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What’s Inside: Meet Our 2024 Catalyst Awards Winners; Motion to Examine Business Taxes in LA; Become a Mentor; Terray Therapeutics Secures $120M in Funding; and more.
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Meet the 2024 Catalyst Awards Winners
We are thrilled to announce the winners of our ninth annual Life Science Catalyst Awards. The awards celebrate rising and accomplished academics, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders and business advisers who are making significant contributions to the life science industry in California before reaching their 40th birthday.
This year’s Catalyst Awards winners are ten individuals who are igniting innovation in California’s vibrant life science community. Join us in congratulating the winners based in Greater LA and Orange County:
- Denise Bronner, Founder and CEO, Empactful Ventures
- Nick Goeden, Co-founder and CTO, Capsida Biotherapeutics
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Welcome New Greater Los Angeles Members
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Motion Introduced to Examine Business Taxes
On October 8, Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Monica Rodriguez introduced a motion to examine business taxes in the City of Los Angeles. It instructs the Office of Finance to return to council within 60 days with both small changes that can be enacted by the council and more comprehensive changes that would need voter approval. Biocom California has been advocating for years for changes to gross receipts and other business taxes in LA, and we see this as an opportunity to engage on the impacts of tax proposals on our industry.
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Los Angeles County Election Results
Current LA County District Attorney George Gascón lost to his challenger Nathan Hochman. Measure G to expand the Board of Supervisors from five members to nine and create an elected county executive position is winning by a small margin and is too close to call. Measure A to fund homelessness services and Measure E to fund emergency services are both leading as of this publication. View all results here.
Los Angeles City Election Results
The main races in the city were for Council Districts 2, 10 and 14. Former Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian defeatied Jillian Burgos in CD2. Current City Councilmember Heather Hutt will easily win reelection in CD10. In CD14, embattled Councilmember Kevin de León lost to tenant rights attorney Ysabel Jurado. Finally, Charter Amendment DD to create an independent redistricting commission is ahead by a large margin. View all results here.
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In Other News:
- Jim McDonnell is the new chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
- LA County’s Measure G would add four supervisors, create an ethics commission and would require an elected county CEO.
- City Council’s new President, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, provided his vision for LA City Hall during his tenure.
- The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity is hiring an Administrative Services Manager for Life Science. This role would engage directly with the life science industry.
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January Venture Hub Pitch Studio
Kick off 2025 by joining our January Venture Hub Pitch Studio. These interactive sessions are designed to help you refine your pitch, gain valuable feedback from our expert evaluators, and practice in front of a live audience. Don’t miss the chance to elevate your pitch and craft your company’s story. Learn more about Pitch Studio here.
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2024 Life Science Workforce Symposium Highlights
At Biocom California Institute’s seventh annual Life Science Workforce Symposium last month, nearly 400 attendees participated from San Diego, Greater Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The event, simulcast for job seekers—including veterans, recent graduates and people from underrepresented populations—featured expert insights, networking and powerful stories of resilience. Learn more.
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Become a Mentor for Our Life Science Career Fellowship Program
Join Biocom California Institute in shaping the next generation of life science professionals through our six-month Life Science Career Fellowship. This program supports underrepresented job seekers, including first-generation college students and veterans. As a mentor, you’ll guide a fellow in navigating their career path and help them achieve their goals. Mentors must be employed at a life science company during the time of participation with the program, January – June. We value your commitment to advancing the industry and look forward to embarking on this rewarding journey together. Apply here.
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San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering 2025
The 2025 San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering is back and will take place on March 1, 2025, at Petco Park. This annual event is free and open to the public, attracts over 17,000 attendees each year, and hosts over 170 exhibitors. The San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering is a collective effort between industry, business leaders, government, community organizations, public outreach centers, academia, schools and school districts, and parents. To learn more about participating in the event, visit lovestemsd.org or contact Annie Warner.
