Washington BioHistory

WA BioHistory Poster/Brochure | WA Evolution/Genealogy Poster/Brochure

Learn about the scientists behind the discoveries, entrepreneurs,
political leaders, and significant events, people and institutions that are the foundation
of the biotechnology, medical device, pharmaceutical and life science industries
in the state of Washington.

Tell us about Washington's BioHistory. If you are aware of a notable event, person,
organization/company or accomplishment that we should include,
please e-mail: BioHistory@InfoResource.org

1848 -- American Association for the Advancement of Science founded.

American Association for the Advancement of Science founded in 1848 marked the emergence of a national scientific community in the United States, and was the first organization established to promote the development of science and engineering at the national level and to represent the interests of all its disciplines.

Today, the AAAS serves nearly 300 affiliated societies and academies of science and publishes the peer-reviewed general science journal Science. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives that include science policy, international programs, science education, and public understanding of science.

1859 -- Charles Darwin published "The Origin of Species."

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life" in which he postulated his theory of evolution that explained how the diverse of species on Earth evolved from a simple, singled-celled ancestor.

From 1831-1836, Darwin served as a naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle -- a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin discovered fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species, and on the Galapagos Islands, located west of Equador, he noticed many variations of plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. Throughout the expedition Darwin studied plants and animals and collected specimens for further study.

Upon his return to London, Darwin conducted thorough research of his notes and specimens, and out of his study grew several related theories: evolution did occur; evolutionary change was gradual, requiring thousands to millions of years; the primary mechanism for evolution was a process called natural selection; and the millions of species alive today arose from a single original life form through a branching process called "specialization."

Darwin's theory of evolutionary selection holds that variation within species occurs randomly and that the survival or extinction of each organism is determined by that organism's ability to adapt to its environment. Darwin's theory of evolution remains the foundation of modern biology.

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1861 -- University of Washington founded.

Since 1969, the University of Washington (UW), located in Seattle, has ranked among the top five institutions in the nation in receipt of federal awards, and since 1974, it has been the number one public university in America in receiving federal support for research and training. The UW is the technology foundation of numerous biotechnology and medical device companies in Washington State.

1865 -- Gregor Mendel, the father of modern genetics, presents his laws of heredity.

1882 -- Benjamin P. Cheney Academy (Eastern Washington University) founded.

Eastern Washington University (EWU), originally named Benjamin P. Cheney Academy for the wealthy transportation industrialist who contributed $10,000 to found the school, is now a regional, comprehensive public university located in Cheney with programs also offered in Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Yakima. EWU has offered biotechnology courses emphasizing on the job training since 1983, and has spun-off several biotechnolgy and medical device companies based on EWU technology.

1890 -- Washington State University founded.

Washington State University (WSU), located in Pullman, is one of the nation’s leading agricultural research universities offering research programs in agriculture and veterinary medicine that have received national recognition for work in bioenergetics, high yield wheat, and disease control. WSU also offers extensive programs in biochemistry, molecular science, environmental science and engineering, and wood materials engineering.

1887 -- Marine Hospital Service Hygienic Laboratory (National Institutes of Health) founded.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) traces its roots to 1887, when a one-room laboratory was created within the Marine Hospital Service (MHS), predecessor agency to the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS). The MHS was established in 1798 to provide for the medical care of merchant seamen -- charged by Congress with examining passengers on arriving ships for clinical signs of infectious diseases, such as cholera and yellow fever, to prevent epidemics.

During the 1870s and 1880s, scientists in Europe presented compelling evidence that microscopic organisms were the causes of several infectious diseases, and MHS officials closely followed these developments. In 1887, Joseph Kinyoun, a MHS physician trained in the new bacteriological methods, set up a one-room laboratory in the Marine Hospital at Stapleton, Staten Island, New York. Kinyoun called this facility a "laboratory of hygiene" in imitation of German facilities, and within a few months, he identified the cholera bacillus and used his Zeiss microscope to demonstrate it to his colleagues as confirmation of their clinical diagnoses.

