| Thanks to SoCalBio Weekly Update Sponsor |
Coming in June Benefiting When: June 28, 2010Time: 10:00am - 8:30pm Where: Old Ranch Country Club, Seal Beach, California |
Cut Cost of Doing Business Through the SoCalBio's Group Purchasing Program
SoCalBio members can buy pre-owned scientific research equipment from BioSurplus during its auction to be held on March 24. Click here to learn more
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Join SoCalBioJoin well-known entrepreneur Alfred Mann and other SoCalBio leaders to promote the biotech and device industries in the Greater Los Angeles Metro Area for job creation and overall economic growth. |  |
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| March 15, 2010  | |
| Grants | 2009 Greater Los Angeles-Based Winners of SBIR/STTR Grants from the NIH
In 2009, thirty one (31) emerging device, biotech and informatics companies in Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Barbara counties won 39
SBIR/STTR grants from the National Institutes of Health. The table below shows that these grants totalled $8.6 million or 26.29% of the new phase I & phase II grants awarded last year to companies located in the State of California. Region | # of
Companies | # of New Grants | Amount
$Million | Share | | Greater LA | 31 | 39 | 8.57 | 26.29% | | San Diego | 38 | 45 | 9.07 | 27.82% | | Rest of CA | 58 | 67 | 14.96 | 45.89% | | CA Total | 127 | 151 | 32.60 | 100.00% |
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| RSVP Now for Upcoming SoCalBio Events | 
SoCalBio Networking Forum in Orange County
Managing Obesity Through Non- or Minimally-Invasive Medtech Approaches More InfoDate: March 25, 2010
Time: 7:00 am - 9:30 am
Location: UCI University Club
RSVP: https://www.123signup.com/register?id=jyrvf ************************************************
SoCalBio Executive Roundtable Discussion
Regenerative Medicine Luncheon and Discussion
(Open only to executives and managers in regenerative medicine companies)
Date: April 6, 2010
Time 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Offices of Reed Smith in Downtown Los Angeles
By Invitation Only (for more info, contact SoCalBio at scbc@socalbio.org or call 213-236-4890)
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SoCalBio HR Symposium
Best Practices in Designing Wellness Programs
Join us to learn how to craft wellness programs to improve employee health, reduce medical claims, and guarantee a return on investment (Open only to HR professionals in medical device, IVD, biotech and generic pharma firms)
Date: April 15, 2010
Time: 9:00 am - 1:30 pm
Location: One Lambda Corp. (Canoga Park)
By Invitation Only (for more info, contact SoCalBio at scbc@socalbio.org or call 213-236-4890)
Join the SoCalBio HR Network on LinkedIn
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SoCalBio Regulatory Best Practice Workshop
The Shifting Paradigm in FDA Process Validation
This SoCalBio workshop focuses on the FDA's guidelines regarding Process Validation. It is designed for device and pharma regulatory affairs professionals to learn what is required to approach process validation from a life cycle perspective and incorporates modern risk management and quality systems tools and concepts. |
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| Welcome New SoCalBio Member | Applied Biocode (Santa Fe Springs)
Applied BioCode, Inc. (ABC) is a spin-off of Maxwell Sensors. Applied BioCode develops cutting edge barcoded magnetic bead technology for multiplex bioassay. The Barcoded Magnetic Beads (BMB), utilizing a digital technology instead of conventional analog methodology, offers unmatched decoding accuracy, excellent fluorescence detection precision and unlimited number of barcodes for multiplex tests ... Learn more |
| From the Lab Bench | Handheld laser scanner developed at UCI improves detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer
In a recent article in journal Radiology, researchers from UC Irvine and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign describe a method of using a laser to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors within breast tissue. The handheld scanner device in the study is based on frequency domain photon migration and watches the scattering and absorption of laser light as it moves through tissue. The technology, already proving itself effective in clinical trials, may bring a radiation-free modality to the breast cancer oncologist's office..... Read more |
| Profile | Special Report by the LA Business Journal: Business Person of the Year
Patrick Soon-Shiong of Abraxis:
Genius That Worked for L.A.
