In Washington’s life sciences sector, a streak of companies going public

SEATTLE — Washington’s life science companies are going public in record numbers, a trend that is also playing out nationally across the sector.

In the first half of 2021, nearly 50 U.S. biotech companies went public, raising nearly $9 billion, according to BioPharma Dive, a life sciences publication.

Here is a glance at some of the state’s biotech IPOs in 2021 to date.

Absci

Core business: Absci uses artificial intelligence to find proteins that can be used as new drug candidates, and then uses synthetic biology to manufacture, test and analyze new drugs.

CEO: Sean McClain

IPO date: July 2021

Funds raised: $230 million

Market capitalization: $2.5 billion

Headquarters: Vancouver

Number of employees: 170

Sana Biotechnology

Core business: Sana uses genetically modified cells as the basis for new medicines to treat patients.

CEO: Steve Harr

IPO date: February 2021

Funds raised: $675 million

Market capitalization: $3.2 billion

Headquarters: Seattle

Number of employees: about 300

Impel NeuroPharma

Core business: Impel focuses on neurological conditions, with late-stage clinical trials of treatments for migraines, autism and Parkinson’s disease.

CEO: Adrian Adams

IPO date: April 2021

Funds raised: $80 million

Market capitalization: $310 million

Headquarters: Seattle

Number of employees: 80

Nautilus Biotechnology

Core business: Nautilus is building a machine that can count most of the different types of proteins in human tissue samples, potentially unlocking new therapeutics and diagnostic tools for medicine.

CEO: Sujal Patel

IPO date: June 2021

Funds raised: $345 million

Market capitalization: $991 million

Headquarters: Seattle and San Francisco Bay Area

Number of employees: 100

Lyell Immunopharma

Core Business: Lyell is developing technology to reprogram T cells in humans with the hope of curing patients with solid cancer tumors.

CEO: Liz Homans

IPO date: June 2021

Funds raised: $425 million

Market capitalization: $3.3 billion

Headquarters: San Francisco, with labs in Seattle and Bothell

Number of employees: about 200

Icosavax

Core business: Icosavax is developing vaccines with an initial focus on protecting against severe respiratory diseases, using computational biology and viruslike particles. Its technology was first developed at the University of Washington.

CEO: Adam Simpson

IPO date: July 2021

Funds raised: $182 million (expected)

Market capitalization: $1.2 billion

Headquarters: Seattle

Number of employees: 22