A host of local companies are making an impact

Some people are — literally and figuratively — working on a higher plane in Bothell.

To reach Seattle Genetics’ two buildings on 30th Drive Southeast, one must drive their vehicle from flat ground up a long curved road to an upper lot that overlooks a business park below.

It’s here where scientists are developing new medicines for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease in the 13-year-old company’s research laboratory. The biotechnology company’s lead drug, adcetris, has been in the works for about nine years and had its first clinical trial in 2006. All those years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, Seattle Genetics is hoping to commercialize the drug Aug. 30 after final approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The antibody-drug conjugate targets cancer cells, is less-toxic than traditional chemotherapy drugs and is designed to spare normal tissue, said Eric Dobmeier, Seattle Genetics’ chief business officer, adding that the company has “a strong pipeline” of about five other medicines in the pre-clinical trial.

“It’s very gratifying to take the science, which you work so hard on and you believe is really sort of cutting edge, and to see it actually make a difference in patients,” Dobmeier said. “We’ve had some patients come in and speak to the whole company, tell us about their lives and how they were affected by this drug.”

Of the record 887 medicines for various cancers in clinical trials or awaiting FDA review — well over double the number six years ago — a handful are being developed in Bothell, according to a recent Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) report.

Along with 400-employee Seattle Genetics, Northwest Biotherapeutics is working on a dendritic cell immunotherapy for prostate and ovarian cancer, OncoGenex is working on a drug targeted for prostate, lung and breast cancer and Marina Biotech is working on a treatment for cancer pain.

Over at OncoGenex, which merged with local seminal biotech Sonus Pharmaceuticals four years ago, President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Cormack noted that its lead product candidate, custirsen, is in two phase-three (out of three phase-three) planned trials.

In two prostate-cancer trials, it’s been shown that using custirsen helped patients attain a 6.9-month improvement in survival and 50 percent of patients experienced durable pain palliation of 12 weeks or greater, said Cormack, whose company currently has five product candidates in development; three of the products are in clinical development.

“It’s not a quick, instant gratification role that we have, because these treatments take years and years to develop and they’re high-risk,” Cormack added. “But every day that you’re doing it, you get the satisfaction knowing that you’re potentially making a difference in patients’ lives.”

OncoGenex’s lab work is done off site, and custirsen is in clinical development at 150 different sites. According to Michelle Burris, executive vice president of operations and chief financial officer, she, Cormack and others communicate with clinical facilities and hospitals all over the world on “all the data that flows in and out each day.”

“You’ve got to make sure that your drug is being a benefit to patients. Most drugs never make it this far, because the benefits don’t outweigh the safety issues,” Burris said. “Patient safety is first and foremost in everything that we do. They’re thoroughly tested.”

Burris, who comes from a business background, is honored to call scientists and others involved with treating cancer her colleagues. She added that their jobs hit home, as well, since some of them may know people who have had cancer.

“To be able to participate in something that has a meaningful improvement to other people’s lives, that’s incredibly satisfying, it’s very noble,” said Burris, whose mother had breast cancer.

Seattle Genetics President and Chief Executive Officer Clay Siegall, Ph.D., delved into the world of cancer research when a brain tumor claimed his father’s life.

Head chemist Peter Senter later led the technology charge at Seattle Genetics, which holds clinical trials locally at the University of Washington Medical Center, the Seattle Center Care Alliance and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and across the United States and in Europe. While the drugs are researched in Bothell, they are manufactured at various sites in the U.S. and Europe, Dobmeier said.

“Bothell has become a center for biomedical innovation with global reach,” said Rep. Luis Moscoso (D-1st Legislative District). “The sector is booming and Bothell is way ahead of the curve in terms of capitalizing on well-paying jobs that aim to help people with some of the most debilitating diseases. Bothell alone is home to 35 of the biotech companies that provide 77,000 jobs in Washington.”

Added John Schmied, Skyview Junior High science instructor: “The level and variety of the biotechnology work that is being done in our area is fascinating, technically. Educationally, it’s a great advantage to our students to have biotechnology companies in our area. Many of our students have parents in the field that are willing to come in and talk about their work. The chance to have a face-to-face talk with a scientist working on curing cancer is inspiring and causes many of our students to look harder at biotechnology as a potential career field.”