The Biologics Control Act enacted in 1902 had major consequences for the Hygienic Laboratory. It charged the laboratory with regulating the production of vaccines and antitoxins, making it a regulatory agency four years before passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act. The danger posed by biological products that had emerged from bacteriologic discoveries resulted from their production in animals and their administration by injection. In 1901, thirteen children in St. Louis died after receiving diphtheria antitoxin contaminated with tetanus spores. This tragedy spurred Congress to pass the Biologics Control Act, and between 1903-1907 standards were established and licenses issued to pharmaceutical firms for making smallpox and rabies vaccines, diphtheria and tetanus antitoxins, and various other antibacterial antisera. (In 1972, responsibility for regulation of biologics was transferred to the Food and Drug Administration). (Photo: courtesy of the NIH Almanac)

In 1912 MHS was reorganized, renamed the Public Health Service (PHS) and authorized to conduct research into noncontagious diseases and into the pollution of streams and lakes in the U.S. During World War I, the PHS attended primarily to sanitation of areas around military bases in the U.S., and when the 1918 influenza pandemic struck Washington, physicians from the laboratory were pressed into service treating patients in the District of Columbia because so many local doctors had fallen ill. In 1930, the Ransdell Act changed the name of the Hygienic Laboratory to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and authorized the establishment of fellowships for research into basic biological and medical problems. The roots of this act extended to 1918, when chemists who had worked with the Chemical Warfare Service in World War I sought to establish an institute in the private sector to apply fundamental knowledge in chemistry to problems of medicine. In 1937, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was created with sponsorship from every Senator in Congress, and was authorized to award grants to nonfederal scientists for research on cancer and to fund fellowships at NCI for young researchers.

During World War II, the NIH focused almost entirely on war-related problems. At the close of the war, PHS leaders guided through Congress the 1944 Public Health Service Act, which defined the shape of medical research in the post-war world. Two provisions were especially important: 1) In 1946 the NCI grants program was expanded to the entire NIH, and the program grew from just over $4 million in 1947, to more than $100 million in 1957, and to $1 billion in 1974. The entire NIH budget expanded from $8 million in 1947 to more than $1 billion in 1966, now fondly remembered as "the golden years" of NIH expansion. Accompanying growth in the grants program was the proliferation of new categorical institutes, and from 1946-1949, voluntary health organizations moved Congress to create institutes for research on mental health, dental diseases, and heart disease. In 1948, language in the National Heart Act made the name of the umbrella organization the National Institutes of Health. 2) The 1944 PHS Act authorized NIH to conduct clinical research, and after the war Congress provided funding to build a research hospital, now called the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The Center which opened in 1953 with 540 beds was designed to bring research laboratories into close proximity with hospital wards in order to promote productive collaboration between laboratory scientists and clinicians. (Photo: National Archives and Records Administration photograph, courtesy of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, New York)

The NIH today, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research and is composed of 27 Institutes and Centers, providing leadership and financial support to researchers in every state and throughout the world.

1907 -- Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association founded.

Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association now known as Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, was founded in 1907 when Anna Clise filed the articles of incorporation for the new Hospital Association -- the first pediatric facility in the Northwest.

Anna Herr Clise, her husband James W. Clise and their newborn daughter Ruth arrived in Seattle June 7, 1889, with the urging of James’ sister they left their home and prosperous real-estate business in Colorado to join her in Seattle. James quickly became one of Seattle’s leading real-estate developers and financiers, and by 1893, Anna and James added two more children — both boys — to Seattle’s rapidly growing population of 43,000. In 1898, tragedy struck the Clise family when their youngest son, 6-year-old Willis succumbed to an untreatable inflammatory rheumatism (acute swelling of the body’s joints). At the time of Willis’ death, the closest children’s hospital was in San Francisco; and the most advanced treatments for children was at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Out of this tragedy, Anna Herr Clise, with her family and other Seattle community leaders founded the Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association.

