1980 as a monoclonal antibody-based diagnostic company by Robert Nowinski of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center with $40 million raised by David and Isaac Blech.

In 1981, Genetic Systems completed its IPO, and in 1986, the company was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb for $310 million. The company was divested to Sanofi in 1990.

1986 - Microsoft Corporation completed its IPO.

Microsoft Corporation, founded by Bill Gates Jr. and Paul Allen in 1975, and headquartered in Redmond, Washington, has had a significant impact on the Seattle and Washington State economy. The state's life science industry, in particular, has been a major beneficiary of Gates, Allen and other Microsoft employee investments.

1986 -- Procyte Corp. was founded.

Procyte Corp. was founded in 1986 by Dr. Loren Pickart as a kirkland-based medical skin care company that developed and marketed therapeutic and daily use skincare and procedure-based products to dermatologists based on the company's patented GHK Copper Peptide technology.

In 1996, the FDA approved the company's Iamin gel wound dressing, a hydrogel for dressing and management of various types of wounds. In 2005, Procyte was acquired by PhotoMedex for $24.4 million.

1988 -- Heart Technology was founded.

Heart Technology was founded in 1988 as a spin-off from the University of Washington (UW) and ATL. The company introduced the Rotoblator in 1993, a device invented by David Auth a UW professor, that reopened clogged arteries.

On December 1995, Heart Technology was acquired by Boston Scientific Corp. in a stock swap valued at $500 million.

1989 -- Bio Research Laboratories was founded.

Bio Research Laboratories (BRL), founded in 1989, is a Redmond-based multi-disciplinary laboratory that provides research and testing services. The company was founded by John Majnarich who serves as the President and Scientific Director.

Dr. Majnarich previously served as Director of Medical and Biological Research Laboratories in Bothell from 1954 to 1965, and served as an Associate director of Enzomedic Laboratories in 1966 and then director of the Biological Division when it became Schick Laboratories. Majnarich has over 40 years of biomedical experience and has led or served as a director of several Seattle area companies, including CG Therapeutics, PriTest, SBI Skin Biology Seattle's Biomed Research Laboratories and Biomed.

1989 -- First Washington State court case involving DNA forensics occurred in Snohomish County, People vs. Young.

In 1989, the first Washington State court case involving DNA forensics occurred in Snohomish County, People vs. Young. DNA tests exclude Young, who had been identified by the victim as a rapist. The charges were dropped.

1989 -- Washington State Legislature created Governor's Biotechnology Advisory Committee.

The Biotechnology Targeted Sector legislation required the advisory committee, composed of private and public leaders of the state's biotechnology and medical device industries, to assess the status of the biotechnology industry in the Washington State, and to develop a program with the Department of Trade and Economic Development (DTED) to increase biotechnology employment, capital investment and product sales, and develop an evaluation process to measure the program's effectiveness.

Committee recommendations included improving the state's tax structure to encourage company development, supporting investment in higher education and hands-on training programs, the creation of a state-supported biotechnology investment fund, and the creation of incubator facilities and shared equipment programs. To support the implementation of the committee's recommendations, DTED assisted in the founding of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) in 1989. In 1990, the WBBA initiated dialogue with the State's Legislature resulting in the enactment in 1994 of Washington State Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing. This initial tax legislation was subsequently expanded and modified to further support the state's industry.

1989 -- Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association was founded.

The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) now Life Science Washington, is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(6) trade association serving the life sciences industry in the state of Washington.

1989 -- CellPro was founded.

CellPro, founded in Bothell, developed the CEPRATE SC stem-cell concentration system for use in bone-marrow transplantation. The company went public in 1991 raising $36 million, and in 1996 the FDA gave marketing approval to the company's CEPRATE SC stem-cell system for use in bone-marrow transplantation.

In 1997, CellPro was involved in a patent-infringement lawsuit brought by Johns Hopkins University, Baxter International, and Becton Dickinson & Co. concerning an antibody used in the CEPRATE SC stem-cell system treatment. In March, 1997 a federal district court jury ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and in the end, CellPro paid more than $15 million to settle the lawsuit and declared bankruptcy in 1998.

