With a research institution named after the inventor of the polio vaccine, and the region’s contributions to fighting global health crises such as Ebola and HIV, San Diego has developed a reputation for bringing life-changing treatments to the world.
As the coronavirus progresses to a global pandemic, the life sciences industry, governments and NGOs are racing to bring treatments and tests to scale.
Here are four San Diego companies at the forefront of bringing COVID-19 solutions to market:
- Arcturus Therapeutics – One significant challenge with manufacturing vaccines is the size of the dose needed to inoculate a patient. Leveraging self-replicating RNA technology, Arcturus says it can inject smaller doses because it creates an antigen that continues to replicate in the body. If successful, this may also mean goodbye to booster shots. The La Jolla-based company is now identifying partnerships to bring the vaccine to market.
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals – This company is already sprinting ahead in its quest to deliver a DNA-based vaccine. Inovio has racked up a combined $14 million in grants between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Inovio’s core research lab is based out of San Diego.
- Mesa Biotech– As COVID-19 spreads, people are clamoring to get rapid diagnostic information. San Diego-based Mesa Biotech is undergoing clinical trials in China, where individuals will be able to get lab-quality test results in approximately 30 minutes.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific – Leave it to the world’s largest manufacturer of laboratory equipment to develop a testing solution. With the FDA’s approval, Thermo Fisher will produce a test kit that can diagnose within four hours, with the potential to diagnose as many as 5 million people in a week. Thermo Fisher says all 75,000 global employees have been involved in its COVID-19 response, which includes employees in its Carlsbad operation.
We know there are additional San Diego companies out there, and we willcontinue to elevate this conversation in the weeks ahead.
In the meantime, we have put together this page with guidance and resources to help San Diego businesses navigate these unprecedented times.
If you are a San Diego business and we can help in any way, please contact us
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