Today, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center occupies a 24-acre site in Seattle's Laurelhurst neighborhood and serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. In 2006, the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute was founded to “treat, prevent and eliminate childhood disease”. The Research Institute campus encompasses two city blocks in Seattle's Denny Triangle Neighborhood, and occupies two buildings totaling 500,000 square feet with adjacent land capable of supporting an additional 800,000 square feet.

The Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute is built around research centers with a common thematic focus and an identifiable core set of programs. Each Center includes faculty from multiple disciplines, departments and divisions. Research Centers include: Immunity & Vaccines, Translational & Clinical Science, Developmental Therapeutics, Childhood Infections & Prematurity; Childhood Cancer; Tissue and Cell Biology; Genetics & Development; and Health Services & Behavioral Science.

1918 -- Spanish Influenza Pandemic.

It is estimated that between 25 and 40 million people died from the the influenza outbreak that began in 1918, swept across America in a week and around the world in three months. In all, between 500,000 and 700,000 Americans --civilians and soldiers-- died from the influenza, more than were lost in World War I, II, and the Korean and Viet Nam wars combined.

The Spanish Flu reached the state of Washington in September, 1918 with soldiers being transferred from Pennsylvania to Bremerton, returning home from the battlefields of Europe in World War I. Across the state, public assemblies were prohibited and citizens were required to wear gauze masks to prevent the spread of the virus. By the end of September, it was estimated that 2,000 individuals had died from the virus in Seattle. By 1920, the influenza outbreak was over, but given the lack of statistical gathering, the true impact of the outbreak in the state will never be known.

Latest Findings: In September 2004, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a five-year, $12.5 million grant to five institutions that will collaborate to study genes constructed from 1918 flu-virus particles salvaged from the bodies of World War I soldiers and the exhumed Brevig Mission, Alaska resident. The Institutions include the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C.; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York; Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the University of Washington. The ultimate goal is to use knowledge gained from the study to develop vaccines, influenza medications and diagnostic tests to prevent a similar influenza outbreak.

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1921 -- Hollister-Stier founded.

Hollister-Stier Laboratories, located in Spokane, is the oldest name in allergy science. The company was founded by chemist Guy Hollister and Robert E. Stier, M.D., and began partially as the result of Mrs. Hollister's "summer cold," which Hollister and Stier discovered was caused by grasses in the area. The two friends developed a vaccine to help Mrs. Hollister, and the company has been the leader in allergen extracts ever since.

1933 -- Thomas Hunt Morgan awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his chromosome theory of heredity.

1941-1983 -- Federal revenues flow into Washington State under the political leadership of U.S. Senators Henry "Scoop" Jackson and Warren Magnuson.

Senators Henry "Scoop" Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson, nicknamed the "Gold Dust Twins" for their ability to attract federal money, represented Washington in the U.S. Congress for an ammassed total of eighty-nine years, and during that period their rise to seniority leadership (a combined sixty-four years in the Senate) resulted in a growing stream of federal dollars into Washington State. (Photos: Henry Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office)

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1947 -- Transistor invented at AT&T's Bell Laboratories.

The transistor, the invention that marked the dawn of the information age, was invented by John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain at AT&T's Bell Laboratories. Bardeen, Shockley and Brattain were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of the transistor effect.

Transistors have become an invisible technology that is part of almost every electronic device. Every major information age innovation was made possible by the transistor and its application can be found all around us.

Brattain received his B.S. degree from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA and a M.A. degree from the University of Oregon. (Photos: © The Nobel Foundation)

1953 -- Double helix structure of DNA revealed.

The double helix structure of DNA, the hereditary molecule is revealed by two scientists, James D. Watson and Francis Crick. This is one of the key discoveries of the century. Watson and Crick shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine with Maurice Wilkins for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nuclear acids and its significance for information transfer in living material.

Rosalind Franklin, whose work contributed to the discovery, died before this date and the rules do not allow a Nobel Prize to be awarded posthumously. (Photos: © The Nobel Foundation)

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1956 -- Pacific Northwest Research Foundation founded.