1989 -- ICOS Corporation was founded.

George Rathmann, Former Chairman, ICOS Corp.

ICOS Corporation was founded by Robert Nowinski, Christopher Henney and George Rathmann. The company was focused on discovering, developing and commercializing treatments for inflammation and other serious diseases. ICOS was established with $33 million in private financing, the largest industry start-up financing to date, with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the largest shareholder.

ICOS completed an initial public offering in 1991 at $8.00 per share. In 2006, ICOS Corporation was acquired by Eli Lilly and Co. for $2.1 billion (Photos: Christopher Henney courtesy of Dendreon Corporation, and George Rathmann, courtesy ICOS Corporation).

1990 -- E. Donnall Thomas was awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

E. Donnall "Don" Thomas from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, "the father of bone marrow transplantation," was awarded the 1990 Nobel Prize for Medicine for discoveries concerning organ and cell transplantation in the treatment of human disease.

Thomas joined the faculty of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 1974 as its first director of medical oncology. He later became associate director and eventually director of the Center's Clinical Research Division. He stepped down from that position at age 70 in 1990 and officially retired from the Hutchinson Center in 2002 (Photo: Courtesy of Fred Hutch).

1990 -- Human Genome Project was established.

The U.S. Human Genome Project was established -- a 13-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The main goals of the Human Genome Project were to provide a complete and accurate sequence of the 3 billion DNA base pairs that make up the human genome and to find all of the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 human genes. The project, originally planned to last 15 years, was expected to be completed by 2003 due to rapid technological advances.

1991 -- Leroy Hood was recruited to University of Washington.

The University of Washington (UW) announced a $12 million gift from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to recruit Lee Hood, MD, Ph.D. to Seattle from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Hood, well known for developing the automated DNA Sequencer and four other game changing instruments at Caltech -- founded and chaired the UW’s Department of Molecular Biotechnology.

Dr. Hood has also co-founded numerous life science companies, including: Darwin Molecular (1992), Rosetta Inpharmatics (1996), Institute for Systems Biology (2000), and Arivale (2015) among others. (Photo: Courtesy of Institute of Systems Biology)

1991 -- ICOS completed its IPO.

ICOS Corporation completed its IPO in 1991 at at $8.00 per share for a total of $36 million. ICOS was founded in 1989 by Robert Nowinski, Christopher Henney and George Rathmann. The company was focused on discovering, developing and commercializing treatments for inflammation and other serious diseases. ICOS was established with $33 million in private financing, the largest industry start-up financing to date, with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the largest shareholder. (Photos: Christopher Henney courtesy of Dendreon Corp, and George Rathmann, courtesy ICOS Corp).

1991 -- Sonus Pharmaceuticals (OncoGenex) was founded.

Sonus Pharmaceuticals, now known as OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, was founded by Steven C. Quay, M.D., Ph.D. in Bothell. The company was focused on the research and development of ultrasound contrast agents and drug delivery systems based on its proprietary liquid emulsions and fluorocarbon chemistry technologies.

1992 -- Edmund Fischer and Edwin Krebs were awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

Edmund Fischer and Edwin Krebs from the University of Washington were awarded the 1992 Nobel Prize for Medicine for their discoveries on reverse protein phosphorylation.

Dr. Fischer, born in Shanghai, China, was educated in Switzerland at the School of Chemistry, and came to the University of Washington, Seattle in the early 1950s to teach biochemistry. He became interested in enzymes during his early work in Switzerland, trying to discover the molecular structure of starch and glycogen.

Dr. Krebs, born in Lansing, Iowa, received his M.D. from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and served in the Navy during World War II. He taught at the University of Washington in Seattle, after the war, and began his investigations into how muscles work. He later became a department chair at the University of California, Davis and the University of Washington (Photos: © Nobel Foundation).

1992 -- Dendreon Corporation was founded.

