In 1989, CellPro was founded in Bothell as a spin-off from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The company developed the CEPRATE SC stem-cell concentration system for use in bone-marrow transplantation. In 1991, the company issed its IPO raising $36 million. In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave marketing approval to the company’s CEPRATE SC stem-cell system for use in bone-marrow transplantation.

In 1997 CellPro was involved in a patent-infringement lawsuit brought by Johns Hopkins University, Baxter International, and Becton Dickinson concerning an antibody used in the CEPRATE SC stem-cell system treatment. In March, 1997 a federal district court jury ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and in the end, CellPro paid more than $15 million to settle the lawsuit and declared bankruptcy in 1998.