The Pacific Northwest Research Foundation (now Pacific Northwest Research Institute) was founded by Dr. William Hutchinson. The Foundation was among the first private non-profit biomedical and clinical research institutes in the Northwest. It helped create and establish the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 1972. Today, PNRI conducts pioneering research into the mechanisms of disease. Its work in cell biology, genetics, and immunology is focused on preventing and curing diabetes and cancer.

1956 -- Virginia Mason Research Center founded.

The Virginia Mason Research Center, now known as Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI), located in Seattle, is focused on molecular and cellular biology of the human immune system and on genetics of human diseases. BRI has a clinical research program that supports more than 150 studies each year, primarily Phase II-III medication and device trials, in 25 different subspecialty areas.

1958 -- Integrated circuit invented.

1961 -- President John F. Kennedy expands U.S. Space Program

Listen to President John F. Kennedy's speech in his historic message to a joint session of the Congress, on May 25, 1961 declared, "...I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." This goal was achieved when astronaut Neil A. Armstrong became the first human to set foot upon the Moon at 10:56 p.m. EDT, July 20, 1969. Shown in the background are, (left) Vice President Lyndon Johnson, and (right) Speaker of the House Sam T. Rayburn. The expansion of the U.S. Space Program resulted in the development of a wide range of technology with enormous benefit to human and animal kind. (Photo: courtesy National Aeronautics & Space Administration)

1965 -- Battelle Pacific Northwest Division founded.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, now known as Battelle Pacific Northwest Division, was founded in 1965 when Battelle was awarded a contract to perform R&D for the Hanford Site, a nuclear site in southeastern Washington State. Their core mission is to deliver environmental science and technology in the service of the nation and humanity.

1969 -- Man walks on the moon.

An important benefit of the Apollo Lunar Program and other NASA programs is the ever-growing pipeline of technology that improves human and veterinary healthcare diagnostics and therapeutics.

1969 -- Victor McKusick publishes "Mendelian Inheritance in Man".

Victor McKusick, widely acknowledged as the father of medical genetics, spent his career studying the genetic basis of diseases and disorders with the belief that such an understanding could lead to new methods of diagnosis and treatment. He studied, identified, and mapped genes responsible for inherited conditions such as Marfan syndrome and dwarfism (specifically in Amish communities). In 1969, he proposed the idea of mapping the human genome, over 30 years before the Human Genome Project was established.

McKusick, a graduate of Johns Hopkins (M.D. 1946), spent his entire career there and founded the Division of Medical Genetics in 1957, the first research center and clinic of its kind. In 1969 he published the 1st edition of his book "Mendelian Inheritance of Man", one of the most comprehensive collections of inherited disease genes. In 2002, McKusick received the highest scientific honor in the U.S., the National Medal of Science.

1971 -- NASDAQ Stock Market founded.

Nasdaq, founded February 8, 1971, is now the largest U.S. electronic stock market. With approximately 3,300 companies, it lists more companies and, on average, trades more shares per day than any other U.S. market. NASDAQ is home to companies that are leaders across all areas of business including technology, retail, communications, financial services, transportation, media, biotechnology, medical device, and pharmaceutical.

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1972 -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center founded.

The "Hutch," one of 35 comprehensive cancer centers nationwide, was established through the efforts of Dr. William Hutchinson, brother of baseball hero Fred Hutchinson, and Washington state's legendary U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson. The Hutchinson Center and University of Washington are the technology foundation of Washington's biotechnology industry. In fact, nearly one-half of the biotechnology firms in the state are founded on technologies developed at these institutions.

1973 -- Recombinant DNA perfected.

1974 -- Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

John N. Erlenborn, the ranking Republican on the House Committee, was responsible for bringing the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to a floor vote, and is one of the ERISA’s "Founding Fathers." Together with Senator Jacob Javits (R-NY), Senator Pete Williams (D-NJ) and Congressman John Dent (D-PA), Erlenborn crafted provisions and participated in negotiations that were instrumental to the enactment of ERISA which was - and remains - the single most important legislation governing employee benefit plans in the United States providing an important source of financial investment for the stock market. (Photos: Jacob Javits and Pete Williams courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office).

