Daily Business Report: Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Mega life science development on
University City hilltop nears approval
Life science real estate developer BioMed Realty is close to securing the permits necessary to build a 1-million-square-foot research campus called Towne Center View on 33.5 acres of partially developed land in University City.
Thursday, San Diego Planning Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of advancing the project and its accompanying environmental impact report to the City Council. The action tees up approval of a rare mega development, in the works for more than two years, in the heart of San Diego’s research cluster.
Towne Center View calls for five all-new buildings offering 1 million square-feet of space for roughly 3,000 workers in structures that are two to six stories high.
A rendering of BioMed’s Towne Center View project facing east and highlighting the project’s central plaza. (Courtesy, BioMed Realty)
The skyline of San Francisco as seen from Bernal Heights Hill on March 16, 2020. (Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo, via CalMatte
California is losing population and building
new houses. When will home prices come down?
By Ben Christopher | CalMatters
This month Californians worried about the cost of housing were offered the rarest of gifts: a glimmer of hope.
New numbers released by the Newsom administration show that California added homes to its housing stock at a faster clip than any time since the Great Recession — 123,350 additional units, or an increase of 0.85 percent.
Over that same period, the state’s population declined, marking the third year in a row that it’s fallen from one new year to the next.
Put those two numbers together and a surprising statistic emerges: There are now more homes per person — 3,770 units for every 10,000 Californians — than there have been since at least 1991.
For a state that has long suffered from too many people trying to cram themselves into too few homes, that’s an encouraging number at first glance.
It’s also the kind of news that might lead a person to wonder: Does this California exodus mean the state’s perennial housing shortage is finally coming to an end?
The long answer is “it’s complicated.”
Researchers: new algorithm can
predict diabetic kidney disease
Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have developed a computational approach to predict whether a person with type 2 diabetes will develop kidney disease, a frequent and dangerous complication of diabetes.
Their results, published in Nature Communications, could help doctors prevent or better manage kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes.
“This study provides a glimpse into the powerful future of predictive diagnostics,” says co-senior author Kevin Yip, a professor and director of bioinformatics at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “Our team has demonstrated that by combining clinical data with cutting-edge technology, it’s possible to develop computational models to help clinicians optimize the treatment of type 2 diabetes to prevent kidney disease.”
Making digital inclusion a reality
for underserved communities in Brazil
Maria das Graças had never touched a computer before the Todos Conectados program launched in her community. A resident of rural Betânia do Piauí in northeastern Brazil, Maria always wanted to pursue education, but both in-person learning and internet access were unavailable to her. Through Viasat’s partnership with the Novo Sertão Institute, the Todos Conectados program provided digital literacy resources, internet access, and a laptop for her to use.
Since 2022, Viasat’s global social impact team has collaborated with employees in Viasat’s Brazil office and the Nova Sertao Institute to execute the Todos Conectados program in northeastern Brazil. It provides internet access and digital inclusion programs in remote areas. These areas have little infrastructure that is suitable for today’s technology, which makes conventional internet difficult to install. When schools closed during the pandemic, many children needed to walk 15 miles to access the internet and participate in virtual learning.
Northrop Grumman’s extended range
guided missile flights a success
Northrop Grumman Corporation announced the fifth consecutive successful flight test of the U.S. Navy’s AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM-ER). The missile successfully detected, identified, located and engaged an advanced, land-based, emitter target.
• First firing overland against operationally-representative modern air defense system targets
• AARGM-ER deliveries will begin later this year to support initial operational capability for the Navy in 2024
• The missile is being integrated on the Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler as well as the Air Force F-35A, Marine Corps F-35B and Navy/Marine Corps F-35C.
What are the drivers of chronic infectious disease?
A $1 million grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation will launch a UC San Diego-led national effort to more deeply study tissue samples from patients with conditions ranging from long COVID-19 and relapsed Lyme disease to chronic fatigue syndrome
The Tissue Analysis Pipeline will be directed by scientists at UC San Diego and the J. Craig Venter Institute.
Researchers hope the findings could lead to improved tissue-based diagnostics for patients. The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is the largest private funder of Lyme and tick-borne disease research, which includes more than $88 million in grants.
Infectious diseases are a historical scourge, and while some are now mitigated by vaccines and other treatments, many remain resistant to treatment or newly emerged.
Sunrise Management names
Theresa Cordero president
SAN DIEGO — San Diego-based Sunrise Management – a California-focused property management firm – has announced the promotion of longtime company executive Theresa Cordero to president.
Cordero, who has worked for Sunrise since 1991, was elevated to president from the position of chief operations officer and will continue to handle all day-to-day operations and business strategies for the company, which has specialized in multifamily real estate since 1978.
