Daily Business Report-Oct. 22, 2018
Professor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte. (Photo courtesy of Salk Institute for Biological Studies)
Salk professor named one of Time magazine’s
‘Most Influential People in Health Care’
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a professor in Salk’s Gene Expression Laboratory, has been named one of Time magazine’s 50 most influential people in health care for his scientific innovations in addressing the shortage of human organs for transplant. The list, which is curated by Time’s health reporters and editors, recognizes people who changed the state of health care in America this year, and bear watching for what they do next.
“Juan Carlos’ work is at the absolute forefront of an astounding number of biomedical areas with game-changing potential for people’s health,” says Salk President Rusty Gage. “He is very much a scientist and a humanitarian in the mold of all Salk faculty, and we are overjoyed to have his pioneering research acknowledged by a magazine as prominent as Time.”
Izpisua Belmonte, who holds the Roger Guillemin Chair at Salk, is globally recognized for his expertise in stem cell biology. Notably, in 2017, Izpisua Belmonte published a proof-of-concept study showing that functional organs from one species can be grown in another, an important early step toward addressing the critical shortage of human donor organs available for transplant.
_________________________
September jobless rate falls to 3.2 percent
Nonfarm employment up 700 over the month; up 26,900 over the year
The unemployment rate in San Diego County declined to 3.2 percent in September, down from a revised 3.4 percent in August and below the year-ago estimate of 3.7 percent, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. This compares with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 3.9 percent for California and 3.6 percent for the nation during the same period.
Between August and September, total nonfarm employment increased from 1,478,800 to 1,479,500, an increase of 700 jobs. Agricultural employment added 100 jobs.
- Government reported the largest month-over increase with the addition of 5,100 jobs overall. Local government employment climbed by 5,000 jobs, with all the gain in local government education following the summer recess. Federal government added 100 jobs and state government reported no change.
- Two other sectors reported employment increases: educational and health services (up 1,600 jobs) led by advances in educational services and manufacturing (up 200 jobs).
- Leisure and hospitality led the month-over decline, losing 2,000 jobs. Arts, entertainment and recreation accounted for 55 percent of the decline while accommodation and food services decreased by 900 jobs.
Between September 2017 and September 2018, total nonfarm employment increased by 26,900 jobs, or 1.9 percent. Agricultural employment increased by 100 jobs or 1.1 percent.
Phil Blair, executive officer, Manpower’Staffing San Diego: “The September unemployment rate was more than a full percent lower this year than last. Employers, educators and job seekers alike need to be more proactive than ever right now, as the number of job openings threatens to outpace the number of people looking for jobs. We run the risk of the San Diego economy stagnating for lack of qualified employees. This is a huge issue facing the retail industry for the approaching holidays.”
_________________________
Get Rubio’s fish tacos delivered straight to your home
San Diego’s Rubios Restaurants is going to home delivery
Postmates and Rubio’s Restaurants announced that they have partnered to roll out on-demand delivery to all locations nationwide. Rubio’s, the brand known for its delicious coastal cuisine and popularizing the fish taco, is now delivered directly to your door for a flat delivery fee.
“Rubio’s already has a strong presence on the Postmates platform, particularly in the Southwest where Postmates is the market leader,” said Dan Mosher of Postmates. “Postmates currently serves 60 percent of U.S. households, and as we continue to expand nationwide, we are confident that we are a great partner for Rubio’s to reach more customers.”
Postmates now completes millions of deliveries a month, generates over a billion dollars in gross merchandise volume annually and in LA and other major Southwest markets have achieved No. 1 market share.
“At Rubio’s, we’re a mission-driven company and we look for partners that are like-minded as Postmates is,” said Marc Simon, president and CEO. “We’re confident that with Postmates, we’ll be able to provide our guests with the best food in minutes.”
To order, visit Postmates.com or download Postmates on iOS or Android. Delivery fees start at $1.99; however, customers can pay zero delivery fees when they subscribe to Postmates’ subscription service, Unlimited, which is $7.99 per month when paid annually.
_________________________
San Diego Matures as a Tech Hub
With a rise in venture capital, flurry of engineering grads, deep roots in data and analytics, and living costs that beat out the bay, the San Diego region is increasingly becoming a top pick for investors, business and talent alike.
Read why in VentureBeat.
_________________________
Walmart Labs celebrates Carlsbad opening
The nation’s largest retailer is banking on San Diego’s tech talent to stay competitive. Walmart’s tech arm Walmart Labs just moved into a new 30,000-square-foot space at the MAKE building in Carlsbad and is looking to more than double its workforce. To celebrate, the company hosted a career fair and office tour last week.
________________________
TP Therapeutics secures $80 million for cancer drug
Xconomy
Five-year-old biotech TP Therapeutics has raised an $80 million mezzanine financing round and promoted its chief medical officer, Athena Countouriotis, to CEO. The San Diego-based biotech, which is developing targeted cancer drugs for people whose tumors resist other precision therapies, announced the changes Friday.
TP Therapeutics is developing a drug called repotrectinib that targets a group of genetic alterations to the enzymes ALK, ROS1, and TRK, which are implicated in lung cancer and other solid tumors. Targeted cancer drugs exist for these patients; people with lung cancer and an ALK mutation, for instance, can get the Pfizer drug crizotinib (Xalkori). Loxo Oncology is nearing FDA approval of a drug, larotrectinib, that targets TRK fusions in patients with a variety of different cancer types.
________________________
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani relocates Carlsbad office
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has relocated the firm’s Carlsbad office to 5901 Priestly Drive, Suite 308, Carlsbad. Eleven attorneys headquartered in the downtown San Diego office relocated to the new office on Oct. 15. This addition increases the attorneys in the Carlsbad office to 15.
Led by office Co-Managing Partners Gina Haggerty Lindell and Benjamin Morton, the new office is located in the heart of Carlsbad’s business district in the rapidly developing northern part of San Diego County.
“Our new office offers a substantial presence in the heart of the robust development in North County. Further, it broadens the scope of our legal talent serving this market by adding experienced and specialized attorneys across a broad spectrum of practice areas,” said Morton. Adds Lindell:
“The increased space will allow our attorneys more space to host meetings and work with our clients as well as other attorneys.”