1975 -- Monoclonal antibodies produced.

In 1975, Georges Köhler and César Milstein, showed how monoclonal antibodies can be generated by isolating individual fused myeloma cells.

The 1984 Nobel Laureate in Medicine was awarded jointly to: Niels Jerne, Georges Köhler and César Milstein for theories concerning the specificity in development and control of the immune system and the discovery of the principle for production of monoclonal antibodies. (Photos: © The Nobel Foundation).

1976 -- Genentech, founder of the biotechnology industry, established.

Genentech was founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. In the early 1970s, Boyer and geneticist Stanley Cohen at Stanford University pioneered recombinant DNA technology. Excited by the breakthrough, Swanson called Boyer who agreed to give the young entrepreneur 10 minutes of his time. Swanson's enthusiasm for the technology resulted in a three hour meeting and at its conclusion, Genentech was born.

Within a few short years Swanson and Boyer invented a new industry - biotechnology. In 1980, Genentech issued its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and raised $35 million with an offering that jumped from $35 a share to a high of $88 after less than an hour on the market. The event was one of the largest stock run-ups ever, and that event set the stage for future biotechnolgy industry offerings.

Genentech was initially broadly focused in three areas including food processing, industrial chemicals, and human health care. In 1982, Eli Lilly & Co. which had acquired worldwide rights to Genenetch's recombinant human insulin (1978) received FDA approval to market the product -- the first biotechnology therapeutic to reach the marketplace.

Beginning in 1983, Genentech became solely focused on human therapeutics and diagnostics, and in 1985, Genentech received approval from FDA to market its first product, Protropin® (somatrem for injection) growth hormone for children with growth hormone deficiency — the first recombinant pharmaceutical product to be manufactured and marketed by a biotechnology company. In 1990, Genentech and Roche Holding Ltd. of Basel, Switzerland completed a $2.1 billion merger. Today, Genentech is among the world's leading biotech companies with multiple protein-based products on the market for serious or life-threatening medical conditions.

1977 -- First human gene cloned.

Walter Gilbert induced bacteria to synthesize insulin and interferon, and Frederick Sanger published the complete sequence of phage FX174. The 1980 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry was awarded jointly to Frederick Sanger and Walter Gilbert for "for their contributions concerning the determination of base sequences in nucleic acids, and to Paul Berg for his fundamental studies of the biochemistry of nucleic acids, with particular regard to recombinant-DNA. (Photos: © The Nobel Foundation).

1980 -- U.S. Supreme Court ruled man-made organism patentable.

Diamond v. Chakrabarty, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds five-to-four the patentability of genetically altered organisms, opening the door to greater patent protection for any modified life forms.

In 1972, Chakrabarty, a microbiologist, filed a patent application, assigned to the General Electric Co. for a human-made genetically engineered bacterium capable of breaking down multiple components of crude oil. Because of this property, which is possessed by no naturally occurring bacteria, Chakrabarty's invention was believed to have significant value for the treatment of oil spills. The application asserted 36 claims related to Chakrabarty's invention of "a bacterium from the genus Pseudomonas containing therein at least two stable energy-generating plasmids, each of said plasmids providing a separate hydrocarbon degradative pathway.

Opinions: Chief Justice Warren Burger delivered the opinion of the Court, in which justices Potter Stewart, Harry Blackmun, William Rehnquist, and John Paul Stevens joined. William Brennan filed a dissenting opinion, in which Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, and Lewis Powell joined.

1980 -- Bayh-Dole Act provides for university technology transfer.

1981 -- Immunex Corporation established.

