It’s Not Over Till It’s Over: UC-Berkeley Files Appeal Of CRISPR Patent Ruling
UC asserts that its team was the true inventor of the gene editing technology.
The Mercury News:
UC-Berkeley Fights Back Over CRISPR Patent Rights
On Tuesday, UC filed an appeal of the U.S. Patent Office’s decision last February that the patent claims to CRISPR by Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard do not interfere with those put forth by UC Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her European collaborator, Emmanuelle Charpentier. ...UC asserts that its team was the true inventor of the gene editing technology. (Krieger, 7/26)
In other news from across the state —
Orange County Register:
$10 Million In Mental Health Grants Announced For Southern California To Help Teens, Homeless, And Families
Providence St. Joseph Health announced $10 million in mental health funding on Wednesday, July 26, for California teens, expectant mothers and homeless patients, the first installment of a $30 million commitment over three years. ... Additionally, grants will pay for school-based mental health services for Anaheim Union High School District students, tele-psychiatry services in the San Fernando Valley, and home visits by therapists for pregnant women in Los Angeles. (Perkes, 7/26)
Bakersfield Californian:
Hospitals Awarded For Excellence In Health Care
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital Southwest received a five-star achievement award for their OB/GYN Care and seven national awards from Healthgrades, Dignity Health announced in a press release Tuesday. Patients treated in hospitals with five stars for Labor and Delivery Excellence have a lower risk, about 54 percent on average, of experiencing a complication versus a hospital without, the release said for the years 2013-2015. (7/27)
Ventura County Star:
Faster Response Focus Of First-Responder Training In Ventura County
When a mass shooting or other disaster strikes, authorities call the area a hot zone immediately following the incident, "meaning it's not safe for paramedics to enter and treat the wounded," [Ventura County Fire Department Captain Scott] Quirarte said. Once the area has been secured, it becomes a cold zone. But increasingly law enforcement officers, paramedics and others are trying to establish "warm zones," places that have yet to be fully secured "but that are safe enough for our guys to go into and treat those who need help," he said. (Scheibe, 7/26)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Issues Toxic Algae Warning For Russian River Beaches
Sonoma County officials posted caution signs at beaches up and down the Russian River on Wednesday alerting visitors to positive test results for a potentially dangerous, naturally occurring neurotoxin linked to harmful algae, a problem surfacing around Northern California this summer. ... It’s the third year in a row the algae-related toxin has been detected in the river. (Callahan, 7/26)