Daily Business Report-March 16, 2021
Scripps Research launches wearable technology study to accelerate precision medicine
A new study led by scientists at Scripps Research is leveraging the power of wearable technology to transform the future of medical research.
The study is part of the All of Us Research Program, a monumental effort by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to engage one million people from across the United States in building one of the most diverse health databases in history. As part of this consortium, Scripps Research is integrating multiple mobile health technologies into the program, as well as helping manage the enrollment and retention of participants.
Over the coming months, the program will provide 10,000 Fitbit devices—either the Fitbit Charge 4 tracker or Fitbit Versa 3 smartwatch—at no cost to select study participants who have engaged in other research activities, such as completing online surveys and agreeing to share electronic health records with All of Us. The goal of the one-year study is to learn more about how people engage with wearable devices to help inform future research. Additionally, the virtual clinical study will generate a data set that presents a unique opportunity for the research community to explore the relationship between physical activity, heart rate, sleep and other health metrics, along with health outcomes as part of the broader All of Us program.
Computer science student brings Black Beauty products to UC San Diego
When Jaida Day arrived at UC San Diego to begin her undergraduate studies, she found a welcoming campus environment, peers and faculty to push her academically, beautiful beaches and opportunities to get involved in student organizations. But she also found there was something missing.
“I grew up in Los Angeles where I could go down the street and find the products I need for my hair and my skin, things of that sort, because there are other people who look like me in that area,” said Day. “But coming to La Jolla, I realized the beauty supply stores, the CVS, even the markets on campus, they don’t have what I need for my hair and skin.”
Her options? Drive 30 minutes to the closest beauty supply that carried the items she needed; order her hygiene necessities online and have them shipped; or stock up at home during breaks and bring the products back to campus with her. With no car and only a few trips home each year, she recognized she wasn’t the only student facing this dilemma, and decided to take action.
The mathematics-computer science student put her web development skills to use, and launched her Black Beauty Near You business with a goal of making Black hair and skin care products more accessible to UC San Diego students. Through her website, people can order brushes, combs, bobby pins, braid charms, scalp oil, edge control, durags, makeup and other items they need.
With COVID-19 restrictions, sales are now all online. Day delivers the items to students on campus, and frequently changes up her inventory to reflect student requests.
Veracyte completes acquisition of San Diego-based Decipher Biosciences
Veracyte Inc. announced it has completed its acquisition of San Diego-based Decipher Biosciences Inc. Under the terms of the transaction, Veracyte acquired Decipher Biosciences for $600 million in cash paid to Decipher security holders and Decipher Biosciences has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Veracyte.
Dr. Tina Nova, previously president and chief executive officer at Decipher, has been appointed general manager, urologic cancers, at Veracyte. She and her team will continue to direct the company’s San Diego operations, which include a state-of-the-art CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory.
MiraCosta alum awarded prestigious Foreign Affair Fellowship
Brittney Vevaina, a 2011 Honors Program graduate from MiraCosta College, was awarded the prestigious Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship in December 2020. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University in Washington, D.C. Recipients receive significant funding for graduate school in exchange for a five year commitment to the U.S. Foreign Service in the Department of State.
After graduating from MiraCosta with honors, Vevaina headed to the University of California at Berkeley, and then to Washington D.C. to work for a nonprofit and Booz Allen Hamilton. “These jobs gave me great experience in management and strategy and helped me learn more about how the federal government works. Still, I knew I wanted to pivot to international work at some point.” When Vevaina met Patrick R. Kennedy, the former Under Secretary of State for Management, she was fascinated by his stories about his career in the Foreign Service. “I could see myself doing that,” she says.
Registrar urges voters to vote by mail
As mail ballots start showing up for 79th Assembly District voters, the Registrar of Voters is encouraging the residents to vote safer at home.
Over 300,000 mail ballots have been sent out for the district’s Special Primary Election.
Only those who live in the 79th District can vote in the April 6 election. The area encompasses southeastern San Diego, the cities of La Mesa and Lemon Grove, and parts of Chula Vista, Bonita, and National City. Not sure if you live in the 79th Assembly District? You can find out here
New therapy sneaks into pancreatic cancer tumor and destroys it from within
Every 12 minutes, someone in the United States dies of pancreatic cancer, which is often diagnosed late, spreads rapidly and has a five-year survival rate at approximately 10 percent. Treatment may involve radiation, surgery and chemotherapy, though often the cancer becomes resistant to drugs.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, in collaboration with Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and Columbia University, demonstrated that a new tumor-penetrating therapy, tested in animal models, may enhance the effects of chemotherapy, reduce metastasis and increase survival.
La Jolla Institute research leads to promising therapy for diabetes
Translational research led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) has resulted in a promising combination therapeutic candidate for adults with recent-onset type 1 diabetes.
The combination therapy was recently tested in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-
controlled, phase 2 trial run and funded by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. The results, published recently in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, point to a potential way to treat the autoimmune disease without leaving the body vulnerable to infectious disease.
The therapeutic candidate combines anti-IL-21 antibody with the diabetes drug liraglutide. This two-pronged approach is based on research findings from the lab of LJI Professor Matthias von Herrath, M.D., who also serves as vice president and senior medical officer, Global Chief Medical Office, at Novo Nordisk.
