Daily Business Report: May 7, 2024
Who’s selling your digital data? California
gives you tools to protect your online privacy
By Khari Johnson | CalMatters
If you visited a Planned Parenthood in the continental United States in the past few years then the company Near Intelligence, a data broker, probably knew it — and may have sold that information to anti-abortion activists. If you attended certain houses of worship or patronized particular pharmacies, the data broker known as Outlogic allegedly sold that information.
Near Intelligence filed for bankruptcy in December. Outlogic agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commision to stop selling user location data, while insisting regulators had found “no misuse of any data.” Both were among nearly 90 companies on the latest version of the California data broker registry that self-reported selling data about where people are or have been.
For the first time this year California requires data brokers — companies that knowingly collect and sell consumer’s data to third parties — to report if they collect location data. New state transparency requirements that kicked in this year also revealed that roughly two dozen companies collect personal data about children and about a dozen collect reproductive health data about people who are pregnant.
Do data brokers somewhere have data about you? Almost certainly. Most everywhere you go on your digital journey they will collect traces of information about you
Illustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters; iStock
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Simulated chemistry: New AI platform
designs tomorrow’s cancer drugs
By Miles Martin | UC San Diego
Scientists at UC San Diego have developed a machine learning algorithm to simulate the time-consuming chemistry involved in the earliest phases of drug discovery, which could significantly streamline the process and open doors for never-before-seen treatments. Identifying candidate drugs for further optimization typically involves thousands of individual experiments, but the new artificial intelligence (AI) platform could potentially give the same results in a fraction of the time. The researchers used the new tool, described in Nature Communications, to synthesize 32 new drug candidates for cancer.
The technology is part of a new but growing trend in pharmaceutical science of using AI to improve drug discovery and development.
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DDT pollutants found in deep sea fish off the Los Angeles coast
New findings raise troubling questions about whether the banned pesticide remains a threat to wildlife and human health
By Alex Fox
In the 1940s and 1950s, the ocean off the coast of Los Angeles was a dumping ground for the nation’s largest manufacturer of the pesticide DDT – a chemical now known to harm humans and wildlife. Due to the stubborn chemistry of DDT and its toxic breakdown products, this pollution continues to plague L.A.’s coastal waters more than half a century later. While legal at the time, details of this industrial-scale pollution of the marine environment at a dump site some 15 miles offshore near Catalina Island have deeply concerned scientists and the public since they gained wider recognition in 2020.
Now, new research from scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and San Diego State University (SDSU) finds deep-sea fish and sediments collected from near the Catalina Island offshore dump site are contaminated with numerous DDT-related chemicals.
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Ben McCue reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission
Ben McCue, of San Diego, has been reappointed to the California Volunteers Commission by Gov. Gavin Newsome. He has served on the commission since 2022. McCue has been executive director of Outdoor Outreach since 2013. He was a Lecturer at the University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences in 2013. McCue held several positions at WILDCOAST from 2005 to 2013, including conservation director, interim general director, and Coastal Conservation program manager. McCue earned a Master of Arts degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. McCue is registered without party preference.
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Landmark bill introduced to quickly convert
empty downtown office buildings into housing
Assemblymember Matt Haney (D- San Francisco) unveiled legislation to bolster California’s downtowns by requiring cities to fast-track conversions of historic buildings into housing. The bill had brought historic preservationists and YIMBYs — two groups that are often at odds with each other over housing policy — to work together to draft and co-sponsor legislation for the first time.
AB 3068 stops anti-housing, local governments from killing office to housing conversion projects by giving them automatic state approval. And puts an end to lengthy, and disingenuous local approval processes that make adaptive reuse projects too costly. AB 3068 also creates pathways to help make these conversions economically feasible, while still preserving our cities historic downtown buildings.
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Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering promotes 2 team members
Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering has promoted two of its top performing team members. Kyle Boyce has become the firm’s youngest principal, and Jason Gordon is now serving as a senior project manager. Both team members have been with Latitude 33 for approximately a decade each, during a time of exceptionally strong growth for the firm. Last month, Latitude 33 announced the opening of its new office in downtown Los Angeles at The Collection, located 527 W. 7th St. With two regional offices and a growing roster of leaders, Latitude 33 is one of Southern California’s preeminent firms in planning, engineering, and surveying.
