Daily Business Report-May 28, 2020
ECMO is a technology that works outside the body, pumping and oxygenating a patient’s blood. (Photo courtesy of UC San Diego)
Mobile life support delivered to area
hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic
News coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has been fraught with stories and images of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 struggling for breath, often involving mechanical lung support. However, a small number of patients become so ill that a ventilator alone cannot sustain life and help doctors get the patient on the road to recovery. When all else fails, these patients require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO.
“Patients who require ECMO are the sickest of the sick. They are beyond being kept alive by a ventilator and need full support to keep the brain, heart, liver and kidneys supplied with oxygen,” said Robert Owens, MD, a pulmonary, critical care and sleep specialist at UC San Diego Health. “The challenge is that not all hospitals have this technology. Fortunately UC San Diego Health has this capability and has made it mobile to benefit patients, even those cared for initially at other hospitals.”
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Scripps Research professor honored
with 2020 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience
Scripps Research Professor and neurobiologist Ardem Patapoutian, has been awarded the 2020 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, a prestigious distinction presented by Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and The Kavli Foundation.
The announcement came early today during the World Science Festival in New York, where Kavli Prize winners also were named in the fields of astrophysics and nanoscience.
Patapoutian shares the neuroscience award—which includes a prize of $1 million—with co-winner David Julius, PhD, of University of California, San Francisco. Patapoutian and Julius are recognized for their fundamental discoveries of the molecular mechanisms of touch, temperature and pain.
With today’s pronouncement, Patapoutian becomes the first Scripps Research scientist to win the Kavli Prize.
“Scripps Research sincerely congratulates Ardem on this prestigious award for his groundbreaking discoveries that have greatly expanded our understanding of the sensory nervous system,” says Peter Schultz, PhD, President and CEO of Scripps Research. “The Kavli Prize recognizes remarkable contributions to science, and that certainly describes Ardem’s work.”
Patapoutian discovered pressure-sensitive proteins, PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, that enable the sense of touch and underlie the function of many other tissues and cell types. This key discovery a decade ago has led to new findings that shed light on how to treat a variety of diseases, from heart failure to chronic pain. While the most impactful applications today deal with human health, the proteins Patapoutian discovered are highly conserved throughout the animal kingdom and are essential of pressure sensing in all mammals. They affect red blood cell volume, vascular physiology and underlie a broad range of human genetic disorders.
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New utility might be stuck
buying costly natural gas
Voice of San Diego
When San Diego pitched creating its own power utility separate from SDG&E, the promise was two-fold: The government-run utility would deliver power that was cleaner, and also cheaper than what the investor-own SDG&E was willing to give customers.
But Voice of San Diego’s MacKenzie Elmer has uncovered a hitch in that plan: “San Diego Community Power, the new utility, wants to provide, at minimum, 50 percent renewable energy to its customers beginning March 2021. But a state law essentially requires it to invest in a pricey piece of natural gas-based energy from the get-go under a knotty set of regulations set up to ensure the grid has more power than it needs on a hot summer day.”
Other government-run power utilities in California have encountered the same issue and some that didn’t make the expensive investments quickly enough were hit with massive fines.
Meanwhile, even private utilities are having trouble meeting the mandate, but some of them, including SDG&E, had their big fines waived by the state.
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Places of worship, hair salons, barbershops
in county can open with modifications
Houses of worship, hair salons and barbershops can all resume services, but they must implement a variety of safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the SanDiego County Health and Human Services Agency announced. All must complete and post the county’s Safe Reopening Plan before opening.
Places of worship will have to limit attendance to 25 percent of capacity, or 100 people or fewer, whichever of the two is smaller.
Worshippers not in the same household will have to sit or stand six feet apart. State guidance says houses of worship should consider discontinuing singing and other practices that increase the chance of virus transmission through exhaled droplets. They also should consider or modify practices that require sharing items.
The state also gave the green light for hair salons and barbershops to reopen. Employees will have to complete a health screening at the beginning and end of each shift and both stylists and customers must wear facial coverings for the duration of the hair appointment.
While the businesses may open immediately, certain services frequently offered are not yet allowed. This includes eyelash and eyebrow services, facials and shaves.
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Del Mar Fairgrounds operators appeal
to public to help save it from closure
Fearing closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic, operators of the Del Mar Fairgrounds are appealing to the public to alert public officials of the fairgrounds’ need for immediate emergency funds. “Without help, this historic landmark could face potential closure, leaving a lasting community void in our region,” operators said in a press release.
They have established a website resource — saveyourfairgrounds.com— where the public can communicate with elected officials.
“The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a crown jewel of San Diego County, featuring the beloved and iconic San Diego County Fair, which has cultivated civic pride since it began in 1880,” according to the appeal. “The Fairgrounds plays an integral role in the prosperity of the region, generating $680 million in economic impact and nearly 4,000 full-time-equivalent jobs.”
Although the Fairgrounds is owned by the State of California and run by the 22nd District Agricultural Association, all of its operations are entirely self-funded. The facility relies on event revenues to operate and does not receive any assistance from the State of California’s general fund. With the postponement or cancellation of all events over the past 3+ months, including the 2020 San Diego County Fair due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Del Mar Fairgrounds’ revenue streams have been severely depleted.
The Fairgrounds and its board of directors have requested $20 million from the State of California for critical emergency funding support. They are also actively pursuing funding options on the city, county and federal levels.
Until it is safe to host events again, the Del Mar Fairgrounds does not have the ability to create the necessary revenue it needs to survive, according to the operators. “Community support is crucial during this challenging time in order to preserve the Fairgrounds for future generations.”
