CONNECT Weekly Roundup – 3.17.16

Mar 17, 2016

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you didn’t have time to read all of the business highlights in San Diego this week, you’re in luck! Your high level dose of some of the top headlines in San Diego business and innovation is here.

  • Marijuana-Based Drug Found to Reduce Epileptic Seizures: An experimental drug derived from marijuana has succeeded in reducing epileptic seizures in its first major clinical trial, the product’s developer announced on Monday, a finding that could lend credence to the medical marijuana movement. Read more
  • Lytx Buyer Sees Opportunities Down the Road: The Chicago private equity firm buying Lytx Inc., a 2015 MIP winner, wants its new acquisition to stay the course. Lytx has grown at 35 percent per year supplying electronics and services that monitor truck and bus driver performance, with the promise of improving driver safety and saving carriers money. Read more
  • ElliptiGO Co-Founder Bryan Pate Discusses International Trade, Patents and Innovation on SXSW 2016 Panel: The co-founder and CEO of ElliptiGO elliptical bicycles, Bryan Pate, discussed his experience as an inventor at South by Southwest 2016 (SXSW) alongside a distinguished panel of international trade and patent experts yesterday. The presentation covered how to safeguard ideas from misappropriation and seek retaliation in cases of intellectual property infringement. Read more
  • Scripps Research Study Could Lead to Changes in Rejection of Transplanted Organs: A study released Tuesday by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla could lead to major changes in the way patients with transplanted organs are treated in the future to prevent rejection. In the study published in the American Journal of Transplantation, the researchers analyzed 234 kidney transplant biopsies and discovered that around 80 percent of the genes expressed in cases of early, acute rejection were also present in instances of chronic, much later rejections. Read more
  • Innovation Office Names New Director of Commercialization: The Office of Innovation and Commercialization has named a key new team leader to help guide the organization in its mission to create an all-campus “innovation ecosystem” and energize the creation of campus startups. Ruben D. Flores, Ph.D., has been named Director of Commercialization, and will report to Paul Roben, Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation. Read more

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