Dendreon Corporation, founded in 1992, deveoped sipuleucel-T (PROVENGE®) an autologous cellular immunotherapy that was approved by the FDA in 2010 for treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate-resistant (hormone refractory) prostate cancer.

Dendreon filed for Chapter 11 protection in Sept. 2014 after Provenge proved unattractive to doctors and patients. A standard course of treatment cost $93,000, and the results showed only a four-month improvement in median survival rate. On Feb. 20, 2015, a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the assets of Dendreon to Valeant Pharmaceuticals for $495 million.

1992 -- PathoGenesis Corporation was founded.

PathoGenesis Corporation was founded in 1992 by Robert Nowinski. The company, based in Seattle, developed an inhaled antibiotic to treat lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. In 2000, Pathogenesis was acquired by Emeryville, California-based Chiron for $660 million or $38.50 per share.

PathoGenesis had developed an inhaled antibiotic to treat lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. Chiron was acquired by Novartis International in 2006.

1992 -- Targeted Genetics Corporation was founded.

Targeted Genetics Corporation was founded in Seattle in 1992 as a spin-off from Immunex Corporation with technologies licensed from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The company, headed by Stewart Parker, was focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of cutting-edge gene and cell therapy products for both acquired and inherited diseases. In 1993, Targeted Genetics becomes the first company to begin human clinical testing using gene therapy to combat HIV infection. Targeted Genetics became a public company in 1994.

1993 -- Kary B. Mullis was awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Kary B. Mullis of La Jolla, CA and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D.) was awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for contributions to the developments of methods within DNA-based chemistry, specifically for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. (Photo: © The Nobel Foundation)

PCR allows scientists to quickly replicate small strands of DNA, greatly simplifying the sequencing and cloning of genes. First presented in 1985, PCR has become one of the most widespread methods of analyzing DNA. Notably, PCR requires the heat-stable enzyme Taq (Thermus Aquaticus) which originated from hot springs located in Yellowstone National Park.

1993 -- The CRISPR-Cas microbial adaptive immune system and its function was discovered.

In 1993, Francisco Mojica at the University of Alicante in Spain was the first researcher to characterize what is now called a CRISPR locus (Clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats). In 2000, Mojica recognized that what had been reported as disparate repeat sequences actually shared a common set of features, now known to be hallmarks of CRISPR sequences (the term CRISPR was coined through correspondence with Ruud Jansen, who first used the term in print in 2002).

In 2005 Mojica reported that these sequences matched snippets from the genomes of bacteriophage. This finding led him to hypothesize, correctly, that CRISPR is an adaptive immune system. Another group, working independently, published similar findings.

1993 -- Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) was founded.

Biotechnology Industry Organization BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

1994 -- WA State Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing was enacted.

The Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing enacted into law by the Washington State Legislature in 1994 (Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5201, now enacted as Revised Code of Washington 82.63). This law exempted companies that manufacture or who are engaged in research and development from paying the sales or use tax on machinery and equipment used directly in manufacturing or research operations.

This tax incentive, sponsored by Rep. Bill Finkbeiner, was the result of many years of work by numerous individuals from the private sector, the Department of Trade and Economic Development, the Legislature, the Governor's office and the Department of Revenue. In the end, the legislation received bipartisan support in the House (78 yes; 15 no; 5 absent) and in the Senate (34 yes; 11 no; 4 absent).

Tax Incentive/Bill Signing:

Rep. Bill Finkbeiner, Sen. Sylvia Skratek, Rep. Jim Johansen, Tom Ranken (Immunex), Pat Dunn, Howard Mendelsohn (ICOS), Phil Ness (DTED), Vickie Chiechi with Governor Mike Lowry, April 4, 1994 -- Signing High Technology Tax Incentive Bill.

1994 -- Corixa Corporation was founded.

Corixa Corp. was founded in 1994 as a spin-off from the University of Washington and Seattle BioMed. The company licensed it's MPL adjuvant technology to several affiliates of Glaxosmithkline (GSK) and to Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines for development in more than 20 disease targets.

1994 -- Omeros Corporation was founded.