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Salk scientists uncover new way
to improve cancer therapeutics
Many cancer medications fail to effectively target the most commonly mutated cancer genes in humans, called RAS. Now, Salk Professor Geoffrey Wahl and a team of scientists have uncovered details into how normal RAS interacts with mutated RAS and other proteins in living cells for the first time.
The findings, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on May 18, 2020, could aid in the development of better RAS-targeted cancer therapeutics.
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Governor and Trump now in
fight over all-mail election ballots
Well, it looks as though Gov.Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump’s uncharacteristically friendly relationship during the pandemic may be drawing to a close.
On Tuesday, Trump castigated Newsom for ordering an all-mail election in November. “The Governor of California is sending ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one,” he tweeted, adding, “This will be a Rigged Election. No way!”
Twitter later flagged the tweets with a label reading “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” that links users to a series of articles refuting Trump’s claims, drawing further ire from the president.
Newsom didn’t mince words during his Tuesday press conference, saying there “was no evidence” that mail-in ballots increase the potential for voter fraud and pointing out that California will also have in-person voting options in November. “Utah, hardly a bastion of progressive politics, has been doing mail-only ballots for a number of years,” he added. “It doesn’t skew Democrat, doesn’t skew Republican. … I hope we can temper our comments on the other side, though I recognize we are in a political season.”
The Republican National Committee and California Republican Party sued Newsom on Sunday for ordering an-all mail election. Republicans won both of California’s special elections last month, which were held almost entirely by mail.
–CalMatters report
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VOXOX launches plan to provide free access
to VoxDirect phone and text marketing
Unified Communications company VOXOX, a San Diego business, has debuted a Small Business Comeback Communication Plan, which grants free—no strings attached—access to their flagship service VoxDirect, a cloud-based phone and text message marketing/notification system that better enables business owners to create connections with new and loyal customers, especially now, amidst the backdrop of COVID-19. VoxDirect provides an affordable phone solution, formerly only available to big business enterprises, to small business owners, micro-businesses, and solopreneuers looking for powerful, mobile-first, and cloud-based communications tools—complete with text message marketing and automation.
This special package is a $69 per month value being offered at no charge so small businesses can use VoxDirect’s powerful, virtual text marketing and notification tools, along with the integrated cloud-based, mobile-first phone system for businesses, to instantly notify customers and employees of important announcements and special offers.
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Housing tech company Dvele
acquires Blu Homes
Dvele, a San Diego-based housing technology company, has acquired Blu Homes, a pioneer in modern luxury prefab homes.
The agreement brings together two leaders in the luxury factory built housing and home technology space, aligning to deliver superior homes into a market desperate for innovation.
Dvele is a privately held producer of next-generation modular homes and housing focused technologies. Founded in 2017 by pioneers of the modern modular home industry, San Diego-based Dvele has leveraged their expertise and efficient manufacturing process to create hyper-efficient, self-powered homes.
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Nursing simulator research
draws top prize for SDSU team
An exploration of a virtual simulation tool that may revolutionize nursing education, authored by two San Diego State University leaders and alumni, has earned a Best Graduate Student Paper award from the nation’s top professional organization for educational researchers.
Helina Hoyt, nursing program coordinator at SDSU Imperial Valley, and Sean Hauze, associate director for Instructional Technology Services (ITS), were honored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) for the paper “Equitable Nursing Education Simulation through Holographic Video: Measuring Student Knowledge, Skill, and Motivation to Learn.” The project stemmed from their collaborative research as students in SDSU’s Joint Ph.D. Program in Education with Claremont Graduate University (CGU).
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Jane Booth, senior VP of sales
at Globalization Partners, to retire
Jane Booth, senior vice president of sales for Globalization Partners, is retiring on Friday after several years in the sales industry.
During her tenure and under her leadership, Globalization Partners grew to more than 200 internal employees, spanning operations in more than 170 countries. Besides building many partnerships, Booth formed a highly-trained sales team renowned for a culture of excellence and collaboration that is unique among sales organizations.
“This is the best, most satisfying job I have ever had, and I am leaving with some amazing memories and career high points,” said Booth. “But on a personal note, my parents passed at an early age, so that taught me to make the most of my life and not delay. CEO Nicole Sahin and I have been planning this move for well over a year to ensure it has no impact on the business, but now is the time.”
Jane plans to become an expert marimba player, take part in chalk art festivals around the country, expand her volunteering and get fit enough to ride her bike across the United States.
“Jane’s accomplishments have been remarkable; she has been able to create a dedicated group of people, many who were half her age, that she trained to become the excellent sales team they are today,” said Nicole Sahin, CEO and founder of Globalization Partners. “We will joyfully cheer her on from the sidelines as she pursues the realization of her dreams. I am so grateful for everything that Jane has built at Globalization Partners.”
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Nima Farzan named chief exective
officer of Kinnate Biopharma Inc.
Kinnate Biopharma Inc. a San Diego precision oncology company focused on the discovery and development of novel kinase inhibitors, announced the appointment of Nima Farzan as chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors.
Farzan brings nearly two decades of executive leadership and commercial and development experience in the biopharmaceutical industry to the Kinnate team, most recently as president and CEO of PaxVax. Company co-founder and former CEO Stephen Kaldor has been appointed chairman.
At PaxVax, Farzan successfully led a team of 250 people through a number of commercial product launches and negotiated the acquisition of the company by Emergent BioSolutions in 2018. Prior to PaxVax, he held a series of roles with increasing responsibility at Novartis AG, most recently as vice president of U.S. marketing in the company’s Vaccines & Diagnostics division. Prior to Novartis, Farzan worked at DoubleTwist, a pioneering genomics company, and was a consultant with Boston Consulting Group.
He is currently a member of the Keros Therapeutics Board of Directors. Farzan holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