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Onsite Volunteer Opportunity
Looking for an enriching team-building event to close out the year? Make a difference for students in underserved and under-resourced communities by building hands-on science kits that, in partnership with San Diego County Office of Education, will be delivered directly to schools in our region. This volunteer opportunity can be done at company events, both on and off-site. Your efforts can bring joy, creativity and educational opportunities to children who need them most. Contact Silvana DelPiccolo to learn more.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Join Biocom California for a compelling panel discussion on the future of clinical trials, focusing on diversity, inclusion and patient-centric approaches. This is a must-attend event for leaders who want to stay ahead of industry trends and shape the future of healthcare innovation. Learn strategies for creating more inclusive research processes that enhance patient engagement and improve outcomes. Register here.
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Increase Your Confidence When Sending Important Shipments
Whether you’re shipping or receiving samples, equipment, medical devices or other pricey and fragile items, it’s important that you can be confident that your package will arrive where it should be, when it should be. FedEx‘s complimentary picture proof of delivery increases confidence in the delivery process by providing enhanced transparency and increased control. Want to get started? Enrollment in the new program is quick and easy. Click here to set up a new FedEx account or enroll your existing FedEx account in the Biocom California savings program.
Step Inside the Mind of a SBIR/STTR Reviewer
OmniSync knows that while the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs offer valuable funding opportunities for innovative small businesses, the competition can be fierce. In their article, “Inside the Mind of an SBIR/STTR Reviewer—What to Expect During the Review Process,” their expert contributor shares the most common reasons applications are denied, what reviewers look for and how companies can stand out. Read the article here.
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Spotlight on City of Torrance
Join us for the next installment of our Spotlight series as we highlight life science industry trends, challenges, and opportunities within the City of Torrance micro-cluster. In this virtual event we will hear from industry executives, academic and real estate stakeholders, as well as local elected leaders. Register here.
Global Life Science Partnering & Investor Conference
This conference is an exclusive global partnering and investor forum that brings together senior executives and CEOs, heads of research and development, venture capitalists, and business development professionals from leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Join us in February, where industry leaders will debate current trends, companies will showcase their latest technologies and all attendees will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with leading deal-makers from around the globe. Register here.
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Member & Industry News
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Arcutis Biotherapeutics receives regulatory approval from Health Canada for topical foam 0.3% ZORYVE for the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis in patients 9 years of age and older.
Avita Medical, a regenerative medicine company focused on wound care management and skin restoration, reports third quarter financial earnings are up 44% compared to this time last year.
Capsida Biotherapeutics receives Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) by FDA for potential treatment of STXBP1 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.
ImmPACT Bio announces acquisition agreement by Lyell Immunopharma which plans to prioritize next-generation CAR T-cell therapies.
Keck School of Medicine of USC launches collaboration with StemCardia to advance heart regeneration therapies.
Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company was granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy Designation by the FDA for the evaluation of Yescarta for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed, high-risk large B-cell lymphoma.
MannKind Corporation announces successful completion of Phase 1 Trials of nintedanib DPI (MNKD-201) for pulmonary fibrotic diseases.
MAX BioPharma publishes seminal paper demonstrating the ability of their drug candidate, Oxy210, to inhibit not only MASH but also atherosclerosis in a preclinical mouse model.
Terray Therapeutics secures $120 million in Series B funding which aims to support clinical trials and integrated AI platform, tNova.
The Lundquist Institute and Mayo Clinic have been awarded $2.46 million NIH grant to investigate cellular senescence in Trisomy 21 lung disease.
UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG) spin-off Pictor Labs announced successful closing of $30 million Series B funding round to advance AI-driven virtual tissue staining.
Have a milestone or recent accomplishment you’d like to share? We are always looking to amplify our members’ stories. Submit your news here.
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Biocom California | Greater Los Angeles
Biocom California is the largest, most experienced leader and advocate for California’s life science sector. Our Los Angeles office aims to build the networks that are critical to growth in this thriving regional ecosystem. Our targeted programs and customized services are tailored to the specific needs of the Greater Los Angeles area, as we understand the life science sector’s unique challenges in the region and are collaborating on working toward solutions. We work on behalf of more than {{{dynamic_content_1600}}} members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.
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