Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Facts
- HQ
- Federal Way
- Sectors
- Healthcare, Medical research, Cancer research
- Founded
- 1976
Cloudentity Names Jason Needham as CEO After $13M Series A; Leafly Appoints Suresh Krishnaswamy as CFO; Chris Suh Joins Cardlytics Board; Three Named HHMI Investigators
Seattle startup Cloudentity named Jason Needham, ex-CloudCoreo and VMware multi-cloud security lead, as CEO and board member after a $13M Series A; Leafly hired Suresh Krishnaswamy as CFO as it prepares for a SPAC, and Microsoft CVP Chris Suh joined Cardlytics' board. Trevor Bedford, Frederick Matsen IV and David Veesler were named 2021 HHMI Investigators, each receiving roughly $9M over seven years.
Study Finds Seattle Startup Tasso’s Tasso‑SST Self‑Collection Device Matches Venous COVID‑19 Antibody Results
A study led by Seattle researchers found the Tasso-SST self-administered upper-arm blood collection device produced antibody results nearly identical to venous draws and worked for a high proportion of users, even after simulated 48-hour shipping. The device, made by Seattle startup Tasso, could replace some clinic blood draws for COVID-19 antibody testing.
Icosavax IPO: Seattle biotech raises $180M, stock jumps 200% on first trading day (ICVX)
Seattle biotech Icosavax surged more than 200% on its NASDAQ debut after raising over $180 million by pricing shares at $15; the company develops virus-like particle vaccines and recently began phase 1/2 trials for a COVID-19 vaccine supported by a $10 million Gates Foundation grant.
Modulus Therapeutics, spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, raises $3.5M to engineer enhanced NK cell therapies
Modulus Therapeutics, a Seattle cell-therapy startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, raised $3.5 million in seed funding to use lab research and machine learning to engineer enhanced natural killer (NK) cells for anti-tumor therapies. Founders Max Darnell and Bryce Daines aim to develop a discovery platform to generate NK cell product candidates for larger cellular therapy companies.
Lumen Bioscience to convert former Wallingford bakery into algae plant, quintupling spirulina output after $16M Series B
Seattle biotech Lumen Bioscience will convert a former Wallingford bakery into an algae-based manufacturing facility to roughly quintuple spirulina production from about 3 kg per week, following a $16M Series B and several new partnerships and grants.
TwinStrand Biosciences, led by Jesse Salk, raises $50M Series B from Section 32 to scale ultra-accurate gene-sequencing
TwinStrand Biosciences, co-founded and led by Jesse Salk, raised $50 million in a Series B led by Section 32 to expand its high-accuracy gene-sequencing technology for detecting rare mutations with applications in cancer detection, therapy monitoring, and safety testing.
GeekWire Names Common Room, Ozette, SeekOut, Shelf Engine and Strike Graph as 2024 Startup of the Year Finalists; Voting Open
GeekWire has announced five finalists for Startup of the Year — Common Room, Ozette, SeekOut, Shelf Engine, and Strike Graph — highlighting Seattle and Pacific Northwest entrepreneurship; community voting runs through April 30 and winners will be revealed May 20 at the virtual GeekWire Awards.
2Morrow raises $1.5M led by WRF Capital, total funding now $2.9M to expand ACT-based digital therapeutics
Seattle-area digital therapeutics startup 2Morrow raised $1.5 million, bringing total funding to $2.9 million, to expand its smartphone-based coaching apps that use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for smoking cessation, weight loss, stress and grief. The 11-person company, led by CEO and co-founder Jo Masterson, saw increased demand in 2020 and has partnered with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center since 2013.
Presage Biosciences raises $13M, inks collaborations with Merck and Maverick to test cancer drugs using CIVO
Seattle-based Presage Biosciences raised $13 million in its first venture round, bringing total equity to $35 million, and announced new collaborations with Merck and Maverick Therapeutics to use its CIVO platform for testing cancer drugs in human tumors. The CIVO device enables micro-dosing and biomarker tracking in phase 0 trials, aiming to improve preclinical screening and reduce failures in costly phase I trials.
Notch Therapeutics raises $85M Series A (total $91M) to fund stem cell–derived T cell therapies and open Seattle lab
Notch Therapeutics raised an $85 million Series A, bringing total funding to $91 million, to advance stem cell–derived T cell immunotherapies and expand with a new Seattle research lab. The 2018-founded biotech plans to grow from 35 to about 100 employees by end of 2022 and is collaborating with Allogene Therapeutics on treatments for blood cancers.
Ozette, a Fred Hutch spinout incubated at AI2, raises $6M seed to scale AI immune-monitoring platform
Ozette, a Seattle biotech spun out of Fred Hutch and incubated at AI2, raised a $6 million seed round to scale its eight-person team and commercialize an AI-driven Immune Monitoring Platform that analyzes high-dimensional single-cell protein data, initially focused on cancer. The founders say the platform automates analysis of billions-to-trillions of protein-expression combinations and increases usable information from roughly 10% to 100% of study data.
Ensoma launches in Boston with $70M Series A to commercialize Engenious gene‑editing adenoviral vectors developed by Fred Hutch and UW researchers
Boston-based biotech spinout Ensoma launched, announcing a $70 million Series A to commercialize Engenious adenoviral vectors developed by Drs. Hans-Peter Kiem (Fred Hutch) and André Lieber (UW) that aim to deliver single‑injection gene therapies without stem cell harvest or chemotherapy.
