Daily Business Report-Feb. 16, 2021
Graphic courtesy of Scripps Research Institute
Scientists call for investment now in highly
potent vaccines to prevent the next pandemic
As new COVID-19 variants begin to throw vaccine efficacy in question, two leading scientists are calling for health agencies to invest in the development of vaccines that would be broadly effective against many different variants and strains of potential pandemic viruses.
In a commentary article published in the journal Nature, Dennis Burton and Eric Topol of Scripps Research, call for governments to provide significant funding support for rational vaccine design based on broadly neutralizing antibodies.
Such antibodies provide broad-spectrum potency against viruses, a valuable characteristic that opens the door to vaccines that could provide immunity against the many variants that might evolve from a fast-mutating virus. They could also be used as drugs to prevent and treat infections.
Burton and Topol note that the rapid development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 was possible due to certain properties of the SARS-CoV-2 virus—in particular, the spike protein on the virus’s surface. But they warn that the virus driving the next pandemic may not provide such a ready target, which could substantially slow the process of developing a novel vaccine.
“Even SARS-CoV-2 could be becoming more problematic for vaccines because of the emergence of new variants,” they write. “We call for an alternative approach to pandemic preparedness.”
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Entrepreneurs dare to start
new businesses during pandemic
Despite a grim economy, applications for new business licenses are on the rise: In California, 442,324 were filed in 2020, a 21.7 perent increase from the year before, according to an analysis of data that the U.S. Census Bureau developed with economists and the federal reserve. Across the U.S., about 4.4 million applications for new businesses were filed last year, compared to roughly 3.5 million in 2019, according to the same data, which is considered an experimental Census product.
Why are more people taking the plunge and launching ventures during a global pandemic? Experts aren’t sure. “It’s a significant increase,” said Mark Herbert, vice president in California for Small Business Majority, a national organization advocating for small businesses. “It’s something we’ve been tracking and we have more questions than answers at this point.”
Herbert said one possibility is that people whose businesses shut down for good during the crisis might be trying to start over. More than 19,000 businesses closed permanently statewide since March, according to a September Yelp analysis. Others, Herbert said, might be trying to make extra money after a pandemic-related layoff.
Compiled from a CalMatters report.
Viasat part of deal to bring in-flight connectivity
for airlines flying into and over Russia
Carlsbad-based Viasat Inc., Russian satellite operator Gazprom Space Systems and Russian telecom operator TMC LLC announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aims to advance in-flight connectivity for airlines flying into and over Russia.
Russia is a key region for in-flight communications, comprised of 11 time zones, and providing, among other things, the shortest flight routes between North America and Asia, as well as between Europe and Asia.
Per the MOU, the three companies will work in partnership to provide Russian and international airlines IFC service when flying into and over Russian Federation airspace. This cooperation is expected to offer Viasat’s global airline customers roaming connectivity when flying over Russia; providing IFC services on domestic flights within Russia; and enabling Russian and international airlines access to roam onto the Viasat global satellite network when outside of Russian airspace.
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UC San Diego and San Diego County
test COVID-19 Early Alert System in Schools
By Yadira Galindo | UC San Diego
In an effort to help schools reduce the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks as they resume in-person instruction, UC San Diego and the County of San Diego are testing the Safer at School Early Alert system, an evidence-informed program to detect SARS-CoV-2 at schools and child care centers.
Modeled after UC San Diego’s Return to Learn, a first-of-its-kind approach to safely resume to teaching, learning and research at a university, the Safer at School Early Alert system is scaled for individual schools and child care centers without the resources available at a research university. Through daily wastewater and surface monitoring, the Safer at School Early Alert tests for the presence of particles of the coronavirus. Combined with a responsive testing strategy, the aim is to quickly identify children or staff members who are infected with COVID-19 before an outbreak occurs.
Ten San Diego County-area schools and two child care centers are participating in this SARS-CoV-2 early detection program, which is funded by the County of San Diego and designed by UC San Diego.
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Kratos Defense deploys self-driving truck
in eight U.S. locations and the UK
San Diego-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. announced that with the November 2020 deployment in North Dakota, the Unmanned Systems Division has now deployed its self-driving truck, known as the Autonomous Truck Mounted Attenuator (ATMA), in eight locations across the United States and the UK.
The success of the ATMA in increasing worker safety has sparked significant interest in the highway maintenance industry leading to a ninth deployment already under contract for this summer and targeted opportunities in 26 additional states for near-term deployments.
