CONNECT eNewsletter | December 9, 2011
Winners of 2011 CONNECT Most Innovative New Products Announced
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BAE Systems teams up with AVX Aircraft
BAE Systems and AVX Aircraft Co. have joined forces to successfully compete for the U.S. Navy's Medium Range Maritime Unmanned Aerial System (MRMUAS). The joint team has submitted a proposal in response to the recent Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to "develop the future sea and land-based vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial system."
Read more at The Daily Transcript.
Battelle convenes first STEM workshop for young women
Together with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Battelle held its first Young Women in Science and Engineering (YWISE) College and Career Workshop last week in Aberdeen, MD. 50 students attended this inaugural event, which provided the first-ever opportunity for girls attending the Science and Math Academy (SMA) at Aberdeen High School to interact with successful women scientists in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and to learn about opportunities, obstacles and trends.
Read the press release here.
Biomatrica featured in SDUT Intellectual Capital column
Past winner of a Most Innovative Product (MIP) award, graduate of CONNECT's Springboard Program and past Deal Network presenter, Biomatrica was featured this week in the San Diego Union-Tribune's Intellectual Capital column, dedicated to featuring "game-changing people, ideas and perspectives." Biomatrica has also been cited as a model for biomimicry, which looks to nature for inspiration when developing new innovations and discoveries. The company mimicked nature when it developed its ground-breaking freezer storage system for biological samples including DNA and blood samples. SDUT's Steve Chapple sat down with the founders to hear about their research path to innovation.
Read more at The San Diego Union-Tribune.
CareFusion unveils automated medication system; new wireless device launched
Pyxis Enterprise System is the new automated dispensing system that CareFusion rolled out last week. The goal of the new platform is to standardize the dispensing and management of medications and help streamline the medication management process to become more time efficient and reduce errors.
Read more at The Daily Transcript.
CareFusion announced the launch of a new wireless neurological device. Named the Nicolet EEG Wireless Amplifier, the device monitors brain wave activity and allows real-time data transfer of that information to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.
Read more at The Daily Transcript.
Kaiser Permanente earns spot in 2011 "Top Hospital" list; new hospital planned in Kearny Mesa
Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Allied Gardens and Chula Vista join six other Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California that made the 2011 Top Hospitals list as ranked by the Leapfrog Group. A total of 65 hospitals made this year's list, chosen from a total of 1,200 across the country. The rankings took into account the hospital's implementation of computer technology, its adherence to high standards for hospital doctors and staff, the high-risk procedures that it performs and that it efficiently uses resources while retaining high quality healthcare.
Read more at The Daily Transcript.
As part of Kaiser Permanente's 10-year, major development phase, the organization is moving ahead with plans to build a new acute-care hospital in Kearny Mesa. Located on 19 acres, the facility will have 350 beds and is expected to open in 2018.
Read more at the San Diego Business Journal.
Life Technologies funds new exhibit
"Cellular Journey" is an all-new exhibition at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. Made possible by funding from Life Technologies Foundation, this exciting exhibit will expand your knowledge and appreciation of human cell biology, the importance of stem cells and the potential impact of stems cells on medical research in the fields of regenerative and personalized medicine. You'll be able to explore the unseen world of human cell biology, learn about what cells do and even examine real human tissue samples under a microscope. Plus, see what the layout and functions of a typical stem cell research lab look like, and explore some of the real life techniques scientists use in the lab when working with stem cells.
For more information on this exhibit and the Fleet Science Center click here.
La Jolla Institute creates first cellular movies on diabetes; new discovery for asthma and allergy therapies
Researchers at the La Jolla Institute of Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) have successfully created the first cellular movies depicting the devastating cellular processes that take place in the body and that lead to type 1 diabetes. In a ground-breaking technological advancement, the researchers have broken new ground by showing live imaging of cells in the pancreas thus providing valuable new information about this disease. Matthias von Herrath, M.D., the director of the Diabetes Research Center at LIAI and a world-renowned expert on type 1 diabetes, said that being able to have a dynamic (as opposed to static) view of the cellular process "will greatly enhance our ability and that of the broader scientific community to find interventions for type 1 diabetes." The results of the study and the movies were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Read the press release here.
View the movies here.
Researchers have made a new discovery which may pave the road to new treatments for asthma or allergy sufferers. The exact role of the histamine releasing factor (HRF) molecule in asthma and some allergies has long been unclear but the new results suggest that "the effect of HRF to enhance allergic responses can be blocked, thus suggesting the possibility of new therapeutic strategies in allergic diseases." The discovery was led by Toshiaki Kawakami, M.D., Ph.D., a leading expert who has studied the HRF molecule for many years. The results were published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Read the press release here.
