Congratulations to the Science Commons team and everyone involved for this amazing project. It's great seeing the application of Creative Commons "architecture of openness" being applied in increasingly more sophisticated and diverse ways. Sharing data is really hard and really important and this is...

Biotech, Patents, vaccines Luke Timmerman wrote: One of the world’s best-selling vaccines, Merck’s Gardasil, is quietly producing some serious money for an unexpected benefactor—the University of Washington. Thanks to some hard-fought patent litigation from the 1990s that ended up ...

Biotech, Drugs, Life Sciences Stewart Lyman wrote: Seattle’s biotech community used to be among the top-ranked in the nation. But as some 2,500 layoffs have piled up in the local biotech sector since 2002, Seattle has tumbled in the rankings. We need to face up to this fact first, before we ca...

Biotech, Roundup, Life Sciences Luke Timmerman wrote: Medical devices captured more than its usual mindshare in the Seattle life sciences scene this week, with news of a substantial venture deal and a new product that appears to be catching on in the marketplace. —Pathway Medical Technologies,...

Biotech, cancer, Layoffs Luke Timmerman wrote: Seattle-based Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: ONTY) made a series of strategic moves today to preserve its remaining cash, and find a way to survive on its own as a developer of cancer drugs. Some investors liked the decision, as shares more than doubled from 73 c...

Biotech, people, startups Luke Timmerman wrote: It’s cold outside, so I was a little bummed there was no actual fire at an event last night billed as a “fireside chat.” This get-together actually took some time to warm up (pun intended). But once it got rolling, three of the most e...

Biotech, vaccines, Xconomy Luke Timmerman wrote: A newfound energy is coalescing around the science and business of vaccines, and much of it is happening right here in Seattle. We explored the trend yesterday evening in our first Xconomy Forum in Seattle. The event, held at The Institute for Systems...

Biotech, Antibiotics, C. Diff Luke Timmerman wrote: Of all the people I met last month on a whirlwind of meetings with San Diego biotech companies, none had more bounce in their step than the folks at Optimer Pharmaceuticals. This company passed a huge test last month that suggests it has created th...

One of the strangest narratives surrounding Sunday’s release of Chinese Democracy is that the music itself is something of a non-event, thanks to the circulation of live nu-GNR bootlegs and leaks of in-progress tracks. In fact, enough questions have been answered about how Chinese Democracy sounds...

Merck is trying to market its cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil to women who may not benefit from it after U.S. sales shrank in July and August, according to a Bloomberg article (see "Merck Aims Gardasil to Women Least Likely to Benefit"). This is in response to a 33% decline in sales. As pointed out...