During her tenure with the firm, she has worked her way up the ranks from regional property manager to her current position, now overseeing more than 350 employees and a portfolio of 170 properties throughout California.
Tealium appoints Rob Coyne
to lead sales in Europe-Middle East
SAN DIEGO — Tealium, an independent customer data platform, announced that industry veteran Rob Coyne has joined the company as senior vice president and managing director of the EMEA region.
Coyne will be responsible for leading Europe-Middle East sales teams, developing high-performing success strategies, and accelerating revenue growth.
Most recently, Coyne served as the chief revenue officer at Thunderhead, leading the company throughout its successful acquisition by Medallia in February 2022.
CyberCatch Holdings named to Inc.
Magazine’s Best Workplaces list
SAN DIEGO — CyberCatch Holdings Inc., an innovative cybersecurity company, has been named to Inc. Magazine’s annual list of Best Workplaces for 2023. This list is the result of a comprehensive measurement of companies that have excelled in creating an exceptional workplaces and company culture. After collecting data from thousands of companies, Inc. selected 591 honorees this year. This prestigious list recognizes management effectiveness, benefits provided to employees, fostering of employee growth and overall company culture, as verified independently by Quantum Workplace.
Element Biosciences accelerates data
discoveries with Amazon Omics
SAN DIEGO — Element Biosciences Inc., developer of the Element AVITI System, an innovative DNA sequencing platform that is disrupting the genomics industry, announced it is now leveraging a new Amazon Omics feature, Ready2Run workflows, to provide simple, powerful, and cost-effective analysis workflows. The combination of technologies gives customers the option to stream their sequencing data from AVITI directly to the cloud and automatically perform subsequent analysis using Amazon Omics.
Mitek partners with DarkTower
to address check fraud threat
SAN DIEGO — The amount of check fraud and identity theft-related crimes emerging from online criminal marketplaces continue to rise. Mitek announced its partnership with DarkTower, a cyber intelligence research company, to address the growing threat. During the first quarter of 2023 alone, the Federal Trade Commission recorded nearly $2 billion in losses from more than 750,000 reports of fraud and identity theft. The partnership will give all customers of Mitek’s Check Fraud Defender real time access to compromised account data.
Cloud Water Filters launches
flagship product Cloud RO
SAN DIEGO — Cloud Water Filters announced the launch of its flagship product Cloud RO, an under-sink reverse osmosis water filter that allows customers to monitor water quality and consumption via the Cloud app. Cloud RO, offers an advanced alternative to reverse osmosis filtration. Cloud incorporates state-of-the-art technology that controls pressure and flow within the system to maximize filtration performance. Smart sensors track water quality and communicate that data to the consumer via the Cloud app.
Neurelis promotes Adrian Rabinowicz
to chief medical officer
SAN DIEGO — Neurelis Inc. announced the promotion of Adrian L. Rabinowicz, M.D., to chief medical officer and the establishment of a new leadership position of senior vice president, strategic initiatives for Enrique Carrazana, M.D. This enhanced and expanded leadership team will serve a critical function to Neurelis, as the company continues to seek and leverage novel scientific approaches to improve the lives of people around the world with CNS disorders. Rabinowicz joined Neurelis in 2018 and is a board-certified neurologist with over 25 years of experience.
Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation
photo contest winners announced
SAN DIEGO — Ruth Harrison’s photo, “White-lined Sphinx— aka Hummingbird Moth” (pictured), won first place and Best in Show honors in the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation’s 29th annual photo contest. Other first-place winners included “Padre’s Shooting Star, Oak Canyon” by Glenn Perelson; “Eye in the Sky” by Peter Pham; “Lake Murray Sunrise” by Andrew McCall; “Oak Canyon Falls Booming with Water” by Nolan Rosik; and “Reptile Relaxation” by Leilani Sison.
Education programs, health care shine
in new SDSU graduate rankings
SAN DIEGO — San Diego State University’s rehabilitation counseling program is No. 3 in the nation in new rankings of the best graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report, which also placed SDSU’s College of Education and its health care management degree among five “top 50” programs. The College of Education is ranked No. 49, its highest position ever and three slots higher than last year, in the publication’s 2023-24 Best Graduate Schools, released April 25. Its educational administration program was No. 26, matching last year’s ranking.
San Diego Foundation issues $100,000
challenge grant for LGBT Community Center
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego LGBT Community Center (The Center) and San Diego Foundation announced a challenge grant that will match dollar-for-dollar fundraising up to $100,000 to support outreach and programming for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth in San Diego.The challenge grant is contingent on The Center successfully raising $100,000 for its Hillcrest Youth Center, which opened in April. The challenge grant was announced at the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, hosted by The Center and held on Friday, May 12, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.
