CONNECT eNews - March 23, 2012
‘Breakthrough’ in quantified health sets stage for Innovation Summit | Xconomy
It’s not often when a big local conference intersects with an important scientific breakthrough, but it’s exciting when it happens. Attendees can feel that low-volt current of excitement that comes with realizing they are witnessing the dawning of a whole new industry. Maybe they’ll even become part of the lore around an event that becomes known as something like “the Woodstock of Physics” or a “Netscape Moment.” Such an event might well be happening next Thursday, March 29, at the Rock Stars of Innovation summit where three of San Diego’s most-prominent leaders in IT, personalized medicine and genomics will discuss “quantified health.” The session with Larry Smarr, director of Calit2, Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and John Reed, CEO of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute coincidentally coincides with the March 16 issue of Cell that contains published research which has triggered a wave of interest in the newly emerging field and which Smarr calls “a HUGE breakthrough.” In a comment on his Google+ homepage, Smarr writes, “This paper in Cell will be looked back on as a watershed event.” He calls it “a vision of the future of personalized preventive medicine that Lee Hood has been describing for most of the last decade, but it is stunning to see a respected scientist actually carry it out, with clinically meaningful outcomes.” The session with Smarr, Topol and Reed represents just one part of a summit that is intended to showcase the researchers, entrepreneurs and investors who have become “rock stars” in their fields.
Read more in Xconomy.
For more information visit Rock Stars of Innovation.
Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase launch Global Cities Initiative; CONNECT assembles community leaders for San Diego roundtable discussion
The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program and JPMorgan Chase today kicked off the Global Cities Initiative, a $10 million, five-year project aimed at helping leaders in metropolitan areas across the nation create more and better jobs and reorient their economies towards greater engagement in world markets.The new project, chaired by Richard M. Daley, former Mayor of Chicago and senior advisor to JPMorgan Chase, launched at an event earlier this week in Los Angeles and hosted by the University of Southern California was attended by representatives from business, philanthropy, and local, state, national and foreign governments. “Going Global: Boosting the Economic Future of Greater Los Angeles” is the first of a series of forums that will move to Columbus, Ohio; Miami, Florida; and Sao Paulo, Brazil this year.
Following the Los Angeles launch, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, CONNECT and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation hosted its own Global Cities Initiative roundtable discussion in San Diego on how to grow the regional economy through international economic opportunities. Local issues discussed were the border challenges and opportunities, reforming education to include vocational teaching and stronger STEM focus, and the general need to proceed quickly with viable trade opportunities that can take advantage of existing international relationships. Participants included the initiative's chairman, former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and Tijuana Mayor Carlos Bustamante, Ruben Barrales, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Bruce Katz, Brookings' founding director of its Metropolitan Policy Program, Mark Cafferty, CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., Phil Blair, president and CEO of Manpower San Diego, Duane Roth, CEO of CONNECT, and Andrew Lee, president of ESET North America.
Read more here.
Read more in the U-T San Diego.
PORTFOLIO COMPANIES
Active Network partners with City of San Diego
ActiveNet, the recreation management software made by Active Network, a Springboard graduate, will soon be automating the City of San Diego’s parks and recreation assets. The software will manage everything including facility reservations, park permitting, payment processing and e-commerce operations. Previously the city used an all paper based system.
Read more in the San Diego Business Journal.
Find out more here.
MEMBER NEWS
AT&T's San Diego Apps Challenge presents two day Hackathon competition
The Mobile App Hackathon will be on March 23-24 and is a part of the San Diego Apps Challenge, a competition that invites the software developer community to create new apps using city and partner data as well as inviting the public to share their ideas for innovative new apps. At the Hackathon, amateur, professional, and student developers, will pitch ideas, build new apps, and compete for cash prizes.
Click to learn more about the Mobile App Hackathon .
Click for more information on San Diego Apps Challenge.
Avalon Ventures founder shared his career insights and success strategies
Renowned venture investor and MIT alumnus, Kevin Kinsella spoke to current and former MIT students gathered at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA earlier this week and shared his investing philosophy, career insights and the successful Zynga story. To illustrate the importance of becoming an interesting person as part of a strategy to becoming a successful leader, interviewer David Schmittlein, dean of MIT’s Sloan School of Management introduced Kinsella as an interesting person who had done everything from advising the Peruvian government on nutrition programs to teaching algebra in Beirut to running international joint ventures for Caterpillar to, more recently, bankrolling the Broadway hit Jersey Boys and acquiring a Sonoma County winery.
Read more in Xconomy.
