Health/Life Sciences

Dec 11, 2020, 5:58 PM

Washington health officials outline distribution plans as FDA approves first COVID vaccine

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday evening approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, experts are… Read More

Dec 10, 2020, 8:57 AM

Gates Foundation commits $250M more to COVID response, stressing equity in vaccine delivery

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is committing an additional $250 million in the fight against COVID-19, with funds going… Read More

Dec 8, 2020, 2:33 PM

Freespira raises $10M for tech platform that aims to ease panic attacks and PTSD

In a year rife with anxiety, a Seattle-area startup called Freespira has raised $10 million to support its efforts to… Read More

Dec 8, 2020, 7:48 AM

Athira Pharma wins $15M grant from National Institute on Aging for trial of Alzheimer’s drug

Seattle-based biotech company Athira Pharma announced a three-year grant totaling $15 million from the National Institute on Aging to support… Read More

Dec 7, 2020, 10:49 AM

Melinda Gates talks about vaccine disinformation and calls for Biden to appoint caregiving ‘czar’

In a recent Q&A with The New York Times, Melinda Gates reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges and hesitations… Read More

Dec 3, 2020, 8:32 PM

Silverback Therapeutics prices IPO at $21/share, will raise $241M in 4th Wash. state IPO of 2020

Silverback Therapeutics will raise $241.5 million as the Seattle biotech company goes public Friday. Silverback priced its IPO on Thursday… Read More

Dec 3, 2020, 11:05 AM

Washington State U. launches ‘Spinout Space in Spokane’ incubator for life sciences startups

Washington State University is launching a new life sciences incubator in Spokane, Wash., designed to help startups grow out of… Read More

Dec 1, 2020, 4:23 PM

COVID-19 exposure notification apps become more widespread — but will they make a difference?

Since it launched on Monday, more than 700,000 Washington residents have installed or activated the WA Notify app. The free… Read More

Nov 30, 2020, 9:00 AM

Washington state launches COVID-19 exposure notification app using Google and Apple technology

Washington state unveiled a new app to inform residents if they’ve been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, as infection… Read More

Nov 30, 2020, 8:10 AM

Seattle biotech firm Silverback Therapeutics sets terms for IPO, looks to raise up to $151M

Silverback Therapeutics plans to raise up to $151.8 million in its initial public offering, the Seattle-based company said Monday in… Read More

Nov 24, 2020, 8:25 AM

A SPAC called FLAC? Seattle venture capital firm to launch $100 million ‘blank check’ company

One of Seattle’s biggest and longest active venture capital firms is looking to jump into the SPAC arena. Frazier Healthcare… Read More

Nov 20, 2020, 3:46 PM

As COVID test sites reach capacity, Washington state leaders urge restraint and judgment

As Thanksgiving draws closer, COVID-19 infections are surging and virus testing is hitting capacity, leaving health experts and elected officials… Read More

Nov 19, 2020, 11:59 AM

Seattle biotech firm Umoja Biopharma raises $53M as it tackles unique approach to immunotherapy

Umoja Biopharma raised $53 million to expand development of its CAR T-cell immunotherapy treatments for blood-based and organ-based tumors in… Read More

Nov 18, 2020, 4:21 PM

Health officials urge people to stay home and avoid ‘catastrophic consequences’ amid record COVID-19 cases in Washington state

Washington state was able to “flatten the curve” earlier this year when COVID-19 began spreading. Now health officials are hoping… Read More

Nov 18, 2020, 11:24 AM

Vimly Benefit Solutions raises $6.7M to help healthcare companies manage employee benefits

Vimly Benefit Solutions raised $6.7 million to help scale its benefits administration software platform. The Seattle-area company provides enrollment, eligibility,… Read More

Nov 17, 2020, 8:34 AM

Teen who built popular coronavirus tracking website has COVID-19 and calls it ‘pretty terrible’

Avi Schiffmann, the Seattle-area teen who built a website to track the early and ongoing spread of coronavirus, has tested… Read More

Nov 17, 2020, 3:00 AM

Amazon Pharmacy: Online drugstore and Prime Rx discounts extend tech giant’s reach into healthcare

Updated at 12:30 p.m. Pacific. Tuesday. Amazon will offer prescription medications for home delivery through a new online drugstore, promising… Read More

Nov 16, 2020, 7:55 AM

‘As good as it gets’: Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which got its start in Seattle, is 94.5% effective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJlP91xjvsQ Biotech giant Moderna on Monday announced that its COVID-19 vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing the disease during Phase… Read More

Nov 13, 2020, 10:48 AM

Adaptive plans fall launch of T-cell test for past COVID-19 detection, as alternative to antibody tests

Adaptive Biotechnologies says it’s proceeding with plans to launch a new type of test to determine if someone was previously… Read More

Nov 13, 2020, 9:06 AM

Microsoft: Russian and North Korean hackers are targeting COVID-19 vaccine developers

Microsoft says it has detected cyberattacks by hackers operating in Russia and North Korea against seven companies working on COVID-19… Read More

Nov 12, 2020, 6:53 PM

Amid ‘alarming rise’ of COVID-19, Fred Hutch tightens restrictions, and Inslee makes new appeal

Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has its finger on the pulse of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the home of… Read More

Nov 12, 2020, 11:00 AM

New human cell atlases track how tissues develop, providing a road map for research

Two new human cell atlases have mapped the molecular machinery that builds tissue in the weeks after conception — and… Read More

Nov 10, 2020, 6:23 PM

Curb exposure or risk restrictions: Health officials warn of ‘impending crisis’ as COVID-19 infection rates accelerate

Washington state and local health officials on Tuesday gave the public what was essentially an ultimatum: Take the necessary steps… Read More

Nov 10, 2020, 11:29 AM

Can blockchain heal what ails healthcare? Lumedic launches new quest for digital identity standards

Health technology company Lumedic launched a new effort to create standards for digital identity in healthcare, aiming to streamline the… Read More

Nov 7, 2020, 10:18 AM

As COVID cases break records and keep rising, why no new restrictions in Seattle region?

The rate of new COVID-19 infections continues to rise in Seattle and the rest of King County, with more than… Read More

Nov 5, 2020, 12:58 PM

Research alliance co-founded by Fred Hutch and Microsoft announces initial cancer studies

A collaboration to share data between top Pacific Northwest cancer research groups has announced its first three projects, focused on… Read More

Nov 4, 2020, 11:53 AM

Navigating Cancer’s founder and former CEO sues its investor Merck, alleging gender bias and interference with acquisition talks

The founder and former CEO of Seattle health tech startup Navigating Cancer, Gena Cook, is suing one of its investors,… Read More

Nov 2, 2020, 7:00 PM