Daily Business Report: Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022
Northrop Grumman to develop
prototype artificial intelligence assistant
Objective: to enhance pilot awareness and decision-making abilities
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Perceptually-enabled Task Guidance (PTG) program to develop a prototype artificial intelligence assistant. The prototype will be embedded in an augmented reality headset to help rotary pilots perform expected and unexpected tasks.
Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the University of Central Florida, will develop an Operator and Context Adaptive Reasoning Intuitive Assistant (OCARINA) that will support UH-60 Blackhawk pilots, who fly with both visual and instrumented flight, which varies with weather, time of day and other environmental factors.
“The goal of this prototype is to broaden a pilot’s skillset,” said Erin Cherry, senior autonomy program manager, Northrop Grumman. “It will help teach new tasks, aide in the recognition and reduction of errors, improve task completion time, and most importantly, help to prevent catastrophic events.”
TOP PHOTO: Northrop Grumman’s prototype AI assistant will help rotary pilots perform expected and unexpected tasks such as augmenting the crew’s response to an engine fire in this example.
‘Microbusinesses’ could receive
$2,500 COVID-19 relief grants
“Microbusinesses” across San Diego County hurt by COVID-19 could soon be getting $2,500 boosts after County supervisors approved a grant program Tuesday funded in part by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate.
Supervisors unanimously approved giving the $2,500 grants to help up to 1,550 microbusinesses, defined as earning less than $50,000 in 2019, being the owner’s primary source of income and having five or fewer employees, currently and in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The list could include home businesses like pet sitters, shoppers, cleaners and home health care workers, and sidewalk vendors like food cart operators.
Applications can be submitted online starting Feb. 15.
The application page can be reached indirectly through the County’s Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program webpage, or directly at the Small Business Development Center’s website.
NFL Gives UC San Diego $500,000 to study
whether cannabis helps athletes manage pain
The National Football League is giving UC San Diego $500,000 to study whether cannabis can be effectively used to help athletes manage pain from injuries and to recover more quickly.
The research will be done on professional rugby players — partly because cannabis is a banned substance in the NFL, which has among the highest injury rates of any major team sport.
UCSD says the study will involve administering THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, and cannabidiol (CBD), the second most-active ingredient.
The NFL awarded the contract to UCSD’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind in the country.
Allegiant Air and JetBlue Airways to relocate
operations to Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport
Later this month, Allegiant Air and JetBlue Airways will relocate their operations to Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport because of ongoing construction related to the replacement of the airport’s Terminal 1.
Effective Feb. 18, Allegiant Air will operate from Terminal 2 East. Its ticket counter will be located at the west end of the American Airlines ticket counter and the airline will operate from gate 33 post-security.
Beginning Feb. 24, JetBlue Airways will operate from Terminal 2 West. JetBlue Airways’ ticket counter will be located at the east end of the Delta Air Lines ticket counter and the airline will operate from gate 34 post-security.
The relocation is to make space available as construction continues for the Terminal 1 project which includes the replacement of the outdated Terminal 1, improvements to the airfield, improved transportation connectivity to the airport, and a new facility for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority administration.
SD METRO contributing writer Marsha Sutton wins
first-place award in SD Press Club Journalism Awards
Marsha Sutton, a contributing writer to SD METRO Magazine, won a first-place writing award at the San Diego Press Club’s 47th annual Excellence in Journalism Awards. Her winning entry in the Profile for Magazines Category, was titled “The Iron Lady of East County.”
The article profiled former San Diego County Board of Supervisors member Dianne Jacob, who was the longest serving member of the Board of Supervisors and held elected office longer than anyone in the county’s history. Jacob, 81, served 28 years on the board and recently retired.
The story of the third generation San Diegan, raised in the Rolando area of East County, describes her personal journey from dreams of being a cowgirl into a position of authority on the Board.
Read the full profile here: https://www.sandiegometro.com/2020/07/iron-lady-east-county/
San Diego’s Element Biosciences acquires Loop Genomics
San Diego-based Element Biosciences, developer of a new and disruptive DNA sequencing platform, announced that it has acquired Loop Genomics, a long-read solutions company that enables short-read sequencers to obtain long range information. Loop Genomics’ Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Tuval Ben-Yehezkel, will join Element Biosciences’ leadership team as senior director, applications.
By combining Element’s highly accurate and cost-effective short-read platform with Loop’s easy and scalable long-read solutions, customers will be able to access both short- and long-read applications on the same platform with unprecedented performance, cost, and flexibility, according to Element Biosciences.
Element’s inaugural virtual event on March 14, 2022, will provide more details on the Loop Genomics technology and its integration with the Element platform. To register for the event, visit https://registration.elementbiosciences.com/.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Judge Margaret Mann appointed bankruptcy
judge observer to the U.S. Judicial Conference
Margaret M. Mann, judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, has been appointed as the bankruptcy judge observer to the United States Judicial Conference. She is the sole representative of the bankruptcy courts and the 350 bankruptcy judges in the United States.