DexCom launches inaugural venture capital fund
DexCom Inc., a San Diego-based gluecose monitoring company for people with diabetes,
announced the launch of Dexcom Ventures. The inaugural fund will seek to identify and invest in opportunities to supplement growth in the core business and advance the development of adjacent technologies for the future.
Dexcom Ventures will be led by Dexcom veteran Steve Pacelli and will be focused on investment opportunities in sensing technology, data analytics, remote patient monitoring and population health, broadening Dexcom’s commitment to advancing better outcomes in health care.
The fund will support independent initiatives in glucose sensing technologies and in adjacent fields of metabolic monitoring and marks the entrance into the venture capital space for parent company Dexcom.
USD clamps down on student activities
on and off campus due to spike in COVID-19 cases
In an effort to reverse a significant spike in on-campus COVID-19 positive cases, the University of San Digeo has implemented a series of temporary directives that will limit on-campus activity through the end of February.
“While no one source is responsible for the surge, it is clear from our tracing efforts that parties and other social gatherings off campus are occurring,” said USD President James T. Harris. “These events, coupled with a disregard by some for our health and safety measures both on and off campus, are the primary reasons for the recent surge in cases.”
To learn more about the directives, visit https://www.sandiego.edu/onward/stopthesurge.php.
11th annual NAIOP University Challenge April 21-22
The 11th Annual NAIOP University Challenge will take place on April 21 and 22, 2021. Student real estate teams from the University of San Diego School of Business/Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate, San Diego State University’s Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate and the University of California, San Diego’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning will compete in a business case study real estate competition on the highest and best use for a real, proposed site/case study in San Diego County.
The student teams will first submit their written case and will have 60 minutes to defend their project privately in front of the judging committee at a pre‐competition session on April 21. A rigorous question and answer session follows their presentation. On the second day, April 22, the student teams will present to an audience of NAIOP members, real estate professionals and fellow students.
Tammie Jo Shults: Nerves of Steele
Tammie Jo Shults possessed an early interest in flying, but she faced various obstacles on her path to becoming a military pilot. Applying her lifelong trait of perseverance, she eventually became one of the first female F/A-18 Hornet pilots in the United States Navy.
After concluding her Navy career, she became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. Tammie Jo’s incredible history and talent received wide acclaim on April 17, 2018, when she successfully landed a Southwest Boeing 737 after an engine exploded at high altitude, causing multiple system failures and a rapid depressurization. The successful landing of Flight 1380 in Philadelphia saved 148 total lives including passengers and crew, as detailed in her captivating novel, Nerves of Steel.
Shults is one of the featured speakers at the 2021 San Diego Women’s WeekMarch 15-19 sponsored by the North San Diego Business Chamber.
Rescu emergency alert launched in San Diego
Rescu, an emergency alert app that connects people directly to certified emergency dispatchers, has launched in San Diego. Unlike 9-1-1, the Rescu app does not require speaking to a dispatcher, meaning a user can silently send for help in Rescu’s mobile app interface if an intruder enters their home or request an ambulance in the event of a medical emergency that hinders their ability to speak
Rescu was created by the founders of Alarm Relay, a family-owned security and alarm monitoring business. When Paolo Piscatelli’s father, Paul Piscatelli, had a medical emergency and called 9-1-1, pain made it near impossible for him to talk, delaying the arrival of an ambulance. Paul eventually got the medical attention he needed and after he recovered, he and his son were inspired to create a solution that offered a faster way to get help.
They created the Rescu app that eliminates the time wasted communicating address and personal information to traditional 9-1-1 verbally on a phone call. Instead, location and other data can be pre-programmed into the app, and Rescu offers the ability to select the nature of the emergency, Fire, Police, or Ambulance services, with just one click. The app also automatically sends a text message instantly notifying family members and emergency contacts.
SDSU recognized for excellence
in providing virtual student support
San Diego State University has been recognized by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education as a recipient of its inaugural Virtual Innovation Awards: Excellence in Delivering Virtual Student Services.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the recognition honors SDSU for its exemplary virtual support to students through a coordinated campuswide approach to student engagement and success. The award carries a $15,000 prize to further enhance student support programs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, SDSU has introduced several key initiatives and programs aimed at supporting students through a high-touch model using integrated technologies, including SDSU Connect, the Donor Drive to Support Emergency Needs, the SDSU Flexbile Course Design Summer Institute and Virtual Explore SDSU 2020.
Students affected by COVID-19 are also being supported by SDSU’s Economic Crisis Response Team, which assists students in need of food, housing or connections to campus resources.