Omeros Corp., founded in 1994, is a Seattle-based biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products focused on inflammation and disorders of the central nervous system.

The company launched its IPO in 2009 at $10.00 per share and raised $62.1 million in net proceeds. The company had 62 employees as of Dec. 31, 2008.

1995 -- Heart Technology was acquired by Boston Scientific Corp.

On December 1995, Heart Technology was acquired by Boston Scientific Corp. in a stock swap valued at $500 million.

1995 -- Mary-Claire King was recruited to the University of Washington.

Mary-Claire King, an internationally known human geneticist, was recruited to the University of Washington's (UW) School of Medicine in 1995. Today, She is professor of Genome Sciences and of Medicine at the UW where she uses next generation sequencing approaches to identify genes responsible for complex human conditions.

Some of Dr. King's most noteworthy achievements include: identifying the BRCA1 gene responsible for inherited susceptibility to breast cancer; demonstrating that the genomes of humans and chimpanzees are 99% genetically identical; and pioneering the application of genomic sequencing methods in forensics to identify victims of human rights abuse (Photo: Courtesy of Mary-Claire King).

1996 -- Rosetta Inpharmatics was founded.

Rosetta Inpharmatics was founded in 1996 by Leroy Hood from the Institute for Systems Biology, and Lee Hartwell and Stephen Friend from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The company was acquired by Merck in 2001 for $620 million and the company remained in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood until 2008 when the operation was closed due to cost cutting.

1998 -- Seattle Genetics was founded.

Seattle Genetics, founded in Bothell, is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing innovative, empowered antibody-based therapies for the treatment of cancer. On March 7, 2001 the company launched its IPO and sold 7 million shares at $7 per share for gross proceeds of $49 million. In 2011, the FDA approved Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin), making it the first drug for Hodgkin's lymphoma approved in more than 30 years.

1999 -- Trubion Pharmaceutical was founded.

Trubion Pharmaceutical was founded in Seattle as a spin-off from the Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, and was focused on creating a pipeline of protein-based therapeutic product candidates to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and cancer. In 2006, Trubion completed its Initial Public Offering of 4,000,000 shares of common stock at $13.00 per share with gross proceeds of $52 million.

1999 -- BIO'99 International Meeting & Exhibition held in Seattle.

The BIO International Meeting & Exhibition is World's premier biotechnology meeting. The BIO'99 event was hosted by the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association and the BIO at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The event attracted more than 5,700 attendees with nearly thirty percent from outside the U.S.

2000 -- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was founded in Seattle.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began as the William H. Gates Foundation established in 1994, with an initial stock gift of $94 million. In 1999, the foundation was renamed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and in 2000 merged with the Gates Learning Foundation received an additional $126 million. The Foundation with offices in Washington, D.C.; Beijing, China; and Delhi, India is the largest private foundation in the world.

Today, the Gates Foundation has an endowment of $43.5 billion, total direct grantee support of more than $3.9 billion (2014) and total grants since inception of $32.9 billion. Local life science grantees include: the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, PATH, and Seattle BioMed, all internationally renown organizations supporting improved healthcare in the developing world.

2000 -- Institute for Systems Biology was founded.

Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), located in Seattle, was founded by Alan Aderem, Ruedi Aebersold, and Leroy Hood, as a non-profit research institute dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. ISB's goal is to unravel the mysteries of human biology to identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, arthritis and AIDS.

2000 -- PathoGenesis Corporation was acquired by Chiron.

PathoGenesis Corporation was founded in 1992 by Robert Nowinski. The company, based in Seattle, developed an inhaled antibiotic to treat lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis.

In 2000, Pathogenesis was acquired by Emeryville, California-based Chiron for $660 million or $38.50 per share. Chiron was subsequently acquired by Novartis International AG in 2006.

2001 -- Human Genome Project draft sequence was published.

The February 16 issue of Science and February 15 issue of Nature contained the working draft of the human genome sequence (U.S. Human Genome Project). Nature papers included initial analysis of the descriptions of the sequence generated by the publicly sponsored Human Genome Project, while Science publications focused on the draft sequence reported by the private company, Celera Genomics.