New associates added to Procopio team
Local law firm Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP welcomes four new associates to its team. Daniel L. Essig, previously with Christie, Parker & Hale in Orange County and Megan E. McCarthy, previously with DLA Piper LLP, join the intellectual property team. The litigation team welcomes Sean M. Sullivan whose practice previously focused on intellectual property issues. Jessica L. Swift, who joins the business and technology team, previously was with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.
Read more at The Daily Transcript.
Qualcomm acquires Pixtronix; new wireless health fund, subsidiary and product unveiled
Last week wireless giant Qualcomm purchased Massachusetts-based Pixtronix, a creator of low-power display screens for mobile devices. Although both companies used different concepts in developing low-power displays, both employed microelectro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology. The acquisition price was in the range of $175-200 million.
Read more at Xconomy.
Read more at The San Diego Union-Tribune.
To address the growing need of wireless services to the medical device sector, Qualcomm has created a new subsidiary, Qualcomm Life Inc., and invested $100 million in a new wireless health investment fund, Qualcomm Life Fund. General Manager and VP of Qualcomm Life will be Rick Valencia, former CEO of ProfitLine. Additionally, the first product to come out of Qualcomm Life is the 2net Platform and Hub. Both systems use cloud technology to manage biometric data coming from patients' wireless medical devices, thereby presenting doctors with the opportunity to monitor their patients' health remotely.
Read more at Xconomy here and here.
Read more at the San Diego Business Journal.
Read more at The San Diego Union-Tribune.
ROTH hosts its first Corporate Access Day; 2011 Americas M&A Atlas Awards
Scheduled for December 14 in London, ROTH Capital Partners will host its first Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Corporate Access Day. The event brings together industry leaders and institutional investors to discuss financing opportunities in the media, technology and telecommunications sectors.
Read the press release here.
At this year's annual 2011 Americas M&A Atlas Awards, ROTH was awarded the USA Deal of the Year for Small Mid Markets for its advisory role in the ZAGG Inc. transaction. This same deal was also nominated as a finalist for the Consumer Goods Deal of the Year and the North American M&A Deal of the Year for Mid Markets. For its advice in the BornFree Holdings Ltd. transaction, ROTH was named a finalist for the Cross Border Deal of the Year for Small Mid Markets.
Read the press release here.
STSI director quoted in WSJ article
Last week's article in The Wall Street Journal on citizen scientists highlighted the growing trend of consumers taking charge of their own health data, empowering them to collect it and take a proactive role in managing their own health and well-being. While there are new developments that bring together scientists and patients to see how they can work together and share information, there is also strong opposition that these "amateur scientists" are not in a position to understand their health data in the same manner that only professional scientists or physicians can. Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute "believes citizen science has 'extraordinary' potential. The bar has been raised considerably for what scientists deem acceptable evidence for making changes to one's health."
Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
TSRI drug discovery receives green light
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently approved Vyndaqel, a new drug discovery made in the laboratory of Jeffery Kelly at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). The drug treatment is intended for patients diagnosed with familial amyloid polyneuropathy, an inherited and eventually fatal neurological disorder. Previously, the only treatment option was a liver transplant.
Read more at The Daily Transcript.
UC San Diego develops vision of next 50 years of research and discovery; Health System receives top award
UC San Diego recently celebrated its Founders' Celebration, commemorating 51 years of extraordinary achievements. Campus leaders came together not only in celebration but to lay out a long-term vision which will expand and foster faculty collaboration across disciplines, resulting in transformative research with societal impact. "Innovation is central to who we are. The desire to explore, create, and achieve is a common bond," commented Chancellor Marye Anne Fox.
Read more at UC San Diego Top 5.
UC San Diego Health System was recognized as a 2011 Top Hospital for the first time by the Leapfrog Group. Joining 65 other winners out of a group of 1,200, the national survey measures hospitals' performance in critical areas pertaining to patient safety and quality. Tom McAfee, M.D. and interim CEO and Dean of Clinical Affairs, commented on the recognition "UC San Diego Health System's faculty and staff are the heroes whose commitment to quality and patient safety has led to this recognition."
Read more at UC San Diego Top 5.
