Corixa was a

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field an ...

company based in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

involved in the development of immunotherapeutics to combat autoimmune diseases,

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...

s, and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. It was founded in 1994. It operated a laboratory and production facility in

Hamilton, Montana Hamilton is a city that serves as the county seat of Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census. History Hamilton was founded by copper king Marcus Daly in the late 19th century. It was named for J.W. H ...

. The name Corixa comes from the true bug (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) genus ''Corixa'' (family Corixidae, Water boatman), described by Geoffroy, in 1762. On 12 July 2005, the European pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline completed the acquisition of Corixa. GSK had formerly made use of the Corixa's MPL (''Monophosphoryl lipid A'', a derivative of the

lipid A Lipid A is a lipid component of an endotoxin held responsible for the toxicity of gram-negative bacteria. It is the innermost of the three regions of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also called endotoxin molecule, and its hydrophobic nature allows it ...

molecule), an

adjuvant In pharmacology, an adjuvant is a drug or other substance, or a combination of substances, that is used to increase the efficacy or potency of certain drugs. Specifically, the term can refer to: * Adjuvant therapy in cancer management * Analgesi ...

in some of their

vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.

s. On 31 March 2006, Corixa's doors closed after over 11 years in business.

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References

Biotechnology companies of the United States Defunct companies based in Seattle Pharmaceutical companies established in 1994 Biotechnology companies established in 1994 Biotechnology companies disestablished in 2006 1994 establishments in Washington (state) 2005 mergers and acquisitions 2006 disestablishments in Washington (state) Pharmaceutical companies disestablished in 2006 GSK plc {{med-company-stub