Daily Business Report — July 8, 2011

Scientist Promoted to Lead Immunology Division

Award-winning scientist Hilde Cheroutre has been promoted to lead the Division of Developmental Immunology at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. Cheroutre’s expertise in the immunology of the digestive system has brought her to the international forefront of research on inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease and other intestinal disorders.  Her research accomplishments have also brought her national recognition as a recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pioneer Award in 2009. The award is given annually to a handful of scientists nationwide by NIH Director Francis Collins, the nation’s highest ranking research official.  The NIH created the award to encourage highly respected scientists to explore bold ideas that have the potential to transform human health.

Cheroutre joined the La Jolla Institute in 1998 as an assistant member in the Division of Developmental Immunology, becoming an associate member in 2002 and full member in 2007. In 2007, her seminal discovery that retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative, can play a critical role in controlling autoimmune diseases and the associated inflammation in the body, published in the journal Science, was named as one of the key biomedical research advances of the year by Nature Medicine, a journal for biomedical research.

Cheroutre has been awarded the NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship twice and the Cancer Research Coordinating Committee Fellowship from the state of California.

Museum of Photographic Arts Obtains Federal Grant

The Museum of Photographic Arts believes it has found a new way to get more people to interact with the museum and it thanks a federal grant for making it possible. A grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services will enagle the museum, in conjunction with the Balboa Park Online Collaborative (BPOC), to develop and pilot an open source module for online contests. “The IMLS Sparks! grant comes at a strategic time for MOPA, as we are looking to find new avenues of engagement, both online and in our galleries,” said Deborah Klocko, executive director. “We are fortunate to have BPOC as a partner in bringing this project from conception to reality and are eager to build an intuitive and engaging system for managing online contests in a way that makes sense for our organization.” BPOC will provide technical direction, overseeing the module’s development, testing and implementation. The Museum of Photographic Arts has already worked with BPOC’s team to digitize its photography collection and integrate high-tech kiosks into its gallery.

The project will create open source software to facilitate online submission of user-generated content including photographs,videos, written narratives, and Weblinks. The software will also support public voting on the content, thereby encouraging the contest to spread virally through participants’ networks of friends, family and colleagues.

Three Companies Take 13th Floor of Downtown High-Rise

Underground Elephant Inc. has leased the entire 13th floor at the office high-rise at 600 B St. in Downtown San Diego and has subleased part of the floor to First Wind Energy LLC and Legacy Partners II SD B Street LLC.The complex transaction was composed of a 62-month sublease with First Wind Energy for 9,000 square feet and a 62-month direct lease for 5,220 square feet from Legacy Partners. The lease is valued at $1.6 million. By combing both leases, Underground Elephant was able to lease the entire 13th floor. Steven Martini of QualityFirst Commercial represented Underground Elephant, Jim Laing of Cushman and Wakefield represented FirstWind Energy and Andy LaDow and Frank Wright represented Legacy Partners in the transaction.

Joseph Reid Joins Perkins Coie Law Firm

Joseph Reid has joined the law firm of Perkins Coie as a partner in its patent litigation practice in San Diego. Reid was formerly a principal at Fish & Richardson. Reid will focus his practice on patent litigation and patent trial work in wide variety of industries including life sciences, computer software and hardware, consumer electronics, video and audio processing, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductors, wireless networking, automotive systems and e-commerce. Reid earned his J.D., cum laude, from University of Notre Dame Law School. He earned his master’s degree from University of California-Davis and received his bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

Small Business Workshops

SCORE San Diego continues its series of low-cost workshops. Fees range from $29 to $109, depending on the program. To register online, visit score-sandiego.org. For more information, call (619) 557-7272.

• July 11 – Business Basics 101 – 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; no charge – please pre-register).

• July 12 – Legal Issues for Small Business: Contracts and Leases – 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• July 13 – QuickBooks Basic – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• July 15 – Women’s Networking Breakfast and Exhibits – 8 to 11 a.m. at Morgan Run Resort & Club in Rancho Santa Fe (5690 Cancha de Golf, Rancho Santa Fe 92091; attendees: $30 by July 12, $40 after; exhibitors: $80 by July 12, $90 after).

• July 16 – Introduction to Starting Your Own Business – 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• July 16 – Internet Marketing 101: Use the Internet to Successfully Market Your Business – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• July 18 – Restaurant 101 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• July 19 – Internet Marketing 301: Increase Sales through Pay-Per-Click – 9 a.m. to noon at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $49, $59 at the door).

• July 20 – Business Plan 201: How to Write a Winning Business Plan – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Carlsbad (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).

The Daily Business Report is produced by REP Publishing Inc., publisher of SD METRO, the North Park News, Kensington News and the West Coast Craftsman. Contact: Manny Cruz (619) 287-1865.