| San Diego Business Journal

Venter Retires as Chairman of Synthetic Genomics Board

J. Craig Venter has retired as chairman of the Synthetic Genomics board, according to a company news release.

Vista’s DJO Global Laying Off 187 Employees, Relocating to Texas

DJO Global, which grew from a garage startup to become one of North County’s largest private employers, is laying off 187 local employees and relocating its headquarters to Texas.

Local Device Cos. See Solid Quarterly Results

MEDICINE: National Picture Expecting 4% to 5% Growth

Four major medical device companies based in San Diego recently delivered strong quarterly results, lifting their stocks and growth outlooks.

La Jolla Institute Researcher Lands $2.24M Grant

Ferhat Ay with the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology was awarded a $2.24 million grant to for research into genetic variation and disease risk.

Rady’s Expands Services in Riverside with New Facility

Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego recently held a grand opening for a medical plaza in southwest Riverside County, with the dual goal of consolidating outpatient operations and reaching more patients.

Partnerships, Pipeline Put Inovio in Good Position

PHARMA: Versatile Co. Takes On Cancers, Infectious Diseases

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. has about 300 employees, tenfold that of 2009. Most of the scaling up occurred in the last few years to support a growing pipeline of therapies targeting cancers and infectious diseases.

Illumina Continues To Exceed Expectations

In quarter two earnings, Illumina continued a streak of stomping analyst expectations.

Walk-In Clinics Part Of Care Providers’ Pursuit of Patients

MEDICINE: Bringing Services to the Consumer Is Trend in Health Care

Forget far-off appointments and long drives to the doctor’s office.

Reporter’s Notebook: Politics and Priorities Hinder Repeal of Medical Device Tax

Competing congressional priorities are clouding the path forward for an effort to kill a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device makers, San Diego’s NuVasive and ResMed among them.

Q2: Strong Ingrezza Sales Lift Neurocrine

Neurocrine’s Ingrezza — the first treatment for the nervous system disorder tardive dyskinesia — continues to rake in revenue.

Q4: ResMed Revenue Up 12 Percent

San Diego-based ResMed listed fourth quarter revenue as $623.6 million, a 12 percent year-over-year increase.

Dexcom’s Stock Soars After Q2 Results

San Diego-based Dexcom’s stock hit $118.57 a share the morning of Aug. 2, up sharply from closing Aug. 1 at $95.44.

#2 Fastest Growing Private Company

Special Report: Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Kevin Lustig calls Scientist.com an overnight success story a dozen years in the making.

Q2: NuVasive Revenue Jumps 8.5%

San Diego medical device company NuVasive reported $281.6 million in second quarter earnings, an 8.5 percent year-over-year jump.

Omniome Raises $60M Round

San Diego-based Omniome, maker of a DNA sequencing platform, today announced a $60 million series B round.

ResMed, Verily Look for Insight, Reach in Data

BIOTECH: Sleep Apnea Venture to Be 50/50 Partnership

One has the data. The other has the analytics.

Illumina’s Q2 Revenue, Earnings Beat Expectations

Illumina in the second quarter reported revenue of $830 million, a 25 percent year-over-year increase.

Irish Drug Company Sublimity Opens Solana Beach Office

Sublimity Therapeutics, an Irish pharmaceutical in the realm of gastrointestinal and immunological diseases, has set up a Solana Beach office with six employees.

Gossamer May Give S.D. Its Flagship Biotech

PHARMA: A $230M Funding Round, Strong Leaders Are Big Pluses

By going big, Gossamer Bio looks to break the mold.

After Turmoil, Human Longevity Sharpens Focus on Commercialization

GENOMICS: Exec Says Co. Has Cash, Runway to Next Phase

New leadership at Human Longevity is seeking to emerge from a tumultuous period of executive exodus and workforce reduction through a bid to bring its genomics-based testing center to a wider market.

Mesa Biotech Picks up $20M Series B Round

Molecular diagnostic company Mesa Biotech recently notched a $20 million series B round.

A Constellation Of Health Data

Health care: Diverse Mix of Cos. Driving Patient Access to Their Records

In a maturing digital health space with an urgent need to collect disparate data, think of Seqster as something of a data locker: Patients can find health records from past caregivers, genomics reports and data from wearables like Fitbit.

House Votes to Repeal Medical Device Tax

The House voted July 24 to repeal a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device makers, welcome news to San Diego’s consortium of medical device companies, including NuVasive and ResMed.

Zavante Therapeutics Acquired

Nabriva Therapeutics has acquired San Diego-based Zavante Therapeutics, known for an antibiotic to fight infections picked up in hospitals.

One Medical Expands to San Diego

One Medical, an independently held primary care practice, will open three new offices in San Diego in early 2019.

