Welcome to the Seattle Biotech Graveyard
This page details the fates of a number of Seattle or NW based biotech companies that are no longer with us because they were acquired, merged, or folded
Below is the list in alphabetical order.
Acylin Therapeutics disappeared in 2014 after its assets were sold off to an unnamed pharma company
Afya World Medicines merged into IDRI in 2008
Albany Molecular Research - Scientific services provider (based in NY) with labs in Bothell, WA closed down in 2012 and moved jobs to Singapore
Alcide was bought out by Ecolab in 2004
Allozyne, a protein modification company, closed its doors in 2014
Alpine Biosciences was bought by Oncothyreon in Aug. 2014
Alpine Immune Sciences was bought by Vertex Pharmaceuticals for $4.9 billion in 2024
Amgen closed down its two facilities and pulling out of WA State in 2015
Anawah (Fred Hutch spinout) went out of business when?
Amnis, maker of quantitative flow cytometry imaging systems, is being acquired by EMD Millipore in 2011
AmpliPhi was acquired by Amata Pharmaceuticals of CA
Amp Orthopedics appears to have gone out of business maybe in 2013?
Archus Orthopedics ran out of money in September 2009
Argus Genetics LLC, a provider of dog breed DNA testing services, was spun out of the FHCRC and then sold their technology (Wisdom Panel MX) to Mars in 2005
Arivale - Wellness company designed to build on the ISB's 100K genome sequencing project and co-founded by Lee Hood closed its doors in April 2019
Ascentia Biomedical Corp. did a reverse merger with Fortress Technology Systems in 2006 and changed its name to Duncan Technology Group
Beat BioTherapeutics was working on gene therapy for repairing damaged hearts. Launched in 2013, out of business in 2019
Bellweather Bio, whose focus was on identifying epigenomic content of cell free DNA, was acquired by Guardant Health in March 2019
Berlex, the US subsidiary of Schering AG, bought Immunex's Leukine in 2002 when Immunex was bought by Amgen. Berlex (as part of Schering AG) was then acquired by Bayer in 2006, who subsequently sold Leukine to Genzyme in 2009
Bristol Meyers Pharmaceutical Research Institute had a site in Seattle, but it was closed down in 1997. BMS later returned to the Seattle market with the purchase of Zymogenetics in 2010 (and shut down in 2018) and the establishment of an immunotherapy center from its Celgene acquistion (which had previously acquired Juno).
Blue Heron Biotechnology was acquired by OriGene Technologies in 2010
Bullet Biopharma was a start-up focused on the development of a proprietary platform, the BBP protein scaffold domain, for immunotherapy
Calcionics was developing peptide therapeutics targeting calcification, but it appears to have gone out of business by 2012
Calypso Medical Technologies was acquired by Varian Medical Systems in Sept. 2011
Calistoga Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Gilead in 2011
Cascadian Therapeutics (formerly known as Oncothyreon, and before that Biomira) - was purchased by Seattle Genetics in early 2018
Celator Pharmaceutics - BC based developer of combination oncology products was bought by Jazz Therapeutics
CDR Therapeutics went out of business when?
CellExCys (Fred Hutch spinout) went out of business when?
Cellpro lost a patent lawsuit to Becton Dickinson in 1997. They were forced to divest their Ceprate column to BD, and then went under in 1998
Century Therapeutics shut down its Seattle offices in early 2023.
Ceptyr was developing protein tyrosine phosphatase based drugs and went out of business
CG Therapeutics, a cancer vaccine company, went out of business around 2012-2013
Chinook Therapeutics was acquired by Novartis for $3.2B in 2023
CMC ICOS Biologics - contract biologics manufacturing was acquired by AGC Biologics in 2018
Columbia Northwest Pharmaceuticals (suicide prevention) shut down their website and likely went out of business in 2012
Combimatrix shut down its operations in Mukilteo in 2010 and moving to Irvine, CA to focus on diagnostics
Confirma, Inc., a maker of computer-assisted detecting (CAD) technology for medical imaging was acquired by Merge Healthcare in 2009
Corixa was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2006
Corus was acquired by Gilead Sciences in 2006
CTI BioPharma was acquired by Sobi for $1.7B in 2023
Cytopeia was purchased by Becton Dickinson in 2008
Darwin Molecular was acquired by Chiroscience in 1996. Chiroscience then merged with Celltech in 1999. Celltech was purchased by UCB in 2004
Dendreon went bankrupt in Nov. 2014 and was purchased by Valeant in Feb. 2015 for $495M. It was then sold to Chinese company Sanpower for $842M in 2017, and then was sold again for $872M in 2018 to Chinese conglomerate Nanjing Xinbai
Dharma Therapeutics was developing a needle free drug and vaccine delivery system, but they seem to have gone out of business
Eden Bioscience Corp., an agricultural biotech, will be dissolved and liquidated in 2009
Elanex Pharmaceuticals went out of business
Elixir Research - Dysphagia management system went out of business when?
