Daily Business Report: Monday, Jan. 30, 2023
HIGHLIGHT ON BUSINESS
Point Loma entrepreneur makes sustainable products
By Dave Schwab | sdnews.com
In 2018, Point Loma entrepreneur Jared Koett founded a start-up biodegradable pill bottle company. Four years later, that initial offering has evolved into Invert, a cutting-edge company providing sustainable alternatives to replace traditional plastic packaging.
“Now we are in the forefront of making sustainable products as an answer to single-use plastics,” said green inventor Koett, pointing out that “the average claimed shelf-life of a supplement is two years or less, while the traditional plastic packaging it comes in lasts up to 450 years. There is a need for packaging that sufficiently protects your product, but breaks down in a (much) shorter period of time.”
Invert containers and lids have been tested by independent laboratories for food grade and USP-published standards for drug substances, drug products, and dietary supplements. The containers are coated to protect against the elements. First, a non-toxic chemical is introduced during manufacturing, bonding to the paper fibers and giving them resilience to water. And, a wax-coating is applied to the outside walls of the container giving them an added barrier of protection.
The closures, or lids, are currently made from cork, with aluminum and bioresin options soon to be offered. The result is a container-closure system that withstands light and moisture. When combined with supplements that are formulated to remain stable, the overall package and contents are protected from the outside world.
Top photo: Jared Koett with some of his sustainable products (Courtesy photos)
Kratos receives Mayhem hypersonic
missile program contract award
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. announced that its Defense & Rocket System Services (DRSS) Division, in collaboration with Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division, has received a contract from Leidos to support a program known as Mayhem. This new contract award will support the Air Force Research Laboratory’s development of an air-breathing hypersonic weapon system over its initial 51-month period of performance. The initial task order will conduct the System Requirements Review and Conceptual Design Review in a digital engineering environment.
Air-breathing hypersonic systems use scramjet engines to generate thrust, propelling the vehicle across long distances at speeds greater than Mach 5. The team is tasked with designing and developing a large-class version that surpasses current air-breathing systems in both range and payload capacity and is responsible for delivering a hypersonic system design to include airframe, propulsion system, booster, avionics, and vehicle subsystems.
General Atomics and Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory announce partnership
General Atomics (GA) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have been awarded funding to advance power and particle exhaust capabilities in commercial-scale fusion energy pilot plants (FPPs) using machine learning. A public-private partnership funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program promotes collaboration between private-sector fusion energy companies, universities, and the DOE’s national laboratories to accelerate research and develop cost-effective, innovative fusion energy technologies.
Fusion is the process that powers the stars and offers the potential for nearly limitless clean, safe, and economic electricity. The process occurs when two light nuclei combine to form a new one, releasing vast amounts of energy. At-scale fusion energy holds the promise of replacing fossil fuel plants and providing always-on carbon-free electricity that will be critical to reaching net-zero emissions.
Company’s test to detect pancreatic cancer
in early stages moves to human trials
For more than a decade, Biological Dynamics has been working on technology licensed out of UC San Diego to enable early detection of diseases ranging from cancer to tuberculous to Alzheimer’s. Now, that technology has matured to the point where the San Diego biotech firm is eyeing commercialization of its initial product — a lab-on-a-chip plasma test to uncover pancreatic cancer before it’s too late.
The 76-employee company, which counts Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs as an investor and chairman of its board, has received regulatory clearance to begin enrolling high-risk patients in a clinical study to validate its lab-developed test for pancreatic cancer. When diagnosed in late stages, the disease has a five-year survival rate of less than 12 percent.
Viasat awarded satellite communications
managed services contract by USMC
Carlsbad-based Viasat, a global communications company,was awarded a contract to provide end-to-end satellite communications (SATCOM) support through a fully managed service to the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The contract is an extension following a successful pilot and follow-on service program in the government’s FY22 through which Viasat delivered a fully managed SATCOM as a Managed Service (SaaMS) solution to the USMC I Marine Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps’ largest warfighting organization. This is the first commercially developed SaaMS implemented by a USMC command.
Northrop Grumman, AT&T and Fujitsu demonstrate
new 5G-powered open architecture capabilities
Northrop Grumman Corporation and Fujitsu recently demonstrated 5G-enabled intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities in Northrop Grumman’s new 5G lab in San Diego. The demonstration integrated radios with Northrop Grumman’s tactical data links, AT&T’s private 5G network and Fujitsu’s Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) to transmit ISR data and video, proving our strength in connecting the battlespace. This is a critical step in building the digital battle network to support multi-domain operations.
“This critical capability will bring together the high speeds, low latency and cybersecurity protections of private 5G networks with the flexibility and scalability of commercial 5G capabilities,” said Ben Davies, vice president and general manager networked information solutions division, Northrop Grumman. “Enabling 5G connectivity for our warfighters across domains will help realize a connected battlespace for the joint force.”
