new class of antibiotics. Founding CEO Court Turner, an Avalon Venture Partner, says there isn’t much to say so far about RQx, which appears to be using technology developed by Floyd Romesberg, an associate professor of chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute.
—Connect, the San Diego non-profit group dedicated to supporting technology innovation and entrepreneurship, hosted more than 800 people at its “Most Innovative New Product” awards luncheon. In the life sciences categories, Connect gave trophies to San Diego-based NeuroVigil for iBrain, a non-invasive wireless technology for recording brain wave data, and to Zogenix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGNX]]) for Sumavel DosePro, a needle-free drug injection device.
—San Diego’s Anaphore said it formed a partnership with Japan’s Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma to help create a new generation of protein drugs for autoimmune disorders. Anaphore said it will get $5 million in upfront cash, research support, and as much as $110 million in potential milestone payments.
—MedNetworks, a startup based in Newton, MA, has recruited U.S. San Diego’s James Fowler to serve on its scientific advisory board with Harvard’s Nicholas Christakis. The two are co-authors of “Connected,” an acclaimed book about social networks. Fowler’s research at UCSD has explored the genetic underpinnings of certain political behaviors
—A former certified public accountant, Kent Thomas Keigwin, was ordered to stand trial on charges that include murder for financial gain. He was arrested in June in connection with the untimely death of John G. Watson, a retired biotech executive and San Diego angel investor.
—Italy’s Silicon Biosystems has established the headquarters for a new U.S. subsidiary in San Diego, adding to the small-but-growing number of genetic and molecular diagnostics equipment makers . The Silicon Biosystems subsidiary views clinical and diagnostic researchers throughout North America as an ideal market for its DEPArray technology.
