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Industry Overview
Washington State is one of the premier biotechnology centers in the world and one of the fastest growing research centers
in the United States due to its world-class research institutions, access to capital, highly educated workforce, and
exceptional quality of life.
The technology foundation of the biotechnology and medical device industry in Washington State is the cutting
edge research conducted at the University of Washington,
Washington State University,
Eastern Washington University,
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
Institute for Systems Biology,
Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, and
Pacific Northwest Research Institute.
Nearly one-third of the biotechnology and medical device firms in the state are founded on technologies licensed from
these institutions. Since 1980, these research universities and non-profit organizations have attracted over $25 billion
into Washington State -- mostly federal research and training money focused on health science- and environmental-related
basic research -- $2.2 billion in 2005 alone. (See WA BioEvolutionTM -- a genealogy chart -- illustrates the "technology
origins" of the nearly 250 biotechnology and medical device firms and non-profit research organizations that comprise
the state’s industry.)
In addition to these institutions, Seattle is home to the newly established Allen Institute for Brain Science/Allen Brain
Atlas, PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), and Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. These non-profit
organizations, already important research centers, are having increasingly significant impacts locally, as well as globally.
Allen Institute established in 2003 with $100 million and named for its founder Paul G. Allen, is combining the
disciplines of neuroanatomy and genomics to create the most comprehensive map of the brain at the cellular level. The Allen
Brain Atlas will be the cornerstone of 21st century brain science, and researchers around the world will leverage information
from the Brain Atlas to gain insights into some of the most profound and challenging questions facing science in this century.
PATH, founded in 1977, creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions that enable communities worldwide to break
longstanding cycles of poor health. PATH, with 23 offices in 14 countries, has been designated by the World Health
Organization as a Collaborating Center in three technical areas: research in human reproduction, acquired immune deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS), and hepatitis B vaccination. Notably, PATH is also home of the Children's Vaccine Program with the support
of the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) is the largest independent, non-profit organization in the U.S., focused
solely on infectious disease research. The mission of SBRI is to eliminate the world’s most devastating infectious diseases
through leadership in scientific discovery. Founded in 1976, SBRI targets the world’s most underserved populations: the
14 million people who die each year from diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis as well as other lesser known,
but equally deadly diseases, including African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis. SBRI’s discoveries are
the basis for new diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines that provide long-term solutions to the world’s biggest health problems.
In addition to these non-profit research organizations, biotechnology companies in Washington are developing revolutionary
methods for diagnosing and treating cancer, AIDS, malaria, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and
other conditions. Seattle area medical device firms are leaders in the research and development of ultrasound imaging and
heart defibrillation products, and environmental firms in the state are developing innovative products and processes for
waste management and bioremediation.
Today, the biotechnology and medical device industry in Washington directly employs nearly 20,000 people with indirect
employment exceeding 55,000. Additionally, twenty-two or 10 percent of the biotechnology and medical device firms
headquartered in the state are publicly traded on U.S. and Canadian stock exchanges.
This is an industry that is founded on and thrives due to the state’s world-class research institutions and pervasive
entrepreneurial spirit. Combined with the region’s rapidly growing financial wealth, and unsurpassed quality of life,
the Pacific Northwest is one of the most desirable places to work, live, and play.
If you have questions about the annual report, please contact:
Info.Resource @ 206.937.3620.
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