San Diego Innovation News for the Week of June 5 -11, 2016

Jun 8, 2016

Johnson & Johnson Innovation will consider global applicants for the QuickFire challenge with solutions across the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer sectors. The competition seeks to find entrepreneurs, researchers, or startup companies who are advancing potentially game-changing, early stage innovations that have the potential to cross traditional boundaries of the pharmaceutical, device or consumer health sectors. The recipient will receive a research grant totaling up to $500,000 and entrance to a Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS community. Read more

Personalized Medicine Leads to Better Outcomes for Patients with Cancer

In a meta-analysis of hundreds of clinical trials involving thousands of patients, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that therapeutic approaches using precision medicine, which emphasizes the use of individual genetics to refine cancer treatment, showed improved response and longer periods of disease remission, even in phase I trials. The findings are published in the June 6, 2016 issue of JAMA Oncology. Read more

AstraZeneca/Ardea Biosciences Licences Zurampic (lesinurad) to Grünenthal GMBH in Europe & Latin America

AstraZeneca/Ardea Biosciences announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Grünenthal GmbH for the exclusive rights to Zurampic (lesinurad) in Europe and Latin America. Zurampic was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in February 2016, in combination with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor (XOI), for the adjunctive treatment of hyperuricemia (excess of uric acid in the blood) in adult patients with uncontrolled gout. Read more

Former NASA Chief Dan Goldin’s Neural Computing Company KnuEdge to Transform Real World Human Machine Interaction

After a decade of under-the-radar research and development with private funding totaling $100 million, Dan Goldin, the world-renowned innovator who led the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) throughout its renaissance in the 1990s, today announced the launch of KnuEdge™ Inc., a fundamentally groundbreaking neural technology innovation company. It has already achieved $20 million in revenue and is actively engaged with elite hyperscale computing companies and Fortune 500 firms in the aerospace, banking, healthcare, hospitality and insurance industries. Read more

Seven CONNECT Companies Selected as 2016 SDVG Cool Companies

Huge congratulations to all who were selected, but we are especially proud of our CONNECTions to this year’s list! Check them out here – Read more

CONNECT CORNER

CONNECT Named a 2016 Best Place to Work in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal!

Event Spotlight

Announcing CapitalMatch Intake Panel for Technology, June 29
Deadline to Submit June 20 – Click Here to Submit!

The CONNECT CapitalMatch program is designed to introduce early stage, investment ready companies in life science and technology to appropriate sources of funding. CapitalMatch is designed to optimize an investment ready company’s probability of meeting interested, qualified investors. CONNECT’s CapitalMatch program is a resource for all San Diego technology & life science companies raising capital.

Click Here to Learn More and Register!

Great Innovation Read of the Week:

The Quest for the Truth in Medical Product Design by Chris Ross, Principal, Mindflow Design

When clients ask us to develop medical products, they come through our studio doors with one of three mindsets. Either they have a well-defined problem, think they have identified the problem, or already have a solution in mind. The second two mindsets are much more common and involve problem statements and solutions that have been based upon symptoms. Starting with a misdirected solution is a recipe for disaster. Read More

Innovation Events in San Diego

TONIGHT! June 8: Opportunities & Breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence

Deep Learning is opening new business opportunities in various areas which were simply not possible a few years back. Come listen to leaders from Nervana Systems, Natural Selection, Mtell, and Netradyne who will be sharing their personal experiences of starting an AI company, opportunities that exist for starting AI based businesses and lessons learned throughout their career. Click here to learn more and register

June 9: JCVI – What Genes Do We Need for Life

J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., and his teams at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) have brought us one step closer to the answer with the creation of a minimal synthetic cell. Dr. Venter will join Dr. Steve Snyder, CEO of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, for an intimate conversation about the way we define life and to discuss this ground-breaking scientific discovery. To RSVP: Please email arushing@jcvi.org

June 13-17: San Diego Startup Week!

Startup Week brings together entrepreneurs to share progress, exchange resources, and celebrate the thriving innovation community. San Diego is an incredible place to live, and an even cooler place to launch. Learn more and buy tickets here

CONNECT Session Recommendations:

June 13: Biotech Partnerships & Joint Ventures – Jay Lichter, Ph.D., Avalon Ventures; Damian McDevitt, Ph.D., GlaxoSmithKline; Greg McKee, CONNECT; and Elizabeth Schwarzbach, Ph.D., SBP Medical Discovery Institute
June 13: San Diego Accelerators. Which Program is Right for You? – Steve Hoey, CONNECT & H. Puentes, CONNECT
June 15: Medical Device Consumerization is a Powerful New Trend – Chris Ross, MindFlow Design
June 17: Patent Protection: A Business Tool for Commercial Success – Dr. John Wetherell, Pillsbury

Click here to get your tickets for SDSW today!

June 16: Design Forward > San Diego

You are invited to join San Diego’s transformation. Designers, civic leaders and industry innovators explore the power of human-centered design in driving San Diego’s economic development and global stature. Reserve your spot for an exceptional design experience! Use promo code ConnectCOMP to receive complementary admission! Click here to register

Now Through June 30: TEDx San Diego Innovation Alley Applications Open!

This year CONNECT is partnering with TEDxSanDiego to seek out and curate their Innovation Alley on October 22 – a showcase for the most innovative companies and entrepreneurs on B Street during the event! Companies must be able to demonstrate their product or technology in an engaging fashion within a 10’x10′ exhibit space.
Click here to submit your today company

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