- University of Washington was the first university in America to offer a Ph.D. in nanotechnology; this work is exceptionally strong in the arena of bioscience. UW won the only National Science Foundation Center for Excellence in photonics, which is already contributing to potential breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals.
- Dr. Leroy Hood's Institute for Systems Biology is developing new tools for predictive and preventive medicine.
- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute is working to develop reliable and inexpensive biomarker blood tests molecular to improve early diagnosis.