Immunex Corporation, the largest biotechnology company in the Pacific Northwest, was founded by Steven Gillis and Christopher Henney from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Stephen Duzan. It became publicly traded in 1983, and in 1991, with FDA approval of the drug Leukine, it became only the third fully integrated pharmaceutical company to be created in the United States since 1945. Ultimately, Immunex became one of the S&P 500 and one of the NASDAQ 100. The company was dedicated to developing immune system science to protect human health. The company was acquired by Amgen in December 2001 for $16 billion in stock and net cash.

Duzan also played a role in the founding of Targeted Genetics Corporation, Corixa Corporation, and Spinal Dynamics Corporation, all three of which became publicly traded or were sold to major corporations. Gillis co-founded Corixa Corporation which became publicly traded and was was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in July 2005. Christopher Henney co-founded ICOS Corporation in 1992 which was sold to Eli Lilly in 2007. Henney also co founded Dendreon Corporation in 1992 which became publicly traded in 2000. (Photos: Steven Gillis, courtesy Corixa Corporation, and Christopher Henney courtesy of Dendreon Corporation.)

1983 -- Orphan Drug Act created.

The Orphan Drug Act created in 1983 encouraged the research and development of drugs for rare or "orphan" diseases defined as a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans.

The Orphan Drug Act provided for financial incentives to help companies recover the cost of developing much needed therapies for small patient populations. The FDA estimates that more than 11 million patients in the U.S. and millions more around the world, have benefited from this legislation.

1983 -- Washington Technology Center founded.

The Washington Technology Center (WTC), located in Seattle, was founded in 1983 by the Washington Legislature as a statewide economic agency under the Washington High Technology and Training Act. The WTC focuses on technology and innovation, and channels state, federal, and private resources to help companies develop and commercialize new products and technologies.

1986 - Microsoft Corporation Initial Public Offering.

Microsoft Corporation, founded by Bill Gates Jr. and Paul Allen in 1975, and headquartered in Redmond, Washington, has had a significant impact on the Seattle and Washington State economy. The state's biotechnology industry, in particular, has been a major beneficiary of Gates, Allen and other Microsoft employee investments.

1989 -- Washington State Legislature creates Governor's Biotechnology Advisory Committee.

The Biotechnology Targeted Sector legislation required the advisory committee, composed of private and public leaders of the state's biotechnology and medical device industries, to assess the status of the biotechnology industry in the Washington State, and to develop a program with the Department of Trade and Economic Development (DTED) to increase biotechnology employment, capital investment and product sales, and develop an evaluation process to measure the program's effectiveness.

Committee recomendations included improving the state's tax structure to encourage company development, supporting investment in higher education and hands-on training programs, the creation of a state-supported biotechnology investment fund, and the creation of incubator facilities and shared equipment programs. To support the implementation of the committee's recommendations, DTED assisted in the founding of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) in 1989. In 1990, the WBBA initiated dialogue with the State's Legislature resulting in the inital paassage in 1994 of Washington State Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing. This initial tax legislation was subsequently expanded and modified to further support the state's industry.

1989 -- Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association founded.

The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) is a non-profit trade organization founded to enhance the quality of life by promoting the growth and understanding of the biotechnology and medical technology industries within Washington State.

1990 -- ICOS Corporation established.

ICOS Corporation was founded by Robert Nowinski, Christopher Henney and George Rathmann. The company is focused on discovering, developing and commercializing treatments for inflammation and other serious diseases. ICOS was established with $33 million in private financing, the largest industry start-up financing to date, with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the largest shareholder. ICOS made its initial public offering in 1991 at $8.00 per share. (Photos: Christopher Henney courtesy of Dendreon Corporation, and George Rathmann, courtesy ICOS Corporation)

1990 -- E. Donnall Thomas, awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

1990 -- Human Genome Project established.

The U.S. Human Genome Project was established -- a 13-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The project, originally planned to last 15 years, was expected to be completed by 2003 due to rapid technological advances.

1991 -- Leroy Hood recruited to University of Washington.

