Published January 2002

Biotechnology plays role
in our lives, economy

Biotechnology — a foreign concept to most of us and perhaps the most misunderstood slice of our local economic pie.

The seemingly covert industry exudes mystery and is often causality to misperception. However, once the concept is boiled down to its core, new insight may be gained as to its significance.

If you take medicine to treat allergies or arthritis, if you’ve ever slept through surgery, if your dog doesn’t have fleas, you probably have biotechnology to thank.

If your cat doesn’t have feline leukemia, if you’re living longer with a chronic illness, if you don’t know what the bubonic plague is, you can thank the glamorous world of biotechnology.

Biotechnology plays a prominent and expansive role in the economy of the Puget Sound region.

The Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association estimates that close to 170 companies comprise Washington state’s biotechnology and biomedical sectors. These firms employ nearly 16,000 people, a number that is expected to exceed 26,000 by 2005.

Snohomish County is rapidly establishing itself as a premier location for biotechnology and medical-device firms. Already contributing a quarter of the state’s biotech and biomed employment, the county is home to a growing number of firms that include CombiMatrix, Cytran, Eden Bioscience, Epoch Biosciences, Genespan, ICOS, Immunex, Skeletech, SNBL USA, Seattle Genetics and Sonus Pharmaceuticals.

According to the Puget Sound Regional Council, roughly 26 biotech firms hug the I-405 corridor in north King and south Snohomish counties, forming one of the state’s most dynamic clusters of biotechnology and biomedical innovation.

For residents of these areas, these industries offer attractive opportunities for high-quality, high-wage jobs. The benefits, moreover, spill over into the broader economy.

According to Ernst & Young, each biotechnology job generates 2.9 additional jobs in other industries, while each dollar of personal income produced in biotechnology induces an additional two dollars of income in the broader economy. In other words, biotechnology firms deliver value to the local economy that far exceeds their direct employment and income effects.

The region needs to take proactive action in making itself an attractive location for these promising startups. This will take greater public awareness of the economic opportunities, social implications and development process of the new products and technologies these companies are producing.

To facilitate this, the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County and the Washington Association for Biomedical Research (WABR) are sponsoring a series of community forums on biotechnology.

Designed to arm the community with the knowledge to understand biotech industries, these forums cover a variety of topics and are open to the general public. The goal is to educate the public and stimulate dialogue on scientific, economic, business, ethical and social issues surrounding the local development of new biotechnology-based drugs.

The inaugural forum was held Dec. 1 at the University of Washington, Bothell, campus covering the topic of clinical trials.

Clinical trials (also called medical research and research studies involving people) are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective in humans. Carefully conducted clinical trials (though they may take roughly six years to complete) are the fastest, safest way to find treatments that work.

Once you know the process, you’ll never look at a pill the same way again.

The genesis, development and ultimately, the realization of a drug is a lengthy, 10-plus-year trek from laboratory inception to federal approval. It costs an average of $500 million and can take up to 15 years to develop one new drug. Only about 20 to 30 drugs are approved annually.

So the next time you reach for that allergy drug, swing a golf club pain-free or seek relief from heartburn — consider the process, thank the glamorous world of biotechnology and lend your support toward making Snohomish County a premier location for this industry.

Deborah Knutson is President of the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County. She can be reached at 425-743-4567 or by e-mail to dknutson@snoedc.org.

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