2001 -- Corus Pharma was founded.

Corus Pharma, founded in 2001, was a private venture-backed development stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development and commercialization of novel applications and formulations to treat respiratory diseases.

2001 -- Rosetta Inpharmatics was acquired by Merck.

Rosetta Inpharmatics was acquired by Merck for $620 million. The company was founded in 1996 by Leroy Hood from the Institute for Systems Biology, and Lee Hartwell and Stephen Friend from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The Merck Rosetta facility remained in Seattle until 2008 when the operation was closed due to cost cutting. Three hundred employees lost their jobs.

2001 -- The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance was founded.

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance opened its doors in 2001 to become the cancer treatment arm of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s.

Over the past decade, SCCA has turned thousands upon thousands of cancer patients from all over the world into cancer survivors.

2001 -- Leland H. Hartwell was awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

Photo of Lee Hartwell, President & Director, FHCRC

Leland H.Hartwell from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize for Medicine for discoveries of key regulators of the cell cycle (Photo: Courtesy of Fred Hutch).

Hartwell deserves credit for initiating the modern era of studies into the cell cycle. For more than 30 years, he has consistently contributed experimental and theoretical insights in this field. His contributions have also been seminal to much of our current understanding about the molecular basis of cancer, and he is now attempting to apply these discoveries to finding novel agents for the treatment of cancer.

2001 -- Seattle Genetics completed its IPO.

Seattle Genetics completed its IPO in 2001 and sold 7 million shares at $7 per share for gross proceeds of $49 million. The company was founded in 1998 in Bothell as a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing innovative, empowered antibody-based therapies for the treatment of cancer.

2002 -- Immunex Corporation was acquired by Amgen.

On July 16, 2002, Amgen completed it's acquisition of Immunex Corporation for $16 billion in stock and net cash. Immunex Corporation, the largest biotechnology company in the Pacific Northwest, was founded by Steven Gillis and Christopher Henney from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Stephen Duzan. It became publicly traded in 1983, and in 1991, with FDA approval of the drug Leukine, it became only the third fully integrated pharmaceutical company to be created in the U.S. since 1945.

2003 -- The Allen Institute for Brain Science was established.

Allen Institute for Brain Science, was established in 2003 with seed funding of $100 million from founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, a Microsoft Corp. co-founder. The Allen Institute is an independent nonprofit medical research organization with the mission to accelerate the understanding of how the human brain works in health and disease. Mr. Allen committed another $100 million in 2007, and an additional $300 million in 2012.

2003 -- NanoString Technologies was founded.

NanoString Technologies, founded in 2003 as a spin-off of the Institute for Systems Biology by Krassen Dimitrov, Amber Ratcliffe, and Dwayne Dunaway.

NanoString is engaged in the detection, identification and quantification of individual target molecules in a biological sample by attaching a color coded fluorescent reporter to each target molecule of interest. The Company markets its nCounter Analysis System to academic, government and biopharmaceutical and clinical laboratory customers.

2004 -- SeaMED Corp. Redmond facility was closed.

2004 -- Linda Buck was awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

Linda B. Buck from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize for Medicine for discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system (Photo: Courtesy of Fred Hutch).

2005 -- Corixa was acquired by Glaxosmithkline.

Corixa Corp., founded in 1994, was a spin-off from the University of Washington and Seattle BioMed. The company licensed it's MPL adjuvant technology to several affiliates of Glaxosmithkline (GSK) and to Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines for development in more than 20 disease targets. In 2005, Corixa was acquired by GSK for $300 million. In 2006, the operation was relocated to Hamilton, Montana.

2005 -- Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority was established.

Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority was created in 2005 as an agency of the state and governed by a board of trustees. The Authority was established as an account in the State Treasury and a total of $350 million in forthcoming tobacco settlement funds were to be used to attract an additional $650 million in private capital. The $1 billion fund was to help finance groundbreaking research and development of biomedical and other scientific advances to ease human suffering and make Washington a center for these activities.

