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SoCalBio members receive $200 discount per person on admission to the BioPharm America 2012. Click here to RSVP
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May 15, 2012




Editor: Ahmed Enany 
President & CEO
Southern California
Biomedical Council

[email protected]

www.socalbio.org

Distinguished Speakers

John Kolman of BioReliance Addresses SoCalBio Executives About the Potential and Challenges of Pharmacogenomics

kolman
Dr. Kolman was previously with Life Technologies Corporation as the Principal Scientist on the HLA Single Antigen Initiative and Lung Cancer Biomarker Programs. Before that he conducted research at the Salk Institute, La Jolla, California, focusing on DNA replication initiation. He is co-inventor of a method to detect multiple antigens and widely published ... Learn more
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See Full SoCalBio Calendar of Events Open to the Public at: http://socalbio.org/calendar/calendar.htm
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New SoCalBio Members
PureLyseClaremont BioSolutions (Upland)
 
BioSolutions (ClaremontBio) is dedicated to next-generation devices for lysis and nucleic acid extraction from microbial cells for PCR ready sample. Key focuses on ClaremontBio's novel technology are ease of use, disposibility, cost effectiveness, versatility, elimination of extensive protocols, as well as elimination of the need for additional lab equipment such as centrifuges and wash baths.This novel technology can be applied to point-of-care systems, mini flow through platforms and various other integrations ... Learn more

One3 IP Management (Newbury Park)

One3 IP is dedicated to intellectual property management. The company is represented in SoCalBio by its CEO Peter Weinstein [email protected]
BioGENEius Competition

SoCalBio Announces Southern California Nominees to the BioGENEius Challenge Award

bioGENEius  

SoCalBio is pleased  to announce the following Southern California nominees for the BioGENEius Challenge Award:

  • Kenneth Lee, a 12th grader at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (Los Angeles County) whose research project is entitled: "The Role of Testosterone in Hepatocyte Apoptosis in High Fat Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease."
  •  Jiho Park, a 10th grader at University High School (Orange County) whose research project focuses on: "Modeling Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Membrane-Bound Aromatase Reveal Novel Druggable Sites."

These students were selected by SoCalBio from hundreds of participants representing high schools in various science fairs held in Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire and Gold Coast communities. 

 

The Two SoCalBio nominees -- Mr. Lee and Mr. Park -- will travel to Boston to represent Southern California in the BioGENEius Challenge organized by the Biotechnology Institute in conjunction with the BIO International Convention in Boston (MA) from June 18 to June 21. The International BioGENEius Challenge is the premier competition for high school students that recognizes outstanding research in biotechnology.

 

Supervised by teacher/mentor Peter Starodub at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Mr. Lee's project studies a process that is related to the dramatic increase in obesity in the Western world over the past 20 years. One common manifestation of obesity is a type of liver disorder called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is characterized by increased programmed liver cell death (apoptosis). This project examines the effect of testosterone and its reduction of the apoptotic effects induced by high-fat diets in rats. The results may forge a path towards developing new approaches to eventually attenuate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 

 

Supervised by teacher/mentor Shannon Bunch at University High School, Mr. Park's research uses time-resolved, high resolution computer graphic approaches to understand the molecular motions and interactions of an important protein target of breast cancer drugs. This approach allows the identification of further sites (druggable sites) on this enzyme for other new, potential next-generation drugs to impede and defeat hormone (estrogen)-dependent breast cancer.

 

Congratulations to the  SoCalBio Nominees and We Wish Them the Best of Luck in Boston.

Coming in September

golf

Device Tax
Obesity

Government Subpoenas Allergan on Lap-Band

 

lapbandDemocratic lawmakers in Washington called for hearings regarding the efficacy and safety of gastric banding devices, including the Lap-Band. House representatives were motivated by a recent Archives of Surgery study, which found that almost 50% of gastric band patients enjoyed no appreciable weight loss-and sometimes needed the device removed ... Read more

 

FDA Panel Wants a Higher Bar for Medical Devices Aimed at Curbing Obesity

 

Steven Schwaitzberg"For a 1-and-done [a permanently implanted device], or a device equivalent to a gastric bypass, you should have higher expectations of the weight loss," said panelist Dr. Steven Schwaitzburg (photo right), of Harvard Medical School. "Whereas, if we have lower-risk devices and are able to establish other types of endpoints like bridge [to surgery], exercise, etc., then [a lower bar for excess weight loss would be acceptable]"  ... Read more

Brain Cancer vaccine

ImmunoCellular Provides an Update on Enrollment for the Company's Phase II Clinical Trial

 

imucThe Company has initiated the trial in 25 sites, with patients enrolled in leading medical centers such as Mass General Cancer Center and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The trial is expected to enroll approximately 200 or more patients to treat 102 patients with HLA-A1/A2 immunological subtypes. There are 189 patients enrolled in the study to date, and enrollment is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2012 ... Read more 

Ophthalmic Drugs

ISTA Pharmaceuticals To File NDA For Prolensa 

in First Half of 2012

 

IstalogoThe Irvine-based company plans to file a New Drug Application (NDA) for Prolensa in the first half of 2012 after the late-stage studies met the efficacy endpoints.  Prolensa is being developed for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following cataract surgery .. Read more

Jobs Available
Puma Biotechnology (Los Angeles)
Maven Biotechnologies (Monrovia)
Avita Medical (Northridge)
 
Inogen (Goleta)
Agensys (Santa Monica) 
Amgen (Thousand Oaks)
  • Amgen has 150 job openings in Thousand Oaks in research, marketing, information technology, quality, regulatory affairs and HR. Click here to access list
 Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (Irvine) 
C3 Jian (Inglewood)
Second Sight Medical Products (Sylmar) 

Bioness (Santa Clarita)

Alfred Mann Foundation for
Scientific Research (Santa Clarita)

 

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