Just Mesa’n around…

UCSD’s Office of Innovation and Commercialization slam-dunked their first event. “Evening with an Entrepreneur,” the newest lecture series on the Mesa, featured the down-to-earth Dr. Magda Marquet. Marquet, founder and CEO of Alma Life Sciences, founder and chair of Althea Technologies, and founder of AltheaDx to name a few, won the audience over with her genuine charm and invaluable insight.

Sure, there are many takeaways and aha moments for us young entrepreneurs who attend events around town. But every word of advice or anecdote Marquet shared was a true pearl of wisdom. Perhaps because she’s a woman. Perhaps because she’s also a mom, or because her business partner is her husband. But it was also more. Everyone in the audience walked away a fan.

Greg Horowitt, a key strategist helping the university grow their Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, kindly introduced us. When I found myself surprisingly shy and humbled in the presence of this accomplished woman, Marquet chimed in, “Oh… I saw your name on a recent OurGenY event. You’re cohosting the political panel discussion, and I have to say I’m intrigued.” Au contraire, ma sœur. It is I who is intrigued by you. Emails back and forth, coffee date set, stay tuned. This woman is nothing short of fabulous.

Upcoming events (I’ll be at the fun table…)

Okay, amigos. There is a ton going on today and this weekend on the Mesa. No time to waste. Jam on it!

• Research Expo 2016
  April 14, UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering
  Industry-university collaboration. It seems to be the hype these days. But UCSD has been doing this for years. Thursday they host their 35th annual Research Expo. Thirty-fifth! Best recognize. #UCSDRE16 includes more than 200 poster sessions by grad students (the engines driving the research), TED-style talks by their faculty, and a full-on schmoozing session with industry partners and alumni, their future employers. Shout out to my fellow Tritons. Thank you UCSD grads; you keep getting smarter and smarter and it makes me look better and better on paper.

• Connect Entrepreneurs Award
  5:30–9:30 p.m.
  Last year’s event? Let’s see… I was seated at a table with Malin Burnham on my right, plus Brent Jacobs, Peter and Peggy Preuss, Ron Taylor—the who’s who of San Diego and moi. No pressure there, really. Like this year’s co-recipient, the amazing Dr. Magda Marquet, said last week, “there’s no better solution than being yourself” in these situations. And I did just that. Candid conversations and one-liners with the 2015 honoree, Dr. Andrew Viterbi, have paid off in spades.One of San Diego’s most respected power couples, Dr. François Ferré and the lovely, aforementioned Dr. Marquet (Soon to be my mentor—do Jedi mind tricks work woman to woman?), will be inducted into the Connect Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. And Connect has switched it up a bit. This ain’t no luncheon. Oh no no no. Thursday’s event is a dinner. Dress to impress, for sure. You never know who might be seated to your right.

• Explore Salk
  April 16
  Raise your hand if you have never been to Salk. You are not alone. Hell, I went to UCSD for four years and was oblivious as I passed it on my way to Black’s or TJ. This Saturday is your chance to change your history. Come discover what goes on in this great institute founded by our beloved Jonas Salk. And don’t forget your kids! Explore Salk is a free community open house where you can get a behind-the-scenes look into what goes on in the labs and on campus. Ellen Potter, the mastermind behind the institute’s Education Outreach program, and her team put on a spectacular interactive event complete with guided lab tours, talks, and hands-on activities. I’ll be taking my wonder boy across the road to explore. The faculty and staff at Salk are world class, and who better to ignite curiosity for STEM than the researchers themselves?

Come sit by me…

Sanford Consortium’s Dr. Alysson Muotri and his lab use tissue to grow “mini brains” to understand brain development and disorders like autism

Caniglia with Dr. Alysson Muotri

It’s always interesting to spot a news van. Especially when it happens to be parked just outside your social club. Recently, several of them gathered outside the Sanford Consortium to catch a glimpse of one particularly newsworthy Mesa scientist whose work is inspiring hope: Dr. Alysson Muotri. If you haven’t heard of or met Muotri, you should. He’s humble, completely approachable, and downright passionate about his work. Muotri and his team are dedicated to understanding and searching for answers about brain development and mental disorders. When he’s not zipping on his bike from the consortium to appointments at neighboring institutes around the Mesa, Muotri can be seen at the social club, meeting with his team to discuss their latest research findings. Along with Dr. Larry Goldstein, Muotri has been the driving force helping Dayna Hoff, founder of Autism Tree Project Foundation, realize her vision of an annual neuroscience conference.

So what was the occasion for Muotri’s latest round of media attention? A little girl named Harper Howard. April 12 would have been Harper’s sixth birthday; she had battled with a rare syndrome known as CDKl5 her entire life, and after she passed away this January, Harper’s parents made the decision to donate tissue from her brain and skin to science.

To understand CDK15, Muotri and his team need to study the human brain by recreating part of its development, which allows them to see the roles that genetic mutation can play. Muotri’s team has been growing what he calls “mini brains,” derived from Harper’s cells. Traditionally, these studies have been done on a flat surface in a flat dish, but with stem cells, scientist can now create organoids—aka mini brains—which have a three-dimensional geometry that more closely resembles the real thing.

Harper’s family came to see the work Muotri and his team are doing at the Sanford Consortium. They also came to see what they call Harper’s new home, the Mesa. Miracle Coast No Boundaries. Share the stories.

Tags: Blogs, Life on the Mesa