Emergent Detection, who was working on developing a personal fat burn manager, has gone out of business
Enodar Biologics (Fred Hutch spinout) went out of business when?
Epigenomics closed down in Seattle and moved to the East coast in 2012
Epoch Pharmaceuticals merged into Nanogen in 2004
Fate Therapeutics - Stem cell based therapies moved HQ to CA shortly after being formed
Generic Medical Devices website disappeared sometime in 2012 and they presumably are out of business
Genetic Systems was acquired by Bristol Meyers in 1987 for $310M
Geospiza made software for DNA analysis and lab management; acquired by Perkin Elmer 5-5-11
Glycostasis Inc. - Focused on a protein that binds and releases insulin; purchased by Eli Lilly in Feb. 2016
Good Therapeutics - Sold itself to Roche for $250M in 2022; then started a new company, Bonum Therapeutics
Groove Biopharma (formerly Mirina) - Uses microRNA to develop new drugs; went out of business when?
GPC-Rx (later named PharmSelex) was launched by Accelerator in 2008 and later shut down
HemaQuest left Seattle in 2010 and moved to San Diego; it shuttered operations in early 2014
Homestead Clinical, another Accelerator company, folded in 200?
Icos was acquired by Eli Lilly in 2006 for $2.2B
Icosavax wsa acquired by AstraZeneca for $1.1B in 2024
ID Biomedical, a Vancouver BC based vaccine maker, had a manufacturing facility in Bothell; it was acquired by Glaxo Smith Kline in 2005
Ikaria - Focused on metabolic depression and critical care medicine, it was acquired by Mallinckrodt in April, 2015
ImaRxTherapeutics - Blood clot dissolving technology company that was acquired by Sycamore Films, Inc. in a reverse merger in 2010
Imre changed its focus and its name to Cypress Bioscience in 1996 and moved to San Diego, and was then bought out by Royalty Pharma in Jan. 2011
Immunex was acquired by Amgen in 2002 for $10B. It's first drug Leukine was sold off to Berlex in 2002; Berlex was later acquired by Bayer, and Bayer sold Leukine to Genzyme in March 2009. It later went to Sanofi, and then to Partner Therapeutics
Indel Therapeutics worked on novel antibiotics and appears to have gone out of business when ?
Innovative Pulmonary Solutions, a developer of treatments for COPD, moved to Minnesota in 2013
Inson Medical Systems, focused on biomedical drug delivery, appears to have gone out of business
Integrated Diagnostics developed a molecular blood test for assessment of pulmonary nodules and was bought by Biodesix, Inc of Colorado in July, 2018
Kaleetan Pharmaceuticals, a vaccine focused startup, appears to have gone out of business
Koronis was developing anti-viral drugs via viral decay methodologies but appears to have gone out of business
LigoCyte Therapeutics of MT was acquired by Takeda in ???
Light Sciences was acquired by Light Sciences Oncology in 2006
Lumera had a microarray technology and transferred its assets to Plexera when?
Luminary Medical Technologies was working on macular degeneration but appears to have gone out of business
MDRNA in late 2007. MDRNA then combined with Cequent Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge in 2010 to form Marina Biotech - (formerly MDRNA) RNAi based company, ceased most operations as of 6-1-12
Mediquest Therapeutics website link was abandoned and presumably the company went out of business in 2012
Microsoft Amalga Life Sciences - Life sciences software business was sold off to Caridigm
MitoGuard Neuroscience - Photobiomodulation device company apparently disappeared in 2012
Mitotherix - FHCRC spinoff working on anti-cancer therapies went under when?
Molecumetics, a subsidiary of Tredegar Industries, went out of business in ?
Nanogen went bankrupt in 2009
Nastech changed its scientific focus away from nasal based drug deliver and spun off ?
Natural Molecular Testing Corporation went bankrupt in 2013 amidst fraud allegations and a Justice Department Criminial Investigation of its genetic testing program
Neoleukin Therapeutics ended its run in Seattle in 2023
NeoRx changed its name to Poniard in 2006 and moved its HQ to CA. It appears to be out of business in 2015
North Coast Biologics - Was making rabbit high-affinity antibody based drugs, but gave up its business license and presumably folded in 2012. Owner Johnny Stone was sued by the state of WA for offering a COVID-19 vaccine without a license.
NW Biotherapeutics - Dendritic cell based cancer vaccines started in Seattle, but moved to Bethesda
Novo Nordisk - Branch of Danish pharma focusing on immunity research closed in 2014, reopened several years later, and shut down it’s labs (but not operations) again in 2023.