Human Longevity Lawsuit Alleges Venter Took Trade Secrets

Human Longevity, or HLI, has accused the former CEO and noted geneticist, J. Craig Venter, of stealing trade secrets.

Gossamer Bio Snags $230M, Names New CEO

Gossamer Bio’s war chest just got a whole lot bigger.

Ra Medical Readies IPO Worth up to $86.25M

Medical device company Ra Medical recently filed paperwork for an initial public offering worth up to $86.25 million.

Scripps Expands Express Walk-in Clinics

Scripps Health in the coming months will have a dozen new walk-in clinics – offering services like flu care, vaccinations, point-of-care testing and exams.

Other Blood Testing Cos. Avoid Taint of Theranos

DEVICES: Scandal Brings Welcome Scrutiny to Sector

Genalyte can run tests on drops of blood, often delivering results in only 15 minutes. The goal? Disrupt lab testing. This may sound familiar — and not in a good way.

Tandem and Heron Lead Local Life Science Stock Gains

On average, stocks of public life sciences companies in San Diego gained 12 percent during the second quarter, lifted in large part by a diabetes pump maker.

Q2 Life Sciences Investment Hits Record $427.5M

FINANCE: Ansun Led the Way With $85M Series A

Investment in San Diego-based life sciences companies hit a record high $427.5 million in the second quarter of 2018, according to a July CBRE Group Inc. report.

OncoSec Appoints New COO/CFO

Sara M. Bonstein has been named the new chief operating officer and chief financial officer of San Diego-based OncoSec Medical.

Irras Device Wins FDA Approval

Irras Ab, which is legally headquartered in Stockholm but with the bulk of operations in La Jolla, won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its flagship device that reduces the chances of infection while helping doctors lessen pressure at the site of trauma.

Human Longevity Names Interim CEO

David Karow was recently named CEO of Human Longevity, which comes after Craig Venter announced his retirement from the role on May 24.

When Banks Just Say No To Marijuana Companies

BANKING: Finance Solutions Offered for Current Cash Business

Armored vehicles. Vaults. Talk of cryptocurrency. These are realities for San Diego marijuana businesses like Outco that are unable to obtain bank accounts.

Kieran Gallahue Joins Arena Pharmaceuticals’ Board

Life sciences veteran Kieran Gallahue was named to Arena Pharmaceuticals’ board of directors.

Synteract Buys Cu-Tech

San Diego-based Synteract has acquired Cu-Tech, and has established a center for dermatology development, with the aim of being a big player in dermatology clinical trials.

ResMed, Alphabet Subsidiary Partner on New Venture

San Diego-based ResMed and Verily, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, have formed a new venture to develop software for identifying, diagnosing and treating sleep apnea and other breathing disorders.

Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Prepares $80M IPO

San Diego-based Crinetics Pharmaceuticals laid out terms for a planned initial public offering in paperwork filed July 9.

Life Sciences Add Tech Talent to Most Wanted List

WORKFORCE: Sector Stresses Opportunities to Job Candidates, Students

It’s an employment intersection that’s only growing more pronounced.

Mark Hagan Hired as AMN Healthcare’s Chief Information Officer

San Diego staffing company AMN Healthcare has brought Mark Hagan on board as chief information officer.

Beacon Discovery Expands, Partners with Escient Pharmaceuticals

San Diego-based Beacon Discovery has added square footage and employees following partnership deals.

Todd Nelson hired as CEO of SGI-DNA

San Diego’s SGI-DNA, a spinout of Synthetic Genomics, has named life sciences veteran Todd Nelson as CEO.

Co. Readies Finances For Commercialization

PHARMA: Heron’s Anesthetic Aims to Reduce Opioid Use

Heron Therapeutics is now turning its attention toward commercialization of its postoperative anesthetic, riding a regulatory environment that appears to be itching for opioid alternatives.

Adamis’ Stock Rises on Commercialization Deal

San Diego-based Adamis Pharmaceuticals, which makes an allergy syringe, has signed over commercial rights to a division of Novartis.

DJO Works Its Way Back to Better Health

DEVICES: Multipronged Plan Improves Earnings Trajectory

DJO Global CEO Brady Shirley likened the company’s business transformation plan to a knee surgery: short-term pain for long-term gain.

Biotech Acquisitions Have Their Own Trials

Mergers: Pharma Must Consider Many Factors in Buy

Earlier this month, an executive from New Jersey-based Celgene blamed Receptos, a San Diego firm that it bought, for a major regulatory setback.

Gossamer Licenses Compounds From Aerpio, Deal Worth up to $420M

San Diego-based Gossamer Bio entered into an agreement to develop and commercialize compounds from Cincinnati’s Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, in a deal worth as much as $420 million.

Salk Institute Associate Professor Wins Award, $250,000 Prize

An associate professor with Salk Institute was named one of three winners of the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, which comes with $250,000 for her pioneering bacteria research.