IMRE Corporation, one of Seattle's pioneering biotechnology companies, was founded in 1981, and went public in 1983. Their major product, the Prosorba Column, invented by CEO Frank R. Jones, filters immune complexes from blood plasma to treat some immune diseases, and was the first device of its kind to receive FDA approval, granted in 1987. The company rebranded as Cypress Bioscience Inc. and moved to San Diego after Jones retired in 1996.
Kimball McKeehan, a product technician at IMRE Corp., inspects Prosorba packaging in this photo, a day after the FDA granted full approval for a new manufacturing facility and unrestricted commercial production.
Caption information sources: "Seattle firm gains FDA approval for blood filter," Seattle Times, December 25, 1987, p. C13; "IMRE Corp. Changes Name to Cypress Bioscience Inc., " Seattle Times, April 15, 1996. Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 11 x 8.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.095.22.08, photo by Mike Bainter