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CONNECT welcomes newest members, Stemedica Cell Technologies and ViaSat
Stemedica Cell Technologies is a biopharmaceutical company that manufactures ischemic-tolerant allogeneic stem cells for research institutions and accredited hospitals in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Headquartered in San Diego, with facilities in Lausanne, Switzerland and Seoul, Korea, their stem cell manufacturing facility is licensed by the State of California Department of Health and Human Services. The company also performs their own clinical trials, approved by the FDA, for Ischemic Stroke.
For more information on Stemedica, click here.
ViaSat develops digital communication products to facilitate effective communications at any location around the world for the commercial and government markets. The company offers a wide variety of products including mobile IP networking for soldiers and consumer satellite broadband services. Based in Carlsbad, ViaSat employs over 2,100 professionals. Most recently the company, launched a broadband satellite, ViaSat-1, which expects to offer internet service to more customers in rural areas.
ViaSat is part of the well-known Linkabit Corporation "family-tree" that spawned hundreds of San Diego area telecom startups, including Qualcomm, General Instruments and Titan. It was founded in 1986 by three former M/A-Com Linkabit employees and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ.
For more information on ViaSat, click here.
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Enjoy the journey, love the ride – woman surfing legend gets innovative
Linda Benson, a five-time U.S. Champion, Surfing Walk of Fame and International Hall of Fame inductee, started surfing at 11 years old and bought her first surfboard at 5'2" and 105 pounds. Riding longboards more than twice her size and half her weight, it was only a matter of time before she introduced the RailGrabber - a UV resistant plastic hook with an easy grip handle designed so that anyone can carry a surfboard with ease to the waves. Despite her small size, Linda dominated women's competitive surfing for over 10 years. In 1959 she was the youngest contestant to ever enter the International Championship at Makaha where she was crowned champion. That same year Linda became the first woman to ride Waimea Bay in Hawaii. Made by a champion for champions, the RailGrabber takes you and your board to your next surf destination. Visit RailGrabber for a full list of local surf shops carrying the RailGrabber. Linda Benson was a 2010 Springboard client under the mentorship of EIR and surfing legend, Peter "PT" Townend.
EVDrive announces special offer on electric motocross bike
Springboard graduate EVDrive has a special offer you cannot pass up. For that special someone, or maybe just for yourself, just in time for the holidays EVDrive announced a special package deal on its electric motocross bike, the e-Moto-CRF250R. This is the company's second generation bike and one that is beefed-up and a big competitor to other bikes in the industry. To take advantage of the special offer, pre-order your bike now.
Read more here.
For more information on EVDrive, click here.
Spray Smart graduates from Springboard
Spray Smart helps residential and commercial water consumers save the most water for the least money and without changing their lifestyle. Spray Smart does this by targeting the largest source of wasted water - inefficient irrigation. Most irrigation systems over-water some areas to keep other areas from drying out. These "overwatered" problem areas are responsible for up to 50% water waste. In the US alone, wasted water is estimated to be over $1.9 billion annually. Spray Smart's patented technology reduces water consumption of the average home or business in arid climates by up to 25%. This is achieved with a simple, low cost device that is easily installed in irrigation networks providing flexibility in water delivery. Spray Smart was mentored by Springboard Lead EIR Bruce Neapole, Springboard CMO Domain Expert Mary Tucker and Springboard CFO Domain Expert Jim Smith. The graduation panel was sponsored by Knobbe Martens and held at the firm's Del Mar offices.
Spray Smart's Springboard graduation panel was attended by a visiting Saudi delegation from the BADIR Technology Incubator Program, a national program launched by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) aimed at accelerating the growth of emerging technology based businesses in Saudi Arabia. The delegation visited San Diego as part of the Global CONNECT Bridge Program and attended this week's Global CONNECT Summit to learn about the CONNECT Springboard mentoring program and study CONNECT's model for accelerating the growth and development of San Diego's innovation economy.
Read more here.
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Big night at LJP Innovation Night
This past Wednesday, the La Jolla Playhouse celebrated its largest annual Innovation Night to date, raising $150k. This premier annual networking event attracted more than 500 leaders in bio-tech, high-tech, cleantech and associated industries. Approximately 100 delegates from the Global CONNECT Summit also attended for an extraordinary evening of theatre, followed by a performance of the hit Stratford Shakespeare Festival revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Playhouse Director Emeritus Des McAnuff. McAnuff’s successes include the hit Playhouse and subsequent Broadway productions of Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy and Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays. The 2011 Innovation Night was hosted by co-chairs Don Rosenberg, EVP and General Counsel, Qualcomm; Ivor Royston, Managing Partner of Forward Ventures; Camille Saltman, President of CONNECT; and Tim Scott, President of Pharmatek Laboratories.
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