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What’s Inside: How GRAIL, DermTech, Cardiff Oncology, George Clinical, and PetDx Are Improving Oncology Outcomes; FDA Approves Dupilumab, and more.
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We’re championing the progress made by California’s life science community and want to hear about your company’s latest scientific breakthrough, investment milestone, or commitment to creating positive change for our industry. Submit your story here for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue. |
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What’s Happening at Biocom California
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Representative Scott Peters is Our 2022 Sustainability Champion
On May 23, Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA52) received Biocom California’s first Sustainability Champion Award. “On behalf of our California life science community, it is my great pleasure to recognize Congressman Peters as this year’s Sustainability Champion for his leadership in Congress addressing some of California and the planet’s most pressing challenges from drought and wildfires to greenhouse gas emissions and energy reliability,” said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom California. “Rep. Peters’ district is also home to multiple advanced-stage renewable energy and bio-based companies.” We thank Genomatica for graciously hosting our first award ceremony.
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Global Business Reports United States Life Sciences Report
Global Business Reports (GBR) published its United States Life Sciences 2022 Report, highlighting the achievements made in public health, especially over the past two years. The report covers analysis of the state of the industry, assesses emerging trends, and reveals the current investment landscape and regulatory climate. In the report, GBR interviewed Biocom California president and CEO Joe Panetta to discuss the advancements made in precision medicine by California-based companies and how we’re advocating for patient access to affordable medicines and evaluating life science innovation hubs in other parts of the world to expand partnerships.
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Clinical trials for new and cutting-edge treatments for cancer are a major focus for biotech companies, research institutions, and universities today. Although survivorship rates for cancer have greatly improved over the years, a recent study by George Clinical, an international contract research organization based in Sydney, Australia, notes the pandemic caused disruptions and delays in treatment for cancer patients around the globe, which may affect survivorship rates in the long-term. In the U.S. alone, more than 75 percent of cancer patients had to delay
their treatment, and the study says the negative effect of the pandemic on survivorship rates may take years to calculate. A positive finding in the study is that clinical trials for oncology treatments were able to overcome temporary delays and setbacks during this time, and so far in 2022 there has been a surge in new trials for cancer therapies.
The White House also recently made finding a cure for cancer a priority, when President Joe Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot initiative first started in 2016. The program has an ambitious goal of reducing the death rate from cancer by 50 percent over the next 25 years, and outlines a plan that includes the formation of a White House Cancer Cabinet, connecting patients from under-represented populations with clinical trials, and resources for further studies on environmental
issues such as air pollution.
This week, we are highlighting some of our member companies who have recently made strides in innovations in the fight against cancer. |
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National Recognition
GRAIL was named an honoree on Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards list. The company received an honorable mention as one of “19 midsize companies making the world a better place” for its Galleri® multi-cancer early detection test, which can detect more than 50 types of cancer.
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Patch Test
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and San Diego-based DermTech has developed a patch that can be applied to the skin to test for melanoma using genomics. CEO John Doback says the Smart Sticker is much less invasive than a mole biopsy and can test for melanoma at a lower cost.
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Advances in Care
Cardiff Oncology, which developed onvansertib, a treatment that targets the PLK1 enzyme and its involvement in cancer, released data from its Phase 2 clinical trial on the therapy’s effectiveness in treating prostate cancer. The results show that patients who received the most dose-dense treatment schedule showed an increase in disease control rates after 12 weeks.
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Help for Our Four-Legged Friends
Our beloved pets can be affected by cancer as well, and PetDx is creating a novel cancer test for dogs. OncoK9 uses next-generation sequencing on DNA derived from blood, and recent clinical study involving 1,000 dogs showed the test was able to detect 30 different types of cancers.
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Industry Intelligence & Member Moments
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- AVACEN Medical was presented with two innovation awards by the Honorable California State Treasurer Fiona Ma for its products that treat chronic pain without the use of opioids.
- Azzur Group appointed Ray Jaffe as Vice President of Operations, Shared Services who has more than 20 years of corporate services leadership experience at Fortune 500 companies.
- Biologics Consulting added Emily Noonan-Place, Ph.D., MPH to its nonclinical team who brings vast experience with small molecules, biologics, and oligonucleotide therapeutics with an emphasis in oncology.
- ImaginAb announced a new supply agreement with Invicro to offer clinical doses of CD8 investigational ImmunoPET imaging agent for immuno-oncology preclinical and clinical studies.
- Innoviva acquired Entasis, a late-stage biotech focused on the development of novel antibacterial products, and will acquire all remaining Entasis stock at $2.20 per share.
- MAX BioPharma’s study showed that Oxy210, a semi-synthetic oxysterol exerts anti-inflammatory effects in macrophages and was published in The International Journal of Molecular Science.
- Pleno, a multiomics startup, received $15M in a pre-series A financing round to help expand its team of telecom engineers and biotech researchers.
- Resilience formed a strategic collaboration to make Be Bio’s B cell therapies, providing a team dedicated to GMP manufacturing.
- Sanofi received FDA approval for dupilumab, a medicine developed in collaboration with Regeneron, making it the first and only treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis.
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Biocom California Sends March-In Rights Letter to HHS Secretary
On May 17, Biocom California sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra discouraging the use of march-in rights to address the cost of a drug. In the letter, Biocom California notes that the use of march-in rights in this situation would go against the scope and intention of the Bayh-Dole Act. To date, no Administration has granted a march-in petition on the basis of cost, and we encourage this administration to maintain that precedent. The use of march-in for this purpose would likely chill the innovation pipeline from federal research to private sector commercialization.
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Drought Worsening as Governor Urges Conservation
Governor Gavin Newsom met with local leaders this week, urging them to step up conservation efforts as California’s drought continues to worsen. If the state is unable to voluntarily conserve, mandatory water restrictions could be just months away. Water use in cities and towns increased by nearly 19 percent during March and cumulative water savings since July 2020 amounted to only 3.7 percent.
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Biometric Privacy Legislation Stopped in the State Senate
The California Senate Appropriations Committee declined to advance SB 1189 which would have created a new set of privacy regulations aimed at biometric information companies. The new law would have created a new set of standards on already-regulated information, including, potentially, some health care and medical research data. The new law also included private lawsuit enforcement and statutory damages. Biocom California was opposed to the measure.
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Feedback Needed for SSF General Plan
The public review draft of South San Francisco’s General Plan is available for feedback through May 31. The plan will guide community services, land use, and development decisions in the city over the next 20+ years. Now is your chance to have your input heard on this important public document which will shape the vision for the future of South San Francisco.
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San Diego Mayor’s May Revision to Proposed Budget
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria released his May revise to the city’s budget on the May 17. With projected increases in tax revenues and an uptick in American Rescue Plan Act funds that had previously gone unspent, the mayor plans to focus on homelessness and mental health services, an analysis of the city’s downtown office needs, and increased maintenance at public facilities.
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Biocom California
For over 27 years, Biocom California has helped move the life science industry forward with transformative resources that enable companies to make meaningful connections. With a membership base of over 1,600 companies, we connect our members to each other so they can collaborate and work stronger and smarter together. We connect organizations to capital investment and purchasing solutions so they can grow faster and work more efficiently. We’re their link to advocacy that fights for innovation and we provide an environment where their business and talent can thrive. Biocom California is how the life science industry gets connected.
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