So everybody’s talking about Allentown – aka South Lake Union in Seattle, where a Paul Allen-led initiative to build more biotech space is in full swing. The vision is to make downtown Seattle a new magnet for biotechnology startups.
But Canyon Park isn’t about to become a ghost town. The biotechs that are there enjoy relatively cheap space, compared to downtown Seattle, locations that are generally easier for their workers to get to, and plenty of free parking. Even with the gaping hole left by ICOS Corp., the Bothell area still is home to a healthy mix of biotech and medical device companies.
And the bloom isn’t off the Bothell rose, apparently. I can’t remember the last time three new biotechs popped up there, but it’s happened.
First there’s Acucela, http://www.acucela.com. It moved from … wait for it … Seattle, on the north edge of Lake Union. The company, which has lately received a $25 million investment from Japan, is working on treatments for age-related macular degeneration, basically a variety of blinding eye diseases. The firm, privately held for now, has settled in Canyon Park. Then there’s Biolife Solutions Inc, http://www.biolifesolutions.com, a developer and manufacturer of liquid preservation solutions for cells, tissues and organs. It came from Owego, N.Y., to Bothell’s North Creek area, just south of the King-Snohomish county line. The small company has fewer than 10 employees.
And today, CellCyte Genetics hit me with an announcement, http://www.pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=443238&categoryid=54, that it’s moving from Kirkland to Canyon Park by September. The company, which counts ICOS Corp. co-founder George Rathmann as an early investor, is looking a the potential use of stem cells (though not the controversial embryonic ones) to treat the heart and other conditions. It recently became a public company after merging with a tiny Canadian mining company that already was publicly traded. The company’s Web site is here, http://www.cellcyte.com.
For me, it’s nice to see new companies moving into Snohomish County’s biotech cluster. It provides hope after the buyout and closure of ICOS. In fact, CellCyte has hired a few former ICOS people, CEO Gary Reys said.
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