The United States Judicial Conference reviews the affairs of all federal courts in the United States. It is presided over by Chief Justice John Roberts and meets semi-annually at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. In this role, Mann will work alongside other federal judges and will represent bankruptcy courts throughout the United States.
Members of the conference include the chief judge of each judicial circuit, one district judge from each judicial circuit and the chief judge of the Court of International Trade.
Mann recently concluded a term as chief judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, where she still sits.
Prior to her appointment to the bankruptcy court, Mann practiced law at Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps in San Diego for 20 years, serving on the firm’s executive committee. Later, she was a partner at Heller Ehrman LLP and Shepperd Mullin Richter & Hampton.
Southern California Energy Innovation Network
companies surpass $250 million funding milestone
Cleantech San Diego announced that companies in its Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN) program have collectively attracted $268.5 million in follow-on funding since being accepted into the program, breaking the quarter billion dollar funding milestone in just five years.
Launched in 2016, SCEIN is an accelerator program for clean energy startups based in San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial counties that are developing technologies to help California meet its clean energy goals. The program offers free business services through a consortium of regional partner organizations to help energy entrepreneurs successfully bring their innovations to market.
To date, SCEIN member companies have attracted over $213 million in private follow-on funding and $55 million in public follow-on funding. This combined $268.5 million represents a tripling of the capital that these companies came into the program with, and a 50-fold return on investment on the $4.95 million in total program expenditures.
Registration opens for Classy’s annual
Collaborative conference
Classy, a San Diego giving platform that enables nonprofits to connect supporters with the causes they care about, unveiled the details of two events and opportunities for nonprofit professionals: Classy’s annual Collaborative conference is now accepting registrants, and the Classy Awards program is now open for nominations.
The Collaborative conference will be held in Philadelphia June 15-16, 2022. From its inception in 2016, Classy’s Collaborative conference has provided nonprofit professionals with unparalleled opportunities to advance their fundraising technology skills while also building meaningful connections and uncovering strategies to accelerate social impact in the communities they serve.
Classy has also opened its call for nominations for the 8th annual Classy Awards, one of the largest social impact award programs in the country. Since 2009, the Classy Awards have brought together social sector leaders and influencers to honor the achievements of both nonprofits and social enterprises, who often work tirelessly with little recognition.
FDA awards ‘Qualified’ product designation
to Evofem Biosciences for chlamydia treatment
Evofem Biosciences Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has awarded “Qualified Infectious Disease Product” designation to EVO100 (the investigational name for Phexxi (lactic acid, citric acid and potassium bitartrate)) for the prevention of urogenital chlamydia infection in women, a potential new indication in late stage clinical development. Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial infection in the United States.
“The unmet need for STI prevention for millions of women is significant when you consider that there are no FDA-approved products available to prevent infection with either chlamydia or gonorrhea,” said Saundra Pelletier, CEO of Evofem Biosciences. “Every sexually active woman, no matter what form of contraception she is using, is potentially at risk to contract one of these STIs, which we believe represents a large potential new market opportunity for Evofem.”
Poseida Therapeutics to host Virtual R&D Day Feb. 23
Poseida Therapeutics Inc., a San Diego clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing proprietary genetic engineering platform technologies to create cell and gene therapeutics, announced that it will host a virtual R&D Day Feb. 23 from 7-10:30 a.m.
Poseida’s second annual R&D Day will include presentations from the company’s executive leadership, researchers, clinical team members, and key opinion leaders, followed by an interactive Q&A session. The event will focus on the company’s differentiated genetic engineering platform technologies, novel approach to cell and gene therapy, and emerging discovery programs.
Speakers will also discuss the company’s R&D progress and its program and pipeline goals for 2022 in both cell and gene therapy, including its recently announced research collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited to develop non-viral in vivo gene therapies.
Greater San Diego Association of Realtors expands
global reach with partnerships in South America
The Greater San Diego Association of Realtors is making it possible for members to expand their business with international clients by forming new partnerships with real estate associations throughout South America. Recently signed reciprocity agreements in seven South American counties will enable Realtors to grow their referral business while sharing best practices to ensure confidence with international clients.
In South America, SDAR recently signed reciprocity agreements with associations from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. These partnerships will facilitate business growth among members while upholding the highest standards of practice that clients everywhere have come to trust. In Brazil, the real estate sector is continuing to improve, particularly for foreign investments and luxury properties. Brazil’s Federal Council of Realtors (COFECI) recognized SDAR for its professional expertise as a committed partner in the industry.
Resilience subsidiary awarded contract from
DOD for botulinum neurotoxin treatment
National Resilience Inc., a San Diego technology-focused manufacturing company dedicated to broadening access to complex medicines, announced the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Ology Bioservices Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Resilience, a contract valued as much as $250 million for manufacturing development of a monoclonal antibody as a medical countermeasure to botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT).
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies BoNT as a category “A” threat, one that poses the highest risk to the public due to its extreme potency and lethality. Under the contract, Resilience’s Ology site in Alachua, Fla., will advance the medical countermeasure
to U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensure, and then will manufacture the drug at commercial scale and provide stock for military use.
