UCLA partners with Autobahn Labs 'virtual incubator' with drug maker and VC based on new model
According to reporting by Ron Leuty of San Francisco Business Times UCLA has joined into a partnership with German drug maker Evotec SE, Palo Alto Samsara BioCapital, and family fund KCK Ltd. to launch the Autobahn Labs virtual incubator. The novel incubator is based on the concept of a bridge model to fast-track early-stage academic research into startup companies.
Life Science Industry in Los Angeles generates $44.2 billion annually, supporting nearly 200k jobs
The 2020 Life Science Industry Report produced by BioCom finds that in Los Angeles County the industry provides 195,820 jobs (direct, indirect, and induced) and economic activity of $44.2 billion in 2019. For the state of California, the life sciences industry provided 1.4 million jobs and $372 billion in economic activity.
BioLabs LA incubator now home to 20 companies
BioLabs LA, celebrating its one year anniversary, is now home to 20 companies and 59 resident scientists that share lab equipment with an estimated value of $1.5 million. According to journalist Howard Fine, reporting in the Los Angeles Business Journal, “companies at BioLabs LA incubator have raised $31 million in the past year to fund R&D.”
Fortifying the Pipeline for LA County’s Bioscience Workforce
According to Carmen Gosey from the Office of LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, “nineteen high school students from Compton Manuel Dominguez High School graduated from the Bio-Flex Pre-apprenticeship program, created to expose and offer high school and college students’ hands-on experience at a Bioscience company. The program is a flexible, yet structured career pathway for the next generation of Bioscience workers in LA County. So far, more than 75 students have graduated from the Bio-Flex program after being placed with companies such as Takeda, Oak Crest Institute of Science, Protomer Technologies, and Pasadena Bio Collaborative Incubator.”
Curative's fight to scale up testing for COVID-19 in California shown by Bloomberg
Bloomberg Hello World journalist and best-selling author Ashlee Vance showcases the California biotech startup Curative, which has been working throughout the COVID-19 crisis to significantly increasing testing capacity for the region.
Biocom + Cal OES Free PPE Program
Biocom's Return to Work Task Force has established a partnership with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) to provide free-of-charge PPE to companies who qualify as essential businesses.
Terasaki Institute to Move into Former Weider Building
According to Amy Stulick, reporter with San Fernando Valley Business Journal, the Terasaki Institute, a Los Angeles biotech nonprofit, plans to transform the former Weider Health and Fitness Center in Woodland Hills into a biomedical research and development facility. According to a statement from Terasaki, the two-story, 50,000-square-foot building at 21100 Erwin St. will be designed to accommodate teams of scientists focused on developing bioengineered systems, medical devices and other products with biomedical applications.
UCLA, Cedars-Sinai, & UCSC researchers received $5.75M grant to help study role of obesity in development of pancreatic cancer
According to UCLA, a team of researchers from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and peer institutions has been awarded a $5.75 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study the correlation between obesity, inflammation and pancreatic cancer. The scientists hope their findings may help people avoid getting this cancer.
How the Bio Revolution could transform the competitive landscape
The Bio Revolution is a powerful new wave of innovation that is expected to transform business and society beyond healthcare, according to a recent McKinsey article by Michael Chui, Matthias Evers, and Alice Zheng. The applications and economic impact of these new biotechologies, their analysis suggests, will be far reaching - into agriculture, food, materials, energy, and consumer products and services. “The likely disruption of the Bio Revolution is vast and poised to influence a wide range of industries.”
Cal State LA Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center to be COVID-19 testing site
Cal State LA will partner with Los Angeles County and the Governor’s Office to open a new COVID-19 testing site at the Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center to serve the local community and help stop the spread of the virus according to Jillian Beck, Cal State LA News Service.
It’s Time To Build...With Biology
John Cumbers, Forbes Senior Contributor, building off of and providing commentary on Marc Andreessen’s recent essay “It’s Time To Build” suggests that “…biology is the building platform for California and the rest of the world in the 21st century.”
LA Bioscience Hub welcomes new board members
A community centerpiece of the LA Bioscience Corridor, LA Bioscience Hub has announced that Carlos Gutierrez, Chief Strategy Officer of Larta Institute, and Anna Galstyan, Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, have joined its Board of Directors. As board members, Carlos and Anna will be essential partners in advancing LA Bioscience Hub's key initiatives and ensuring the success of its programs and presence in the Bioscience Corridor.
UCLA Alum, Former Los Angeles EIR Tanya Petrossian Featured by NIH Director for Endometriosis Start-Up
Double Bruin Tanya Petrossian (UCLA BS Biochemistry, PhD Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) was recently featured in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Director’s Corner, by NICHD Director Diana W. Bianchi, MD:
The Evolution of University Technology Transfer: By the Numbers
According to Thomas Lipkin, Director of Startups and New Ventures at UCLA, “UCLA would rank second for the number of tech transfer startups launched from 2008-2018, if carved out from the UC total.” This finding is based on the results of recent research by Dr. Dipanjan “DJ” Nag & Antara Gupta & Alex Turo published in IPWatchDog.
FDA Approves Curative Inc's COVID-19 Test
According to reporting by Rachel Uranga of dot.LA, “the Food and Drug Administration approved COVID-19 testing startup Curative Inc.'s saliva test for emergency use — opening up the door to larger-scale distribution.” Curative, a biotech startup, has reportedly processed 57,700 tests so far.
Wavemaker 360 Health Announces $100 Million Fund Aimed at Health Care Amid COVID-19
Pasadena-based venture capital firm Wavemaker 360 Health announced a $100 million fund aimed at digital health and health tech startups — double what it had been planning prior to the global pandemic.
Watch: Investors & Health Professionals Discuss Recent Innovations
A recent expert panel brought together by Rachel Uranga, Business, Health and Tech reporter at dot.LA discusses the recent innovations in telemedicine and other innovations brought about by COVID-19.
Storytelling & Diversity: The AI Edge In LA
Dave Whelan, Chief Executive Officer of BioscienceLA, believes diversity is LA’s secret weapon when it comes to its potential to become the global epicenter for AI innovation. He notes LA’s widely diverse diaspora, which makes it a perfect place to train AI.
COVID-19 fighting startup, Curative, seeks LA biotech talent
Startup, Curative, is setting up a CLIA lab in San Dimas to scale up their COVID-19 diagnostic test kit. Now they need to staff up to meet the production challenges ahead. Curative is actively hiring and looking for motivated individuals able to start immediately.