BioMed Realty Trust announces first quarter dividends
The 2012 first quarter dividends have been announced for BioMed Realty Trust's common and preferred stocks. The board of directors reported a dividend of $0.215 per share of common stock, and a dividend of $0.46094 per share of the company's 7.375% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock for the period from January 16, 2012 through April 15, 2012.
Read more here.
FDA gives CareFusion green light on new medical monitoring system
CareFusion was given clearance to market and sell a new medical monitoring system known as the Viking on Nicolet EDX. The product, which records electrophysiological information from the human nervous and muscular system, hopes to cut down examination times by organizing data into a variety of reporting formats.
Read more in the San Diego Business Journal.
Domain Associates’ $760M Russian life sciences deal
Venturing to Russia, Domain Associates and its partners in 20 U.S. life sciences companies have inked a 50-50 deal and alliance with Rusnano, a Moscow-based nanotechnology firm, owned by the Government of the Russian Federation. The alliance will invest on both sides of the globe to develop a host of new drugs, medical devices, and diagnostic technologies. There are also plans to jointly establishing a drug and medical device manufacturing facility in Russia.
Read more in Xconomy.
Goodwin Procter LLP becomes lead program sponsor of CEO Strategy Forum
CONNECT member Goodwin Procter, an international law firm with a local focus on M&A, patents, IP, business litigation, strategic partnerships, public and private financings, joint ventures and technology licenses for technology and life sciences companies, recently joined the CEO Strategy Forum as lead program sponsor of the newly expanded forum, which caters to CEOs and presidents of emerging, growth and established technology and life sciences companies interested in sharing proven strategies for overcoming obstacles and accelerating success. Goodwin Procter's San Diego managing partner David Kleinfeld will conduct the on onstage interviews with accomplished CEOs, followed by audience question and answer sessions with the leading CEO. In addition to Kleinfeld's work in litigation involving intellectual property and various leadership roles in the law community, he is a former president and a current member of the board of directors and executive committee of the San Diego Opera.
OncoSec’s Dr. Paul Nghiem to speak at 70th Annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting; annual report released
Dr. Paul Nghiem, the Co-Principal Investigator for OncoSec's Phase II Merkel Cell Carcinoma Study is scheduled to chair a forum session on Merkel Cell Carcinoma. The session called, "Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Diagnosis, Management, and Controversies,” will take place at the 70th Annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting. Dr. Nghiem will present on Prognostics, Immunity and Future Therapies for Merkel cell carcinoma.
Read more here.
The most recent annual report for OncoSec Medical is available at the link below.
Click to view the OncoSec annual report.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report indicates market equilibrium
In a recent quarterly survey, PwC reported that 60 percent of surveyed investors said the local office market is at equilibrium between buyers and sellers, a sentiment that has remained steady for the past three months. PwC also reported that property values are expected to remain static during the next 12 months.
Read more in the San Diego Business Journal.
San Diego Workforce Partnership – The San Diego Workforce Index
The March edition of the San Diego Workforce Index features revised employment numbers and how they show a mixed picture of workforce health. The index is a compilation of a range of economic indicators that provide a month-to-month record of the status of the workforce in San Diego County.
Click here to read The San Diego Workforce Index.
Torrey Pines Investment presents To Russia with Love; April 9
Investment and global partnership opportunities and market access for pharma, diagnostics and medical device development will be shared at a seminar hosted by Torrey Pines Investment and held on April 9 in the BIOCOM boardroom from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. This seminar is designed to educate and encourage the audience to investigate the Russian economic development initiatives to establish a growing healthcare industry with a strong emphasis on innovative startups.
Read more and register here.
UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering Research Expo, April 12; faculty scholars honored for excellence; four UC San Diego physicians named health heroes; university listed among world's elite by British survey; certificate programs by UC San Diego Extension are growing
The Research Expo provides an exclusive look at tomorrow's game-changing technologies. The expo is also an opportunity for engineers, scientists, recruiters, companies and potential investors to meet the top engineering talent of the Jacobs School. At the posters session, more than 230 graduate students will present their latest work in the fields of energy, health and medicine, information technology and structural safety.
Read more here.
Faculty scholars will be awarded at the 2012 Chancellor’s Associates Faculty Excellence Awards on March 29. The annual event honors UC San Diego faculty as a whole, while highlighting the important contributions of the university’s most exemplary teachers and researchers, one of this year’s recipients is Michael Kalichman, Ph.D., a UC San Diego undergraduate alumnus and professor of pathology for excellence in community service, and director of The Center for Ethics in Science & Technology. Candidates are nominated by their academic peers then selected by a committee, comprising Chancellor’s Associates donors, who make the final selections based on faculty member achievements, reputation and impact on students and the academic community.
