Seattle Biotech 2010

Seattle Biotech 2010
The IndUS Entrepreneurs sponsored Seattle Biotech 2010: Opportunities and Challenges on Thursday night at the Bellevue Courtyard Marriott.

Panelists:

• Susannah Malarkey (moderator), Exec Director, Technology Alliance


• Sanjaya Joshi, Userspace: made an opening presentation


• Greg Bear, science fiction author


• Robert DuBose, Director of Bioinformatics, Amgen


• Christopher Elias, CEO, PATH


• Bruce Montgomery, Corus Pharma


• David Shubert, Accelerator Corp


• Chad Waite, OVP


• Paul Yager, Univ of Wash

The Seattle biotech community is surprisingly strong, with a rich history traced from the 1973 opening of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and a trove of alumni companies. Many companies owe their roots to Robert Nowinski and several other serial entrepreneurs, all the way to the Allen Brain Atlas, funded by Paul Allen. Seattle has also been a powerhouse for medical equipment makers, including ultrasound.

Bioterror is getting all the attention and huge amounts of money, so that was a subject of many discussions. I was surprised to hear the panelists speculate about the 2001 anthrax killer. One guy thinks it’s a 12-25 year-old self-taught loner. I had thought Steve Hatfill was still the prime suspect, even if he hasn’t been accused.

• “Aspirin would never pass a Phase II trial”.


• “The Gates Foundation spends 2x WHO” on medical treatment for the developing countries.


• Nanotech is the first innovation since globalization, says John Martin of the Washington Tech Alliance, so it’s less likely that a “hub” will form in a single region. You’ll see nanotech happening worldwide, in surprising places.


• Research on treatments that only benefit the third world may not seem profitable, but focus on process improvements required to get to low prices is very effective.