2006 -- Calistoga Pharmaceuticals was founded.

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, founded in 2006, was a privately-held company based in Seattle, that was dedicated to developing targeted therapies to improve the health of patients with cancer or inflammatory diseases.

Calistoga had a portfolio of proprietary compounds that selectively targeted isoforms of phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K). This pathway had been shown to be a central signaling pathway for cellular proliferation, survival and trafficking. The company's lead product candidate, CAL-101, was a first-in-class specific inhibitor of the PI3K delta isoform.

2006 -- Corus Pharma was acquired by Gilead Sciences.

On Aug. 11, 2006, Gilead Sciences announced that it had completed its acquisition of Corus Pharma for $365 million. Gilead retained the Corus' Seattle-based operations, establishing a center of expertise in respiratory therapeutics.

2007 -- The National Institutes of Health established the Human Microbiome Project.

On Dec. 19, 2007, the Human Microbiome Project (HMP), a $150 million initiative, was established by the National Institutes of Health with the mission of generating resources that would enable the comprehensive characterization of the human microbiome and analysis of its role in human health and disease.

The HMP is the collection of all the microorganisms living in association with the human body, including eukaryotes, archaea, bacteria and viruses. Bacteria in an average human body number ten times more than human cells, for a total of about 1000 more genes than are present in the human genome.

2007 -- Eli Lilly completed its acquisition of ICOS Corp. for $2.3 billion.

On Jan. 29, 2007, Eli Lilly announced it had completed its acqusition of ICOS Corp. for $2.3 billion. for $34 per share or $2.3 billion. ICOS was founded in 1991 by David and Isaac Blech, Robert Nowinski, Christopher Henney, and George Rathmann. The company was focused on discovering, developing and commercializing treatments for inflammation and other serious diseases. On Nov. 21 2003, Cialis (tadalafil), a PDE5 inhibitor discovered through a Glaxo Wellcome (GlaxoSmithKline) ICOS partnership, was approved by the FDA for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) under the name trade name Cialis.

2008 -- Sonus Pharmaceuticals was acquired by OncoGenex.

Sonus Pharmaceuticals was acquired by OncoGenex Technologies in 2008, in a reverse merger transaction worth $10.36 million. Sonus was founded in 1991 by Steven C. Quay, M.D., Ph.D. in Bothell. The company was focused on the research and development of ultrasound contrast agents and drug delivery systems based on its proprietary liquid emulsions and fluorocarbon chemistry technologies.

Today, OncoGenex is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new therapies that address treatment resistance in cancer patients.

2008 -- Rosetta Inpharmatics closed by Merck due to cost cutting.

Rosetta Inpharmatics was closed by Merck due to cost cutting. Three hundred employees lost their jobs. The company was founded in 1996 by Leroy Hood from the Institute for Systems Biology, and Lee Hartwell and Stephen Friend from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The company was acquired by Merck in 2001 for $620 million.

2009 -- Omeros Corporation competed its IPO.

Omeros Corp. launched its IPO in 2009 at $10.00 per share and raised $62.1 million in net proceeds. The company had 62 employees as of Dec. 31, 2008.

Omeros, founded in 1994, is a Seattle-based biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products focused on inflammation and disorders of the central nervous system.

2010 -- Trubion Pharmaceutical was acquired by Emergent BioSolutions.

Trubion Pharmaceutical was founded in Seattle in 1999 as a spin-off from the Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, and was focused on creating a pipeline of protein-based therapeutic product candidates to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and cancer.

On Oct. 28, 2010, Emergent BioSolutions announced it had completed the acquisition of Trubion Pharmaceutical, a spin-off from the Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, for upfront consideration of $96.8 million of value and up to $38.7 million of success-based milestones, resulting in a total consideration of up to $135.5 million.

2010 -- ZymoGenetics was acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

In 2000, the company was spun off as a public company, and in 2002, ZymoGenetics launched its IPO at $12.00 per share with net proceeds of $111.6 million. Following the IPO, Novo Nordisk held 39% of ZymoGenetic's capital stock. In October 2010, Bristol-Myers Squibb acquired ZymoGenetics after entering into a strategic collaboration to co-develop PEG-Interferon lambda.

2011 -- Calistoga Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Gilead Science.

In 2011, Foster City, Calif-based Gilead Sciences acquired Calistoga Pharmaceuticals for $375 million, plus milestones worth an additional $225 million.

2013 -- Juno Theraputics was founded.

Juno Theraputics, a new biotechnology company focused on bringing forward novel immunotherapies for cancer was launched in 2013 by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, along with pediatric partner Seattle Children's Research Institute.

Juno was established with an initial investment of $120 million, making it one of the largest Series A biotech startups in history. Initial investors include leading technology venture capital firm ARCH Venture Partners, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, and the Alaska Permanent Fund. Hans Bishop, a longtime biotech industry veteran, was made company CEO.

2013 -- NanoString Technologies completed its IPO.

On June 26, 2013, NanoString Technologies launched an initial public offering at $10.00 per share and raised $54 million in net proceeds. The company had 141 employees as of May 31, 2013.

NanoString Technologies was incorporated in Seattle as a spin-off from the Institute for Systems Biologyin 2003 by Krassen Dimitrov, Amber Ratcliffe, and Dwayne Dunaway. NanoString is engaged in the detection, identification and quantification of individual target molecules in a biological sample by attaching a color coded fluorescent reporter to each target molecule of interest.

2014 -- The Allen Institute for Cell Science was founded.

Allen Institute for Cell Science, was established in 2014 with a $100 million contribution from founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, a Microsoft Corp. co-founder. The new Institute will serve as a catalyzing force to integrate diverse technologies and approaches at a large scale in order to study the cell as an integrated system.

The Allen Institute for Cell Science is housed in the new Allen Institute building located in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. The seven-story, 270,000 square foot building is also occupied by the Allen Institute for Brain Science.

2014 -- Amgen announced closure of Seattle and Bothell facilities.

On July 29, 2014, Amgen announced in its annual report the closure of facilities in Seattle and Bothell which previously had 660 employees. Amgen consolidated its Washington operations with facilities in California and Massachusetts.

Amgen acquired Immunex for $16 billion in stock and net cash on December 17, 2001. Immunex, the largest biotechnology company in the Pacific Northwest, was founded by Steven Gillis and Christopher Henney from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Stephen Duzan. It became publicly traded in 1983, and in 1991, with FDA approval of the drug Leukine, it became only the third fully integrated pharmaceutical company to be created in the U.S. since 1945.

2015 -- Celgene and Juno Theraputics announced ten-year collaboration to advance immunotherapies.

Juno Theraputics and Celgene announced a global collaboration for the development and commercialization of immunotherapies. Under terms of the agreement, Celgene paid Juno $150 million in upfront fees, and purchased 9.1 million or $846.3 million of newly issued shares, in exchange for certain options to market Juno’s experimental immunotherapy treatments. Celgene was paid $93 per share, double Juno’s closing price of $46.30 the following Monday.

2015 -- Dendreon was aquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

Dendreon Corporation founded in 1992 developed Provenge as an immunotherapy for prostate cancer. It consisted of a mixture of the patient's own blood cells that are incubated with the Dendreon PAP-GM-CSF fusion protein.

2015 -- The WA State Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing expired.

The Washington Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing act expired Jan. 1, 2015. The Sales Tax Exemption, enacted into law by the Washington State Legislature in 1994, exempted companies that manufacture or who are engaged in R&D from paying the sales or use tax on machinery and equipment used directly in manufacturing or research operations.

In the end, the legislation received bipartisan support in the House (78 yes; 15 no; 5 absent) and in the Senate (34 yes; 11 no; 4 absent). The Sales Tax Exemption act expired Jan. 1, 2015. (Photo: Rep. Bill Finkbeiner, Sen. Sylvia Skratek, Rep. Jim Johansen, Tom Ranken (Immunex), Pat Dunn, Howard Mendelsohn (ICOS), Phil Ness (DTED), Vickie Chiechi with Governor Mike Lowry, signing of tax incentive bill.