Cascadia leaders push Seattle–Vancouver life-sciences collaboration as B.C. Cancer Agency and Fred Hutch co-develop cancer diagnostics
Leaders from British Columbia and Washington are encouraging deeper collaboration between Seattle and Vancouver life-science organizations, citing examples like B.C. Cancer Agency’s partnership with Fred Hutch and Gates-funded projects with Vancouver’s AbCellera to build a Cascadia life-sciences cluster.
GeekWire Podcast: Salesforce to buy Slack for $27.7B; AWS surprises at re:Invent; Tanium (valued $9B, $430M revenue) moves HQ to Seattle
GeekWire Podcast discusses Salesforce’s $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack, surprising announcements from AWS at re:Invent, and cybersecurity firm Tanium relocating its headquarters to the Seattle region with $9 billion valuation and $430M revenue, with commentary from Madrona’s Matt McIlwain on regional and cloud/enterprise implications.
'Slackforce,' AWS re:Invent, and Seattle's new $9B tech company
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Salesforce strikes a deal to acquire Slack for $27.7 billion; Amazon Web Services makes some surprising news at its annual re:Invent cloud conference; and a new tech giant arrives in our backyard. Joining us on this episode is Matt McIlwain, managing director at Seattle-based venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group, offering his commentary on the implications of these developments in the world of cloud and enterprise technology. Special bonus: Listen to the end of the show for a new installment of our GeekWire Podcast trivia contest, with a chance to win a GeekWire mask…
Umoja Biopharma raises $53M Series A to develop in vivo CAR T-cell immunotherapies for adult and pediatric tumors
Seattle-based Umoja Biopharma raised $53 million in a Series A to advance its preclinical in vivo CAR T-cell immunotherapy platform for blood and organ tumors in adult and pediatric patients, aiming to generate cancer-fighting cells inside the body. The company was founded last year by CEO Andy Scharenberg and collaborators from Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Purdue University, with MPM Capital and Qiming Venture Partners USA leading the round.
Seattle startup Genemod raises $1.7M led by Defy.vc to expand cloud-based lab inventory software
Seattle startup Genemod raised $1.7 million to expand its cloud-based inventory and lab management software for life sciences researchers, planning new product management features and serving customers like Fred Hutch and UW School of Medicine.
Tasso raises $17M to expand Tasso OnDemand at-home blood collection platform; CEO cites pandemic-driven demand
Seattle startup Tasso raised $17 million to expand its Tasso OnDemand at-home blood collection platform, which lets users self-collect and mail samples for lab testing; CEO Ben Casavant says the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for patient-friendly, at-home diagnostics.
Sana Biotechnology raises over $700M (SEC filings suggest $866.8M total) to advance gene and cell therapies
Sana Biotechnology announced it has raised more than $700 million in venture funding to develop gene- and cell-therapy approaches, marking one of the largest life-sciences venture rounds and among Seattles biggest. SEC filings indicate total capital and non-cash assets may total about $866.8 million, though the company declined to disclose valuation.
Inside the IPO: Adaptive Biotech
Chad Robins is a Cornell grad and Wharton School MBA who was working in real estate finance a decade ago when he was approached with a business idea by his brother, Harlan Robins, head of the Computational Biology Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. As Chad Robins recalled, "When he called me up in 2009 and said, 'Hey I want to start a business, I've figured out how to sequence T-cells at a high throughput,' I was like, 'Yes, I'm in!' and then I went to Wikipedia and I'm like, 'What the hell is he talking about?' I…
ApoGen Raises $4M More in Series A to Combat Drug-Resistant Cancers, Adds Biotech Vets to Leadership
Biotech startup ApoGen raised an additional $4 million in its Series A round, totaling $11 million, to advance its development of treatments for drug-resistant cancers. The company also expanded its executive team by hiring Seattle biotech veteran Peter de Vries and added M Ventures' Investment Director Keno Gutierrez to its board.
Nelson Del Rio Joins Seattle Startup Blokable as Co-CEO to Advance Scalable Affordable Housing Solutions
Nelson Del Rio has joined Seattle startup Blokable as co-CEO, working alongside co-founder Aaron Holm to develop scalable modular housing solutions for affordable housing. Del Rio brings expertise in public-private partnerships and aims to transform the residential housing development process amid the ongoing housing crisis.
2017 GeekWire Summit in Seattle Features CEOs Nadella, Johnson; Limited Tickets Available for Oct 9-11 Event
The 2017 GeekWire Summit, happening October 9-11 in Seattle, will gather over 800 leaders to discuss advances in tech, business, and science, featuring top speakers like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson. The event includes fireside chats, startup showcases, and a new 'Immigrant’s Journey' speaker series, with limited tickets still available.
Health Tech: Using data and crowdsourcing to fight cancer
Dr. Tony Blau saw a big problem with cancer treatment: we can’t make sense of all the data we can gather. So he founded a startup that connects experts, doctors and patients to sort through their data and build an ever-smarter cancer database. We speak with Blau on this episode of GeekWire’s Health Tech podcast. For more Health Tech stories visit GeekWire.com/healthtech. Thank you to our sponsor, Providence St. Joseph Health’s Digital and Innovation Group. Follow them at twitter.com/provinnovation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Week in Geek: Bezos, Rover, and Pokemon
It was a busy news week in Seattle. Rover announced it is acquiring its biggest competition; the Bezos family made a record-breaking donation to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; and the University of Washington released a heartwarming study on the effects of Pokemon Go on family bonding. Catch it all on this episode of the Week in Geek. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jeff Leek Executive, Co-founder and Chief Data Officer