The University of Washington's medical school announced a $12 million gift from Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates that allowed Leroy Hood to be recruited to Seattle from Caltech. Dr. Hood, best known for his work developing automatic gene sequencing machines, becomes Chair of the UW's Department of Molecular Biotechnology. (Photo: Leroy Hood, courtesy Institute for Systems Biology)

1992 -- Edmund Fischer and Edwin Krebs, awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

1993 -- Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) founded.

Biotechnology Industry Organization is the world's largest organization to serve and represent the biotechnology industry. BIO's leadership and service-oriented guidance have helped advance the industry and bring the benefits of biotechnology to people everywhere.

1993 -- Kary B. Mullis awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

1994 -- Spokane Intercollegiate Research & Technology Institute founded.

Spokane Intercollegiate Research & Technology Institute (SIRTI), located in Spokane, was founded by the Washington Legislature as a State agency with a mission to accelerate the development and growth of technology companies in Eastern Washington. SIRTI works with three types of clients: university technology transfer, start-ups and more established, but still emerging ("high growth") companies. SIRTI provides a range of services: business planning market evaluation, product development advice, financial modeling, technology and intellectual property assessment, provision of business and technology mentors, access to financial resources (largely debt finance) and grant assistance. SIRTI also operates two incubators, one in its long-standing mixed use building on the Spokane Riverpoint campus and a new, wet lab oriented technology center at another site on the campus.

1994 -- WA State Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing enacted.

The Sales Tax Exemption for High Technology R&D/Manufacturing enacted into law by the Washington State Legislature in 1994 (Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5201, now enacted as Revised Code of Washington 82.63). This law exempts companies that manufacture or who are engaged in research and development from paying the sales or use tax on machinery and equipment used directly in manufacturing or research operations.

This tax incentive, sponsored by Rep. Bill Finkbeiner, was the result of many years of work by numerous individuals from the private sector, the Department of Trade and Economic Development, the Legislature, the Governor's office and the Department of Revenue. In the end, the legislation received bipartisan support in the House (78 yes; 15 no; 5 absent) and in the Senate (34 yes; 11 no; 4 absent).

1999 -- BIO'99 International Meeting & Exhibition held in Seattle.

The BIO International Meeting & Exhibition is World's premier biotechnology meeting. The BIO'99 event was hosted by the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association and the Biotechnology Industry Organization at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.

2000 -- Institute for Systems Biology founded.

Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), located in Seattle, was founded in 2002 by Alan Aderem, Ruedi Aebersold, and Leroy Hood, as a non-profit research institute dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. ISB's goal is to unravel the mysteries of human biology to identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, arthritis and AIDS.

2001 -- Human Genome Project draft sequence published.

The February 16 issue of Science and February 15 issue of Nature contained the working draft of the human genome sequence (U.S. Human Genome Project). Nature papers included initial analysis of the descriptions of the sequence generated by the publicly sponsored Human Genome Project, while Science publications focused on the draft sequence reported by the private company, Celera Genomics.

• Human Genome Educational Kit

2001 -- Leland H. Hartwell, awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

2002 -- Immunex Corporation acquired by Amgen.

On July 15, 2002, Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) completed it's acquisition of Immunex Corporation for $16 billion in stock and net cash.

2003 -- The Allen Brain Atlas established.

The Allen Brain Atlas project, was established with $100 million and named for its founder Paul G. Allen. The project will combine the disciplines of neuroanatomy and genomics to create the most comprehensive map of the brain at the cellular level, illustrating the functional anatomy of the brain through a collection of gene expression maps, brain circuits and cell locations. The Allen Brain Atlas will be the cornerstone of 21st century brain science. 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.

2004 -- Linda Buck awarded Nobel Laureate in Medicine.

2005 -- Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority established.

Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority was created in 2005 as an agency of the state and governed by a board of trustees. The Authority was established as an account in the State Treasury and a total of $350 million in forthcoming tobacco settlement funds will be used to attract an additional $650 million in private capital. The $1 billion fund will be used to help finance groundbreaking research and development of biomedical and other scientific advances to ease human suffering and make Washington a center for these activities.

2006 -- WA BioEvolution illustrates the technology origins of state's industry.

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