Read more here.
Four UC San Diego School of Medicine doctors, David Barba, MD, Rohit Loomba, MD, William Mobley, MD, PhD, and Howard Taras, MD, were honored during the 18th annual Combined Health Agencies Health Hero Awards breakfast on March 15. The Combined Health Agencies’ 24 health non-profit members each chose a person or company that works daily to improve the lives of local residents affected by chronic illness. This year’s recipients represent accomplishments in areas including brain stimulation surgery for patients with Parkinson’s disease; promoting liver health on a national level; leading one of the nation’s top ALS clinics, and designing a law that protects the rights of students with epilepsy.
Read more here.
Last year’s result of continuing education students entering certificate programs at UC San Diego Extension increased 19 percent from previous year. The certificate programs with the highest amount of admissions out of the 102 certificate programs offered were Lactation Consultant, data mining, copyediting, college counseling, biostatistics and paralegal studies.
Read more here.
Read more in the San Diego Business Journal.
PARTNER NEWS
SD Regional Economic Development Corp. has new marketing vice president
Lisa Easterly, formerly the business development manager at Latham & Watkins has accepted the position of vice president of marketing at the San Diego Regional EDC. Easterly will continue her role as chair of the education and outreach committee for CleanTECH San Diego. The business development contact at Latham & Watkins will be Ericka Thibodo.
West Wireless Health Institute CEO resigns
Donald Casey is resigning from his position as CEO of West Wireless Health Institute (WWHI). He will be taking a job with an unnamed health care company. Casey will continue to serve on the board of directors of WWHI and said in a statement, "My tenure as CEO of this one-of-a-kind institute has provided me with a unique opportunity to dive into this national issue in great depth and has strengthened my belief in the institute's important mission." A successor has not yet been named.
Read more in the U-T San Diego.
EVENTS
CONNECT Events
March 28 & 29
CONNECT & Xconomy present ROCK STARS of INNOVATION
April 4
The Center for Ethics in Science & Technology presents Is Henrietta Lacks Really Immortal?
August 1
9th annual Wine Social at the Birch Aquarium, presented by MIT Enterprise Forum San Diego
Upcoming Community Events
March 17-24
San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering (formerly San Diego Science Festival)
March 23-24
AT&T’s San Diego Apps Challenge presents The Mobile App Hackathon
March 26-29
Sixth International Symposium on Medical Information and Communication Technology
March 28
ARCS Scientist of the Year Dinner honoring Dean Kamen
April 10
World Trade Center San Diego presents free workshop Resiliency & Resumption
April 12
Research Expo presented by UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
April 19
San Diego Business Journal presents 6th Annual IT Executive of the Year Awards
April 19
WITI presents Investing in Women – Increasing Opportunities for Funding Women
April 24
Mintz Levin presents What You Need to Do Now
to Get Your Company Sold in 2012
April 27
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and HeadNorth to host fourth annual Bring It! event
May 15
OCTANe presents VC in the OC
May 17
Top Tech Exec Awards 2012, presented by Cox and San Diego Magazine, co-sponsored by CONNECT and ESET
May 24
LEAD San Diego presents 2012 Visionary Awards Ceremony
June 2
34th annual UC San Diego Alumni Celebration
June 11-13
UCSD Rady School of Management presents Biotech Demystified: The Science Behind the Business
October 24-26
2012 WBT Innovation Marketplace hosted by San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and CONNECT
CONTACT
CONNECT Newsletter Editor: Karen Winston
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CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies in the San Diego region and is widely regarded as one of the world's most successful organizations linking inventors and entrepreneurs with the resources they need for commercialization of innovative products in high tech and life sciences. The program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world. CONNECT has been recognized by Time, Inc. and Entrepreneur magazines and in 2011 won the national State Science and Technology Institute's 2011 Excellence in Tech Based Economic Development Award for Building Entrepreneurial Capacity. In 2010 CONNECT was the recipient of the Innovation in Economic Development Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce for creation of Regional Innovation Clusters. CONNECT manages the San Diego, Imperial Valley, Inland SoCal Innovation Hub (iHub) designated by the state of California Governor's Office of Business & Economic Development in 2010. Key to our success has been the unique "culture of collaboration" between research organizations, capital sources, professional service providers and the established industries.
For information on CONNECT or its programs, contact us at (858) 964-1300 or visit www.connect.org