Member News provides an opportunity for SDEE members to share news and announcements. This month's Member News features:

• Yinghong Gao, Viva Biotech
• Jiwu Wang, Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Inc.
• Michael Sherman, Human BioMolecular Research Institute (HBRI)
• Deborah Bright, Nanome
• Marilyn Bruno, Aequor
• Hannah Minton, Biosero
• R. Scott Struthers, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals

Yinghong Gao, Viva Biotech

• Viva Biotech and Schrödinger Announce Strategic Collaboration to Generate and Interrogate Structures for Unsolved Targets (Press Release)
• Viva Biotech and Langhua Pharmaceutical Reached the Strategic Acquisition Agreement, Accelerating the Escalation of the Service Chain of Innovative Drug Industry (Press Release)
• Harbour BioMed Announces Strategic Partnership with Viva Biotech to Collaborate on Incubating Innovative Biotech Start-ups (Press Release)
• Viva Biotech's Portfolio Company Dogma Therapeutics Reached the Acquisition Agreement with AstraZeneca on Dogma's Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor Program (Press Release)
• The news release on our recent Demo Day, companies presented include Forkhead Bio Therapeutics, DTx Pharma, Epican Technology, Acelink Therapeutics, TechnoDerma, VersaPeutics, Arthrosi Therapeutics and Totient (June, 2020) (Press Release)
• Elgia Therapeutics Announces New Funding to Develop Novel Treatments for Chronic Inflammatory and Fibrotic Diseases (Press Release)

Jiwu Wang, Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Allele Enters Semifinalist Round of XPRIZE COVID Rapid Testing Competition with Llama Antibodies and Cell Phone Assay. This product comes together neatly from combining the three core technology platforms developed over decades at Allele Biotech, a founding member of SDEE; namely, nanoantibodies created in llamas using SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens, Allele’s own super bright fluorescent proteins, and machine learning developed as part of Allele’s induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) pipeline.”

Michael Sherman, Human BioMolecular Research Institute (HBRI)

Human BioMolecular Research Institute (HBRI) reports in a recent paper published in Scientific Report (June 2020) entitled: "PAWI-2 overcomes tumor stemness and drug resistance via cell cycle arrest in integrin β3-KRAS-dependent pancreatic cancer stem cells." The first author was Jiongjia Cheng.  The paper describes a new approach to ameliorate pancreatic cancer stem cells.  Blocking pancreatic cancer stem cells

Deborah Bright, Nanome

San Diego–based virtual reality (VR) startup Nanome, Inc. has entered into an agreement with Fujitsu to bring their signature product—an immersive scientific design and collaboration platform—to the Japanese market. The software is already used by more than 15 of the top US-based biopharmaceutical companies. press release

Marilyn Bruno, Aequor

• May 28, 2020 – Aequor won San Diego CONNECT’s Cool Company award, and is seeking $500K to close out our Series Seed at $1.7M
• May 28, 2020 – Marilyn Bruno was cited as a thought Leader by Leading Edge Only
• May-present: After graduating from the Plug and Play accelerator, Aequor initiated pilot projects with three multinationals and will start another three in October 2020. 
• May – present – The Department of Energy selected Aequor to join the DISCOVR consortium with the Sandia National Lab and Arizona Center for Algae Technology Innovation to implement its technologies, which boost the production of algae biomass by over 40% in half the time.
• Aequor signed a Reseller Agreement with a major chemical company. 
• July 23, 2020 – Aequor featured in Biofuels Digest – Major Stories: Click to read article
• September 2, 2020 – The AEQUOR was awarded: Green Chemical Company of the Year 2020 hosted by GHP-News.  
• The 5th annual Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards, hosted by Global Health & Pharma (GHP), awarded Aequor, Inc. “Most Innovative Biofilm Removal Chemical Provider– USA.”  https://www.ghp-news.com/awards/healthcare-pharmaceuticals-awards/
• September 14, 2020 – Cynthia Burzell will be a panelist on the 2020 Algae Biomass Summit, speaking about the treatments she developed to boost algae biomass in open ponds and in bioreactors - https://www.algaebiomasssummit.org/page/2020Agenda
• September 29, 2020 – Cynthia Burzell will present at the International Space Station R&D Conference 2020 - https://www.issconference.org/agenda/
• Marilyn was nominated by the San Diego Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) as a finalist for the Trailblazer Award. Register for free to be able to vote for Marilyn between October 2 and 9 after her taped interview is posted: https://www.nawbo.org/san-diego/events/brava-awards-trailblazer-award-show-release-event- Here are the hashtags:    #BRAVAawards2020 #NAWBO #NAWBOSanDiego  
• October 15, 2020 - Marilyn will be a panelist at the Global Health Security Network (GHSN) Ministerial, which will be held virtually and in Bangkok. Aequor’s project is identifying gaps in the World Health Organization’s protocols for cleaning public places and recommending improvements.
• November 2020 – Aequor will undertake testing in high-traffic/high-touch surfaces at a major international airport, demonstrating the failure of current cleaning products and protocols compared with Aequor’s long-lasting cleaning products. 

Hannah Minton, Biosero

Biosero’s three-part webinar series, “Automate Your Lab with Software for Data Decisions,” for pharmaceutical and biotech executives, laboratory managers, scientists, researchers and automation engineers is now available on-demand. Listen to automation experts from Alkermes, Notable Labs and Eli Lilly and Company share how to integrate and automate cutting-edge scientific instruments and laboratory equipment from dozens of manufacturers into the lab. Webinar highlights include, Green Button Go™ Automation Scheduling Software customer case studies and a virtual tour of the Biosero Acceleration Lab. Here’s the link to the on-demand webinars.

R. Scott Struthers, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals

Crinetics Presents New Posters on ACTH Antagonist and SST5 Agonist Programs at ENDO Online 2020

• Discovery and Identification of Late Stage, Selective Nonpeptide ACTH Antagonists for the Treatment
  of Cushing’s Disease, Ectopic ACTH Secreting Tumors, and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
• Discovery and Identification of Late Stage, Selective Nonpeptide Somatostatin Subtype 5 (SST5)
  Agonists for the Treatment of Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia