The Everyday Moment

Throughout 2016, it has been inspiring to reflect on our 40-year history and celebrate our defining moments—scientific discoveries, breakthrough medicines, important collaborations, near-misses and even failures we have learned from along the way.

Ours is a history of progress against the odds, from early experiments in making human insulin to exploring the frontiers of cancer immunotherapy. With resilience and determination, we’ve overcome setbacks and pushed the boundaries of science, changed the practice of medicine and touched the lives of millions of patients.

Along with the big defining events have been countless smaller, everyday moments that are epic in themselves: the hours we spend evaluating data, counting cells, monitoring equipment, meeting customers and the incalculable other tasks that go into making medicines and ensuring they reach the patients who need them. We have succeeded in changing lives because of the dedication and hard work of thousands of people at Genentech doing a lot of little things really well, every day, over a long period of time.

As we look ahead to the future, we are motivated by the accomplishments of our first 40 years. With our ever-increasing understanding of the human genome and the biology of disease, we are optimistic that we can continue to transform the practice of medicine and meet the needs of patients even faster. We will do so with an unwavering commitment to doing what is best for patients, pursuing groundbreaking science and creating an environment where our employees can fully contribute to our purpose.

As we publish this story—our 40th story in our 40th year—we recognize the everyday efforts of our employees and thank our partners, health care providers, patients and their families for their contributions to and belief in our work. While this is the last story about 40 defining moments in our history, there will certainly be many more defining moments to come.

To celebrate our everyday epic moments, photographers and employees captured a day in the life at Genentech.

Genentech’s campus in South San Francisco at sunrise. Photo by Kyle Mortara, Genentech department of structural biology.
Genentech employees arrive to work by bike, foot and ferry. Photo by Kyle Mortara, Genentech department of structural biology.
An early morning videoconference call with participants from Genentech in South San Francisco and Roche in Basel, Switzerland. Photo by Andrew Sullivan.
Victor Nelson sorts outgoing packages in shipping/receiving. Photo by Todd Parsons.
Emmy Wang with daughter Tabitha at 2nd Generation, Genentech’s on-site day care center. Photo by Monica Semergiu.
gRIDE, Genentech’s employee commuting program, serves about 1,700 employees every day. Photo by Monica Semergiu.
Product filling specialist Stephan Vavasseur working in Hillsboro, Oregon, where medicines are prepared for distribution to patients. Photo by Akesha Rintalan, Genentech department of Hillsboro operations.
Mike Vuong at work on the purification stage of product manufacturing. Photo by Evan Boscoe, Genentech department of purification.
Costina Papatheodorou adds to a whiteboard filled with biology and chemistry jokes and puns. Photo by Daniela Rible, Genentech department of corporate relations.
Daniel Moreno from the Genentech mailroom. Photo by Andrew Sullivan.
Samantha Chun Feng takes a quick selfie with Monica Chanda and Angelique Cercillieux in the Investigative Toxicology Lab. Photo by Samantha Chun Feng.
Conferences and meetings spread across four floors. Photo by Dexter Chan, Genentech department of product development global clinical operations.
Field representative Josh Keough arrives at John Muir Health Foundation for a meeting. Photo by Cristina Taccone.
Fifth graders from Sunshine Elementary arrive at Genentech for an afternoon of homework, science experiments and fun. Photo by Todd Parsons.
Mike Varney, former executive vice president of Genentech research and early development, at a lunchtime seminar. Photo by Todd Parsons.
Adam Catherman dresses in a snowman costume for a video about the many freezers that are part of his work environment. Photo by Felicia Reid, Genentech research associate.
Matthew Allen from Genentech’s department of intellectual property at a movie night with Green Genes. Photo by Abi Q.
Clarissa Johnson at work in the department of Genentech research and early development. Photo by Andrew Sullivan.
Colleagues gather for work and lunch. Photo by Angie Silvy.
Jeannie Linam relaxes for a moment in one of the nap pods in Genentech’s ReGen room. Photo by Abi Q.
Valarie, a patient, speaks to Genentech employees during a lunchtime meeting. Photo by Todd Parsons.
Patient banners, hanging in the shipping/receiving warehouse, are a visual reminder of Genentech’s purpose. Photo by Todd Parsons.
Diane Beane and Henzel Dalmacio arrive ready to start the night shift at the Small Scale Purification Pilot Plant lab. Photo by D. Matthew Smith.
An employee walks to a meeting wearing his Genentech 40th anniversary hoodie. Photo by Amy Gartner, Genentech department of corporate relations.
Sunset behind the wind harp that stands over Genentech. Photo by Megan Bayley.

Title Image: Christine Kugel from biomolecular engineering. Photo by Kyle Mortara, Genentech department of structural biology.