Nura was acquired by Omeros in 2006
Oculon was acquired by Pharmos Corp. in 1995
Oncogen was acquired by Bristol Myers in 1986
OncoGenex was reverse merged out of existence by Achieve Life Sciences Inc. in Jan 2017
Otogene USA (Fred Hutch spinout) lasted from 1998-2002; some of its IP was used to start Sound Pharmaceuticals
Pacific Bioscience Laboratories, maker of the Clarisonic skin care system; is being acquired in 2011 by L’Oreal USA
PathoGenesis was acquired by Chiron/Novartis in 2000 for $660M
Pathway Medical Technologies, maker of devices to treat arterial diseases, was acquired in 2011 by Bayer’s Medrad unit
PharmSelex was an Accelerator company working on small molecule GPCR inhibitors that is now out of business
PhaseRX was bought out of bankruptcy in Feb 2018 by Roivant Sciences of Switzerland, just 1.5 years after going public. It is still operating in Seattle.
Plexera Bioscience developed a surface plasmon resonance analysis system but was shut down by Lumera in 2008. Assets were sold to Plexera LLC in 2009, which continues to make a proteomic processor system but is no longer based in the NW
Poniard (see NeoRx above)
Pregenen (Precision Genome Engineering) was bought by bluebird bio in June 2014
Primal - Focus on G-protein coupled receptors; it was folded into Nura in 2004, which in turn was acquired by Omeros in 2006
ProCyte of Redmond WA was acquired by PhotoMedex in 2004 in a $24.4M stock swap
ProFibrix was working on drugs for hemostasis and regenerative medicine; was acquired by The Medicines Co. in2013
ProfoundBio was acquired by Genmab for $1.8B in 2024
Promentix was developing Alzheimer’s disease therapies, but was unable to raise capital and folded
Rasiris - Montana company developing breast cancer drugs disappeared in ?
Receptagen Ltd became Spantel Communications in 2001
Receptech Corp. was spun out from Immunex as a SWORD company in 1989 and was then re-acquired in 1992
Recodagen was an Accelerator company that targeted mechanisms that allow cancer metastasis but went out of business
Regulome started in 2001 went out of business sometime after 2003
Rhizogenics Corp. on Bainbridge went out of business when?
Ricerca Biosciences, which had purchased MDS Pharma Services in March 2010; was purchased by Euofins Panlabs in 2012 (?)
Rosetta Inpharmatics was closed down by Merck in 2009
Sarepta Therapeutics (formerly AVI BioPharma) - worked on RNA therapeutics for MD, restenosis, viruses; moved to Boston in Aug. 2012 and changed its focus to muscular dystrophy
Scolr Pharma, which worked on controlled drug delivery technology development, appears to have gone out of business in 2014
Seagen was acquired by Pfizer for $43B in 2023.
Seredigm was an Accelerator company studying the use of biologics for ischemia/reperfusion injury when it folded
Silene Biotech was purchased by NanoSurface Biomedical in 2019.
Silverback Therapeutics was acquired by ARS of San Diego in a reverse merger in July 2022
Sonosite, maker of handheld ultrasound scanners; was acquired by and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujifilm
Sonos Pharmaceuticals merged with Canada’s OncoGenex Technologies to form Oncogenex in 2008
Spiration was acquired by Olympus in 2010
Stella Therapeutics was developing a treatment for glioblastoma multiforme. Gone by 2018, if not earlier.
TapImmune was developing vaccines for oncology and infections, but it moved to Florida in Nov. 2015
Targeted Genetics merged with Biocontrol and changed its name and scientific focus to AmpliPhi Biosciences in 2011; HQ now in London
Teranode Corp was acquired by Rage Frameworks in 2010
TherEpi Corporation - Epigenetic drug discovery focus company was either bought out or acquired
The Gene Pool, Inc - Molecular locks based drug discovery
TomegaVax was developing vaccines and immunotherapies for viral infections in Beaverton, OR; bought by Vir Biotechnology in 2017
Trubion accepted an acquisition offer by Emergent BioSolutions in August 2010; the acquisition closed Oct. 28, 2010
Universal Cells developed off the shelf universal donor stem cells; acquired by Astellas in Feb. 2018
Vascular Reconditioning was acquired by Light Sciences Oncology in 2006
VentiRx was developing drugs for cancer, infectious diseases; acquired by Celgene in 2012. Celgene was later bought by Bristol Myers Squibb
VieVax was an Accelerator company that folded when?
Virvio was working on the development of novel computationally designed proteins to treat influenza
Visient Therapeutics - Vision focused subsidiary of Light Sciences didn’t make it
VizX's software product GeneSifter was sold off to Geospiza in 2008, and VizX shut down
VLST shut down in 2013 without having advanced a single drug into clinical trials during 9 years; focused on finding new drug targets based on virus-cell interactions
Xcyte Therapies merged into Cyclacel in 2005
Xori was sold sometime after it graduated from Accelerator in 2011
WA 32609 was a holding company, acquired ischemic stroke therapy
ZetaRx was folded into Juno Therapeutics when it launched in 2014
ZymoGenetics accepted an acquisition offer by Bristol-Myers Squibb in September 2010. The company was then shut down in 2018.