Seattle is already a top global hub for AI-driven biotechnology. It just doesn’t know how to say so.
That’s the view of Marc Cummings, president and CEO of Life Science Washington. “We focus on science,” he said, “and other people sell the dream and the hype.”
Life sciences is a robust sector in the state — a $41.2 billion industry with roughly 1,200 companies, according to Life Science Washington, a nonprofit trade association founded in 1989. The ecosystem includes the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD), the world-class research facility led by Nobel Laureate David Baker that keeps spinning out biotech startups.
Yet even strong science can lose investors without compelling messaging, Cummings said. That’s why Life Science Washington now offers pitch coaching — helping founders learn how to tell their story to investors.
Central to that narrative is the region’s long history of embracing AI applications in biotech, with the IPD’s use of computational protein design to create new therapeutics as a prime example. The institute’s first spinoff was Cyrus Biotechnology, which launched in 2014.
Startup founders and employees in Washington are mission-focused, Cummings said, rather than chasing IPOs and bigger paychecks — and that’s an important selling point to venture capitalists.
“We tend to have a little bit deeper teams and folks that aren’t hopping company to company,” he said.
In a recent conversation with GeekWire, Cummings shared a wide-ranging update on the state of Washington’s biotech sector, including the role of AI, traditional tech employees pivoting into science fields, and broader public policy impacts.
Where AI is having real impact
Excitement around artificial intelligence is real, but so are its limits, Cummings said. AI is transforming the ability to identify targets for newly created drugs — yet it can’t replace biological experiments and human trials. Traditional clinical timelines of 10-to-20 years remain a reality, even if AI compresses the early stages.
Meanwhile, the technology is already having significant impact in medical devices, vaccine development and research operations. Notable Washington initiatives and companies include:
- SKYCovione: The first COVID-19 vaccine developed with AI came out of the IPD labs of David Veesler and Neil King.
- Cancer AI Alliance: Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center is leading a multi-institution program using AI to collaborate in their pursuit of cancer cures.
- Proprio: A Seattle startup using AI for improved precision in spinal and other surgeries.
- Fujifilm Sonosite: A Bothell medical‑device company using AI in point‑of‑care ultrasound.
- Just – Evotec Biologics: A Seattle contract business and subsidiary of Evotec SE that uses AI to develop and manufacture biotherapeutics.
Workers pivot from tech to biotech
There have always been workers in tech who wanted to go into life sciences, but the pay gap was too wide for many. “Now that market dynamic has changed,” Cummings said, as technology companies have cycled through multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years.
The shift is smoother for tech workers moving into digital health, and harder for those going into biology-focused companies. Life Science Washington is working with higher education institutions to find a fast path for workers to bridge that knowledge gap without earning additional degrees.
Building Big Tech and biotech connections
The state’s biotech community could better capitalize on the AI expertise sitting at Amazon, Microsoft Research and other tech companies. Life Science Washington is hosting events and building stronger connections and collaboration between the fields.
Life science companies are better positioned to putting cutting-edge AI tools to work — tools that can “lower the cost and accelerate the pace” of discovery — than they are to develop next-generation AI technologies themselves, Cummings said.
Policy props and problems
On the federal side, Cummings praised Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., for beating back proposed NIH cuts from the Trump administration and securing funding increases for fiscal year 2026. Funding was temporarily frozen last year — “it was painful,” Cummings said — but has since resumed flowing.
State and local policy is a different story. Cummings worries that a pile-up of city and state taxes tied to payroll, income and capital gains is creating a cumulative effect that discourages founders and companies from building or expanding in Washington.
“I don’t think it’s as catastrophic as everybody picking up and leaving,” he said. “But you do see a slow attrition and you see a reallocation of time and resources to tax-friendlier areas.”