2015 -- The Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority was defunded.

Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority (LSDF) was defunded by the Legislature. The LSDF was created in 2005 as an agency of the state and governed by a board of trustees. The Authority was established and a total of $350 million in forthcoming tobacco settlement funds were to be used to attract an additional $650 million in private capital. The $1 billion fund was to help finance groundbreaking research and development of biomedical and other scientific advances to ease human suffering and make Washington a center for these activities.

Since 2007, the LSDF had administered 111 grants worth $105 million, supporting more than 3,500 jobs, 40-plus startup companies, and helped attract $510 million in additional funding.

2016 -- Physio-Control was acquired by Stryker Corporation.

Physio-Control was acquired by Michigan-based Stryker Corp. in an all cash transaction for $1.28 billion. Physio-Control, formerly a Bain Capital company, develops, manufactures and markets monitors/defibrillators, AEDs and CPR-assist devices.

In 1955, Physio-Control was incorporated by Dr. K. William Edmark, a Seattle cardiovascular surgeon, who was determined to reduce the number of sudden deaths during cardiac surgery. In 1980, the company was acquired by Eli Lilly for an undisclosed price. In 2011, Lilly sold the company to Medtronic for $487 million, and in 2011 Medtronic divested Physio to Bain Capital in a cash transaction valued at $487 million.

2016 -- Institute for Systems Biology and Providence Health & Services launched joint research and clinical care.

Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and Providence Health & Services announced a new affiliation for expanding personalized medicine through joint research and clinical care.

ISB, located in Seattle, was founded in 2002 by Alan Aderem, Ruedi Aebersold, and Leroy Hood, as a non-profit research institute dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. ISB's goal is to unravel the mysteries of human biology to identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, arthritis and AIDS. Providence Health & Services provides care through 34 hospitals, 600 clinics and other services in Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

2016 -- Bristol-Myers Squibb announced closure of Seattle's ZymoGenetics operation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that it would not renew its lease at the Lake Union Steam Plant site in Seattle, Washington in 2019. The company planned to transition many employees from Seattle to other U.S. locations.

In 2000, the company was spun off as a public company, and in 2002, ZymoGenetics launched its IPO at $12.00 per share with net proceeds of $111.6 million. Following the IPO, Novo Nordisk held 39% of ZymoGenetic's capital stock. In October 2010, Bristol-Myers Squibb acquired ZymoGenetics after entering into a strategic collaboration to co-develop PEG-Interferon lambda, for $9.75 per share or $885 million.

Other Washington State Resources

Washington State Life Science Research Funding Report -- A comprehensive overview of research funding in Washington State from 1980 to 2014.

WA Life Science History Poster -- An engaging poster where you can learn about the scientists behind the discoveries, the entrepreneurs, companies, philanthropists, political leaders, and significant events, institutions and companies that are the foundation of the life science industry in the state of Washington.

WA Life Science Genealogy Poster -- A one-of-a-kind genealogy poster that illustrates the technology origins of the nearly 400 firms and non-profit research organizations in the state of Washington

Lake Union Steam Plant -- Tour the historic landmark Hydro House and Steam Plant located on Lake Union in Seattle. A photographic collection from the driving of the first pilings in 1914 to its renovation into a modern life science research facility.

Learn about the history of the life science industry in other states and provinces:

Plus the provinces of:

Other Life Science History Resources:

If you are aware of a notable event or person at your company or organization that should be included in Washington Life Science History, please e-mail: Suggestions@InfoResource.org.

Washington Life Science History(TM) . Washington Life Science Evolution(TM) . Washington Life Science Genealogy(TM) © Info.Resource, Inc.

Email This Page
to a Friend

Print This
Page

WashingtonLifeScience.com is owned and published by Info.Resource, Inc.

Washington Life Science History

Subscribe to "Washington Life Science E-History made daily..."