Ascent unveils the AscentUP Internship Program
Ascent has unveiled the AscentUP Internship Program in partnership with AscentUP and Riipen to offer its borrowers exclusive access to paid remote internships, as well as invaluable professional development training and one-on-one career coaching. Funding for the inaugural cohort was provided, in part, by a grant from Goal Beyond, a 501c3 non-profit organization with a shared mission to empower learners with practical experience and the robust skills essential for thriving in today’s dynamic workforce.
Vasomune Therapeutics to present at ATS International Conference
Vasomune Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of AV-001 for the treatment of diseases associated with vascular dysfunction, announced that the company will present a late-breaking scientific poster at the upcoming 2024 American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference taking place May 17-22, 2024, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego. AV-001 was codeveloped with AnGes Inc.
Labrys Technologies partners with San Diego’s Clearspeed
Labrys Technologies, provider of the Axiom remote operations management platform, and San Diego-based Clearspeed, a pioneer in AI-powered voice analytics technology for risk assessment, announced their new integration partnership. The partnership was architected by existing Clearspeed partner Team Savante Group and will focus on managing accumulative risk across critical operations for Government, Humanitarian and Commercial clients. Axiom enables organizations to manage globally dispersed teams anywhere in the world helping them verify, visualize, engage and pay their people in one platform.
Boundless Bio to present at the Citizens JMP Life Sciences Conference
Boundless Bio, a clinical-stage oncology company interrogating extrachromosomal DNA biology to deliver transformative therapies to patients with previously intractable oncogene amplified cancers, announced that Chief Financial Officer, Jami Rubin, will present at the Citizens JMP Life Sciences Conference 2024. The podium presentation is scheduled for Monday, May 13, in New York, NY, at 1p.m. ET. Boundless Bio is headquartered in San Diego.
Chrysalis BioTherapeutics selected to present at Respiratory Innovation Summit
Chrysalis BioTherapeutics announced it was selected to participate in the 2024 Respiratory Innovation Summit (RIS) at the American Thoracic Society Meeting in San Diego. The Respiratory Innovation Summit (RIS) has been established by the American Thoracic Society to unite innovators, investors, clinicians, and advocacy groups to help create powerful new treatments for deadly and crippling diseases of the lungs and airways.
Gossamer Bio and Chiesi Group announce collaboration
Gossamer Bio Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of seralutinib for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, and Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A, an international, research-focused biopharmaceutical group, announced that they have entered into a global collaboration and license agreement to develop and commercialize seralutinib. This global collaboration combines the strengths of both Chiesi and Gossamer to support ongoing work in pulmonary arterial hypertension
California American Water celebrates Drinking Water Week
California American Water proudly joins communities across North America in celebrating Drinking Water Week, an annual observance led by the American Water Works Association.
Taking place on May 5-11, Drinking Water Week serves to highlight the importance of safe drinking water and recognize the tireless efforts of local water professionals who keep it flowing around the clock. This year’s celebration coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Passed in 1974, the SDWA set strong water quality standards for the nation’s drinking water.
Toku welcomes Dr. Robert Weinreb to board of directors
Toku announced the appointment of Robert N. Weinreb M.D. to its Board of Directors. Renowned globally for his contributions to ophthalmology, Dr. Weinreb’s appointment underscores Toku’s commitment to excellence and innovation in eye care. “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Weinreb to our Board. Working with him, we will accelerate our leadership in healthcare through the eye,” according to Ehsan Vaghefi, president and CEO. Dr. Weinreb’s distinguished career encompasses groundbreaking research and clinical practice.
Gossamer Bio announces publication of TORREY Phase 2 results
Gossamer Bio Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of seralutinib for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD), announced the publication of its TORREY Phase 2 study manuscript in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. The paper, titled “Seralutinib in Adults with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (TORREY): A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Phase 2 Trial,” details the study’s significant findings in advancing the treatment.