The Los Angels Business Journal has named Soon-Shiong (photo right) its 2010 Business Person of the Year. "What he has done by investing in Los Angeles sends a great message about L.A. and the innovative ferment that can take place here," said veteran L.A. journalist James Flanigan. "He's quite an original, isn't he?".. Read profile by Deborah Crowe of the Los Angeles Business Journal |
| Personnel | Max Nikias Named USC President
C. L. Max Nikias (photo right), USC executive vice president and provost, will become the 11th president of the University of Southern California on Aug. 3. His appointment was announced last Friday by Edward P. Roski, Jr., chairman of the USC Board of Trustees. Nikias will succeed Steven B. Sample, who has led USC since 1991. In November 2009, Sample announced his decision to retire in August 2010.... Read more
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| CA Stem Cell Initiative | The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Decided to Allocate $50 Million for Stem Cell Therapy Development, A Boost to the State's Growing Stem Cell Industry
The money can be allocated in the form of grants to non-profit organizations or loans to for-profit ventures. RFA will be out in the Spring and proposals are due by July 2010. See press release at: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/PressRelease_031110
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| Comparative Effectiveness | Shortcomings in Comparative Effectiveness Drug Research
An analysis by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has found that only 32 percent of medication studies published in top medical journals compare the effectiveness of existing treatments. More government funding and other changes are needed to promote comparative effectiveness studies and improve their quality, according to the study's co-authors Michael Hochman (photo right), assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School, and Danny McCormick, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School... Read more
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| Studies | Vertos Medical's Prospective Outcomes Study Demonstrates Efficacy, Validates Safety Profile of mild
The Aliso Viejo-based company released positive results from its U.S. IRB I Patient Outcomes Trial, a prospective, investigational review board-approved, 75-patient study of mild for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Six-week clinical data have shown that patients treated with mild experience statistically and clinically significant improvement in both pain and functional ability.... Read more
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics' Dendritic Cell-Based Vaccine Demonstrates Statistically Significant Increase in Survival in an Animal Model of Glioblastoma
The Woodland Hills-based company announced results showing that those immunized with the dendritic cell-based vaccine had a median survival of 50 days compared to 29 days for daughter cells. Furthermore, 30% of animals vaccinated against cancer stem cells demonstrated long term survival as compared to animals vaccinated with the bulk of the tumor, all of which died.... Read more |
| Marketing Agreements | Bioness to Distribute New Products for Neurologically Impaired Patients
The Valencia-based company announced two agreements to distribute new devices for patients experiencing neurological impairment. Through the agreements with Performance Enterprises and Aretech LLC, Bioness is now distributing the Dynavision D2 Visuomotor Training System and the ZeroG Overground Gait and Balance Training System to rehabilitation centers and hospitals.... Read more |
| Product Approval | FDA Delays Mannkind's Diabetes Approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked MannKind to provide updated data on the safety and efficacy of its Afrezza device and additional information about the inhaler used to deliver the insulin to the lungs. The FDA, however, did not ask for new clinical trials, MannKind said in a statement... Read more
BOTOX Receives FDA Approval for Treatment of Upper Limb Spasticity in Adults
Spasticity is a debilitating condition impacting approximately 1 million Americans, many of whom suffer from spasticity in the upper limbs following a stroke. Upper limb spasticity may also occur following a spinal cord or traumatic brain injury or in patients affected by multiple sclerosis or adults with a history of cerebral palsy.... Read more
Corona-Based Watson Pharmaceuticals Says FDA Approves 6-Month Dose Trelstar
TRELSTAR 22.5 mg releases triptorelin
pamoate, a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, over a prolonged period and, in turn, suppresses testosterone production for six months. Developed by Debiopharm Group and first approved in the U.S. in 2000, TRELSTAR is indicated for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer and is currently available in one-month (3.75 mg) and three-month (11.25 mg) forms. The new, longer-acting six-month formulation is designed to provide patients and physicians with a more convenient therapeutic option that is well tolerated and as effective.... Read more
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| Jobs Available | Applied BioCode (Santa Fe Springs)
Company develops cutting edge barcoded magnetic bead technology for multiplex bioassay. Company is seeking to fill the following position: |
| About SoCalBio |  SoCalBio membership links you to partners, contract manufacturers, regulatory and legal experts, and policy makers. The organization's programs help emerging biotech and medical device companies grow. Membership is affordable -- as low as $500 -- and offers access to networking opportunities, advocacy, discounts through our group purchasing program group purchasing program and other benefits you simply can't find elsewhere ... Join SoCalBio |
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