Daily Business Report: February 27, 2024
Star Wars’ ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ to be filmed
in California — adding to the state’s economy
The California Film Commission on Monday announced the addition of five big-budget projects and ten independent films into the state’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program 4.0. These fifteen productions, spanning a diverse range of budgets and narratives, are projected to bring close to $408 million into California’s economy through qualified in-state expenditures and will also generate a boost for local economies with an estimated 2,252 crew, 598 cast, and 16,800 background performers poised to work across a combined 579 filming days.
Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” directed by Jon Favreau, will have the largest total qualified expenditures in the history of the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program, marking a big win for California production and a high point for job creation. This Star Wars feature, a first for the franchise to be shot entirely in California, is set to inject an estimated $166 million into the state’s economy through below-the-line wages and qualified expenditures.
To date, California’s Film and TV Tax Credit Program has generated over $24 billion in economic output and supported more than 188,000 cast and crew from films like “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Captain Marvel,” “Space Jam 2,” and many more.
Top Photo: Scene from ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu,’ to be filmed in California by Lucasfilm. (Credit: Governor’s Office.)
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Scientists develop an antibody that can block
the effects of lethal toxins in snake venom
Scripps Research scientists have developed an antibody that can block the effects of lethal toxins in the venoms of a wide variety of snakes found throughout Africa, Asia and Australia. The antibody, which protected mice from the normally deadly venom of snakes including black mambas and king cobras, is described on Feb. 21, 2024, in Science Translational Medicine.
The new research used forms of the toxins produced in the laboratory to screen billions of different human antibodies and identify one that can block the toxins’ activity. It represents a large step toward a universal antivenom that would be effective against the venom of all snakes.
“This antibody works against one of the major toxins found across numerous snake species that contribute to tens of thousands of deaths every year,” says senior author Joseph Jardine,
assistant professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research. “This could be incredibly valuable for people in low- and middle-income countries that have the largest burden of deaths and injuries from snakebites.”
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California’s polluted communities could miss
out on billions under the state’s flawed system
By Alejandro Lazo | CalMatters
The system that California uses to screen neighborhoods at risk of environmental harm is highly subjective and flawed, resulting in communities potentially missing out on billions of dollars in funding, according to new research. The study, by researchers who began the project at Stanford University, investigated a tool that the California Environmental Protection Agency developed in 2013 as the nation’s “first comprehensive statewide environmental health screening tool” to identify communitie disproportionately burdened by pollution.
Communities that are designated “disadvantaged” by the system, called CalEnviroScreen
can qualify for significant government and private funding. The tool has been used to designate vast swaths of the Central Valley, communities around the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and neighborhoods in the Bay Area cities of Richmond and Oakland, among others.
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Salk Professor Janelle Ayres elected to American Academy of Microbiology
Salk Institute Professor Janelle Ayres has been elected to the American Academy of Microbiology’s Fellowship Class of 2024. Fellows of the Academy, an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology, are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. The Academy received 156 nominations this year, electing 65 into the 2024 Fellowship Class.
Ayres is head of the Molecular and Systems Physiology Laboratory, a member of both the Gene Expression Laboratory and the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, and holder of the Salk Institute Legacy Chair. Her track record of achievements also includes an NIH Director’s Pioneer Award and the Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists.
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Neomorph announces collaboration with Novo Nordisk
Neomorph Inc., announced it has entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement with global health care company Novo Nordisk to discover, develop and commercialize molecular glue degraders. Neomorph, a biotechnology company solving critical problems in human health through the discovery of novel therapeutics against “undruggable” targets, was founded in 2020 and is venture backed by Deerfield Management Company.
Cetera launches ‘Growth Guarantee’
Cetera Financial Group, the premier financial advisor Wealth Hub, announced the launch of an industry-first with the “Cetera Growth Guarantee.” Cetera’s Growth Guarantee promises that newly affiliated financial advisers and institutions participating in the GrowthLine program, a component of the Growth360 suite of tools, will grow their assets under administration at least 38 percent faster or their affiliation fees will be refunded.
CellarisBio launches Micro-Tab cell target engagement platform
CellarisBio is officially out of stealth mode with the launch of its robust Micro-Tag cell target engagement platform. The new platform is poised to empower biotech companies involved in target-based drug discovery. In a short span, CellarisBio has already partnered with a number of biotech companies in the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland where the platform has been successfully adopted.
Ball Park Buns to renovate Serra Mesa Little League ballpark
Ball Park Buns’ Ball Park of Dreams Initiative is partnering with Little League Baseball and Softball to enhance playing conditions at the Serra Mesa Little League ballpark. It will install new soil, level and condition the four playing fields, install new bases, rebuild the pitcher’s mound and add trees for fan comfort and shade.
Neurelis to host virtual investor call on March 7
Neurelis Inc. announced it will host an investor call to highlight updates on two of its neuroscience product development candidates, NRL-1004 for acute agitation episodes and NRL-1049 for cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). The investor call will be held virtually on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. ET. To register, click here.
Waters Corporation announces HPLC Connect software
The Waters Corporation announced HPLC Connect software, an all-in-one software platform that enables full digital synchronization between Waters high- and ultra-performance liquid chromatography systems and multi-angle light-scattering instruments from its Wyatt Technolo portfolio. The software delivers ease-of-use, greater efficiency, and higher confidence for scientists performing size exclusion chromatography and MALS analyses for complex and critical biopharmaceutical innovations.
Petco to participate in UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference
Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. announced that Brian LaRose, chief financial officer, will participate in the UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference on March 14, 2024. LaRose will participate in a fireside conversation at approximately 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The webcast of the event will be available via the company’s investor relations page at ir.petco.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the company’s investor relations page through March 28, 2024.
Emily Milsovic appointed to Armonica Technologies Board of Directors
Biotech veteran Emily Milsovic has been appointed to the board of directors of Armonica Technologies Inc. Milsovic, a seasoned leader in the life sciences and diagnostics industry, was most recently CMO of GRAIL, acquired by Illumina, and before GRAIL, was VP of business operations and the CEO’s chief of staff for Illumina. Armonica Technologies is a MedTech company focused on developing its advanced long-read sequencing platform for precision medicine applications.
PassPort Technologies initiates clinical study of migraine drug
PassPort Technologies Inc., based in San Diego, initiated a US Phase 1 clinical study of Zolmitriptan PassPort utilizing its proprietary transdermal microporation system, PassPort platform technology. The study objectives are to evaluate the safety of PassPort system and pharmacokinetics to anticipate a faster onset of action compared to zolmitriptan oral tablet. Zolmitriptan, marketed under the brand name ZOMIG, is an FDA-approved prescription medication used for treating migraine symptoms.
Live Well San Diego honors Learn4Life High Schools
Live Well San Diego has selected Learn4Life High Schools to join its exclusive network of community partners as an education provider. Live Well San Diego is a vision for a region that is Building Better Health, Living Safely and Thriving, and unites organizations that understand how to work together to address the diverse needs of our youth. San Diego County Board of Supervisors has issued a proclamation declaring Feb. 29 as “Learn4Life Day” in San Diego County.
