Reports + Research
UC San Diego Receives Grants to Uncover Cellular Cause of Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where a patient’s own immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. These cells control blood glucose levels, and without them, uncontrolled blood glucose can be life-threatening. In a news release from UC San Diego, Assistant Professor Kyle Gaulton says the goal of the research is “to identify genes that protect beta cells from immune responses that occur during the development of type 1 diabetes, and which may represent novel therapeutic targets in preventing disease onset.” According to Professor Maike Sander, who co-led the grant with Gaulton, the research will use “technology that, for the first time, allows us to create human conditions that mimic type 1 diabetes in a culture dish.”
A Conversation with Samumed CEO Osman Kibar
Since Samumed raised more than $600 million from nontraditional sources, the company has been followed closely but has often generated more questions than answers. Soon that may change, as Samumed looks to 2020 for a read out of its phase 3 osteoarthritis study by the end of next year. In an interview with FierceBiotech, Samumed’s CEO, Osman Kibar, lays out milestones for the rest of the pipeline including a hair loss treatment and an oncology program in pancreatic cancer.
San Diego Ranks 4th on Hottest Startup Cities List
More than 100 companies in the San Diego region made Inc. Magazine’s annual ranking of the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. From this list of companies, the publication ranked the top 10 U.S. cities with the highest collection of three-year revenue growth rates. San Diego ranked number four with 71 companies on the list and three-year revenue growth of 188%. San Francisco ranked number one with 52 companies on the list and three-year revenue growth of 413%.
Read + Listen
POW: Podcast of the Week
Last week the FDA approved a previously shelved blood cancer drug (read more here). This research was funded in part by CIRM and led by Catriona Jamieson at UC San Diego. In this video, she explains how cancer stem cell research led to the first clinical trial in this space.
It’s Happening Here
August 22:
San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange is holding a SDEE August Happy Hour on August 22 at New English Brewing Company in Sorrento Valley.
August 28:
BIOCOM’s DeviceFest and Digital Health Conference will take place August 28 at the Westin Carlsbad Resort.
Tags: Biotech, Biotech Briefing, Medical Research, san diego startups