San Diego Military Advisory Committee
hosts Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro
SAN DIEGO — Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro will be the guest speaker at the San Diego Military Advisory Council’s WEST 2023 Conference Thursday, Feb. 16, at the San Diego Convention Center.
The event, presented by Northrop Grumman, will be from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Event tickets purchased through SDMAC will allow each attendee full 3-day access to the WEST 2023 Exhibitor’s Hall, a value of $325 per person, included in the SDMAC Breakfast ticket price.
Sanford Burnham Prebys gifted
$70 million to recruit top scientists
SAN DIEGO — Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institutr was gifted $70 million to recruit 20 faculty for cancer diagnostics and therapeutic research. The gift from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford will help the institute compete for emerging scientific talent and marks one of the largest-financed local hiring influxes.
UC San Diego awarded
$10 million for ‘jumbo’ virus research
SAN DIEGO — A team from UC San Diego, the J. Craig Venter Institute, and Yale University was awarded $10 million by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support research on leveraging bacteriophages to battle antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The team hopes to synthetically engineer “junior phages” that will infect and kill antibiotic-resistant pathogens, creating a novel way to fight new threats as they emerge.
San Diego Community Colleges
provide vital workforce training
SAN DIEGO — The 10 community colleges in the San Diego and Imperial Valley regions are the largest contributors of regional workforce training and education, playing an increasingly crucial role in connecting San Diego students to quality jobs. Supported by the Advancing San Diego Initiative and others, community colleges have strengthened relatioships with regional employers seeking high-demand talent in priority sectors such as tech, health care, and manufacturing.
ADARx Pharmaceuticals awarded
$46 million in venture capital funding
SAN DIEGO — ADARx Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego startup working on RNA precision medicine technologies, has snagged $46 million in venture capital funding. The money comes as ADARx’s is beginning a phase 1 clinical trial for its lead product candidate, ADX-324, which involves treatment for a hereditary disease that can cause rapid and potentially life-threatening swelling attacks around the face, extremities, gastrointestinal tract or upper airway. The company was co-founded by Dr. Zhen Li, who is president and chief executive officer. She previously held a senior vice president position at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals and was a director at Merck.
GENO CEO named Top 40 Power Player by ICIS
SAN DIEGO — Christophe Schilling, co-founder and CEO at Geno, a sustainable materials leader, was included on the 2023 ICIS Top 40 Power Players, a global ranking of the leading CEOs and senior executives driving positive impact in their companies and the chemical industry. This year’s recognition is the second consecutive year Schilling has won this award, and the third time he’s earned the honor in the past five rankings. Geno is the only biotech company to make this year’s list.
California American Water applies for
water resources sustainability plan
SAN DIEGO — California American Water has supplemented its application to set new rates in each of its service areas for 2024 through 2026, which was originally filed in July 2022 with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The amended filing includes a proposal to strengthen customer protections through the use of a regulatory tool known as decoupling. Recent legislation passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Newsom last year supports the use of ratemaking strategies like the Water Resources Sustainability Plan to promote conservation and infrastructure renewal while protecting ratepayers.
Water Authority welcomes new
MWD board chair Adán Ortega Jr.
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors on Jan. 26 welcomed Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr. by hosting a reception for him to meet San Diego County’s community, civic and business leaders. Ortega took the helm of MWD’s Board on Jan. 10 as the first Latino chair in the district’s 95-year history. In a presentation during the Water Authority’s formal board meeting, Ortega focused on shared challenges and opportunities the two water wholesalers face in the era of climate change.
UC San Diego Health Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy Unit recognized nationally
SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego Health’s gastrointestinal endoscopy program has been recognized as a leader in quality and safety by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), the leading national gastrointestinal endoscopy medical society. First awarded the prestigious honor in 2009, which was the inaugural year of the ASGE Endoscopy Unit Recognition Program, UC San Diego Health has now garnered a new three-year renewal award. The gastrointestinal endoscopy unit is one of just 35 endoscopy centers in California and 600 nationally to be granted this important recognition.
Marine veteran selected as director of
Veterans Services at Cal State San Marcos
SAN MARCOS — Cal State San Marcos has hired Derek E. Wilson, an alumnus and enlisted Marine veteran with a passion for helping veterans, as its next director of Veterans Services. He will begin his tenure on Feb. 1. ilson began his career in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he gained an advanced understanding of aircraft systems through a unique assignment on a team with civilian experts. This experience helped him build a holistic knowledge of the aircraft and supporting systems, and enabled him to excel in problem-solving and technical troubleshooting later in his time with the largest aviation squadron in the Navy and Marines.
