On Wednesday evening (May 11), students, scientists, and industry professionals joined at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA) for another successful BCLA Mixer. The event, co-hosted by Professor Howard Xu, PhD, at CSULA, gave everyone an opportunity to meet, mingle, and share ideas. Most notably, however, the event also showcased some of the cutting edge research being done in East Los Angeles, a critical hub to the rapidly expanding biotech market in LA.
Headlining the night were short talks that promoted some of the current opportunities in biotech. Following a tour of the local facility and of the site in which LA BioSpace, a new state-of-the-art incubator will be built, Dr. Xu showcased some of the Regional Bioscience Initiatives from LA County as well as presented visual renderings for LA BioSpace. We were also fortunate to have Willie Zuniga, President of Grifols Biologicals Inc. elaborate on some of the current medicines treating a variety of diseases that are being manufactured in East LA. Also speaking were Gary Fujii, President of Molecular Express, who shared information about their vaccines in development and John Lasko, a consultant specializing in raising capital for biotech startups. Finally, Tulsi Patel talked about the mission at LA Bioscience Hub to support the development of the LA Bioscience Corridor in East LA. After the closing remarks by BCLA vice-president Yari Fontebasso, the participants could network over drinks and snacks in a energized and dynamic atmosphere.
We would like to thank our sponsors, volunteers, and attendees for making this mixer a success. With your continued your participation, we can truly look forward to seeing the East LA area grow as major bioscience hub in the future!
