Accelerator Corporation, a leading life science investment and management firm, announced it has expanded operations with three new institution partners: CoMotion at the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Oregon Health & Science University. In conjunction with these additions, Accelerator also announced the appointment of life science veteran Bruce L.A. Carter, Ph.D., to its board of directors.

“It has been a momentous year for Accelerator. Earlier this year, we launched our first two startups from our New York City portfolio, Petra Pharma and Lodo Therapeutics. Today, we’ve debuted the expansion of our strategic resources in the Seattle region with the addition of three leading research institution partners and the appointment of Dr. Bruce Carter – a true life science veteran – to our board,” said Thong Q. Le, chief executive officer of Accelerator. “These milestones reflect our mission to carefully and thoughtfully curate high-quality startups backed by promising research. It is through this kind of close collaboration with academia and industry that we are able to continue to fund and form the next generation of innovative companies poised to transform patient care.”

Founded in 2003 in Seattle, Accelerator uses a unique model of investing in life science companies. As part of its model, Accelerator provides its portfolio companies with an exclusive set of startup resources in the form of a complete business, scientific and financial toolkit necessary for running an early-stage biotechnology company. With resources like world-class institution partners, committed investment capital, experienced startup management and scientific expertise, and state-of-the-art laboratories and shared facilities, Accelerator’s portfolio companies have ground-up support that position them for long-term success.

CoMotion at the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Oregon Health & Science University have joined Accelerator’s current syndicate of institution partners in the Pacific Northwest, bringing its total to 19 institution partnerships nationwide. By partnering with leading research institutions, Accelerator gains access to innovative global technologies and potential commercial opportunities. In turn, these institutions lend their broad expertise to Accelerator’s portfolio companies, providing them with integrated technology, research and development capabilities.

“Accelerator has played a critical role in establishing Seattle and the greater northwest region as a rapidly growing hub of life science innovation,” said Nicole (Niki) Robinson, Ph.D., vice president of business development and industry relations at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. “Accelerator has a differentiated model that aims to spur creation of startup companies that have built-in resources and support from the life science ecosystem continuum from day one. This collaboration combines the Fred Hutch’s own expertise and research efforts with Accelerator’s deep therapeutic development capabilities to bring forward new oncology medicines for patients in need.”

“Accelerator brings an impressive track record to investments in life science opportunities, with more than 14 startup companies formed to date,” said Vikram Jandhyala, vice president for innovation strategy at the University of Washington (UW) and executive director of CoMotion. “We have worked with Accelerator to create new startup companies based on research developed by our faculty, and we look forward to leveraging Accelerator’s network and expertise in life science management and investment as a way to add value to UW researchers and CoMotion’s programs, including CoMotion Labs.”

“Collaboration is necessary to drive innovation in therapeutic development, and Oregon Health & Science University is excited to join Accelerator to bring together a broad set of experts and opportunities to support new life science startups,” said Brendan Rauw, M.B.A., CLP, vice president of technology transfer and business development at Oregon Health & Science University.

Dr. Carter brings extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. For the past 30 years, Dr. Carter has been an affiliate professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington. In November 2009, he joined Immune Design Corp., where he served as executive chairman of the board until 2011. Prior to joining Immune Design, Dr. Carter was a member of the management team at ZymoGenetics, Inc., where he held various positions – including CEO – from 1986 to 2009.