July 5, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

West Los Angeles Biomed Innovator Honored

By Staff Writer

Michael E. Jung, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, was recently honored for his significant contributions to biomedicine during a Cal State LA BioSpace ceremony celebrating emerging entrepreneurs.

A resident of West Los Angeles, Jung was awarded the LA BioStar Award during the graduation ceremony for participants of Cal State LA BioStart, an intensive training program for emerging bioscience entrepreneurs. The project is part of Cal State LA BioSpace, which is leading the university’s efforts to promote a thriving bioscience ecosystem in the heart of Los Angeles.

Jung, who has developed drugs that help extend the lives of men with late-stage prostate cancer, remarked on how he enjoyed sharing his passion for science and research with the Cal State LA BioStart graduates throughout the day.

“This is a wonderful program—I congratulate you on doing this and I hope you continue for a long time,” Jung told the gathering at Cal State LA. “Thank you again very much for this award. I guarantee I’ll put it in a place of honor.”

During the ceremony, 19 fellows were recognized for completing five weeks of training in business fundamentals, financing models, industrial research and development, intellectual property and other skills essential to launching and directing successful bioscience ventures.

“These graduations are always inspiring because of the great initiative, ingenuity and drive that is represented by each class and because of the ways in which all of these entrepreneurs and their projects will transform our society,” President William A. Covino said to the crowd.

The training is a collaborative project of Cal State LA, the Biocom Institute and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator. The initiative is supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration and is offered at no cost to eligible participants.

Jung is an internationally recognized expert on synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry and holds more than 25 patents. His research team discovered two FDA-approved drugs that have been used to treat prostate cancer. He is one of the many industry and academic professionals who have shared their expertise with the Cal State LA BioStart fellows since the training first began in 2017.

“Graduates of Cal State LA BioStart learn from industry leaders, like Jung, at the top of their fields who contribute to the scientific and economic vitality of the Los Angeles region,” said Cal State LA Executive Vice President Jose A. Gomez, chair of Cal State LA BioSpace. “Our program provides a launchpad for these innovators to develop their cutting-edge research into groundbreaking and successful ventures.”

Cal State LA BioSpace is being developed with investment from Los Angeles County and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The initiative is also supported by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Pasadena Bio Collaborative Incubator, LA Bioscience Hub and the California State University.

The Cal State LA BioSpace initiative was created to address critical shortages of bioscience entrepreneurs and of lab space for startup companies, and promote the bioscience industry in Los Angeles.

The goal of Cal State LA BioSpace is to promote research and entrepreneurship and provide facilities, resources and training to support the region’s burgeoning bioscience industry, including the area known as “Bioscience Valley.” This area extends along Valley Boulevard and includes Cal State LA and Grifols Biologicals Inc. on the east, and the University of Southern California Health Sciences campus and LAC+USC Medical Center on the west.

The new Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center, a 20,000-square-foot facility at the southern gateway of the university, is scheduled to open this spring. The center will house the Cal State LA BioSpace incubator, which will feature wet and dry laboratory space, multi-purpose classrooms, equipment and conference rooms to help bioscience startups turn scientific advances into job-creating ventures. The center will also house the Cal State LA BioStart training program.

Cal State LA BioStart has trained about 60 emerging entrepreneurs under the direction of Cal State LA Microbiology Professor Howard Xu, who also oversees incubator development and programming for the university. Xu was the emcee at the University Club graduation ceremony.

Richelle Toriyama, who received an MBA from Cal State LA, was one of the graduating fellows celebrated at the ceremony. She aims to develop new products, systems and procedures to improve efficacy and minimize risk in the food service industry with the knowledge and skills she gained from Cal State LA BioStart.

“It taught me so much about entrepreneurship and provided realistic views of what it takes to start and operate a business,” Toriyama said. “It exceeded my expectations.”

Related Posts

Michael Madsen, Star of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, Dies at 67 in Malibu

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Actor Remembered for His Intense Performances and as a Poet  Actor Michael Madsen, known for his distinctive gravelly voice and...

Los Angeles City Council Cracks Down on ‘Disaster Tours’ in Pacific Palisades

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

City Council Bans Commercial Bus Tours in Burn Zone Amid Community Backlash Tour buses that have been operating in fire-ravaged...

Tow Truck Scammers Target Crash Victims Across L.A.: Authorities Warn of Fraud at Accident Scenes

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officials Urge Drivers to Stay Alert After Collisions as Rogue Operators Demand Inflated Fees  Motorists involved in vehicle accidents are...

Woman Dies After Melrose Store Altercation: LAPD Launches Homicide Investigation

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Critically Injured Young Woman Died July 2, After She was Badly Beaten at Work  The death of a woman critically...

CHP Officer Dies in Culver City Crash: Medical Emergency Suspected Behind Tragic Incident

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officer lost consciousness while transporting a suspect before crashing into a tree California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Cano died early...

L.A. Beaches Brace for Holiday Rush: Over 1 Million Visitors Expected This Fourth of July

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

County Officials Urge Beachgoers to Pack Out Their Trash and  Monitor Water Quality More than one million visitors are expected...

(Video) A visit to New York Bagel & Deli in Santa Monica

July 3, 2025

July 3, 2025

Authentic NY Style Bagels with Extra Creamy Cream Cheese and Multi-Cultural Desserts. Located at 2216 Wilshire Blvd. A visit to...

Hot Dogs & Rosé: Something About Her and The Culver Hotel Roll Out Summer Specials

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Westside Venues to Serve Playful Bites and Seasonal Sips For the Holiday Weekend A bold new offering is making its...

NeueHouse Hosts Bold One-Night Dinner With Culinary Phenomenon Diego Argoti

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Acclaimed Chef Brings Culinary Mischief With a Five-Course Tasting Experience. NeueHouse Hollywood will host an exclusive, one-night-only dining event on...

(Video) Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Go To Homefrontbuild.com For More Information @home_front_build Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles Go...

405 Crash Near the Getty Sends Three to Hospital: Two Seriously Hurt Near Site Where LAPD Sgt. Died

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Early Morning Multi-Vehicle Collision Shut Down Lanes Near Brentwood Three men were injured and traffic was snarled for hours following...

(Video) Jikoni, the AfriCali PopUp from celebrated cookbook author Kiano Moju Has Been Extended Until July 3 at Citizen Public Market

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Bold Flavors and Spice Merge with Crisp, Chewy Chapati. Delicious With a Caring Chef and Staff. Jikoni, the AfriCali PopUp...

Pentagon Orders Troop Drawdown in LA: 150 National Guard Members Reassigned to Wildfire Duty

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Federal Forces Begin Partial Withdrawal From Protest Response as California Leaders Push Back U.S. Northern Command announced Tuesday that 150...

California Highway Patrol Deploys for Independence Day Enforcement Surge

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

All Available Officers to Hit California Highways for Holiday Weekend As Californians gear up for Fourth of July festivities, the...

Court Postpones Arraignment for Driver in Malibu Crash That Killed Four Students

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Fraser Michael Bohm Faces Murder Charges in Fatal PCH Wreck  The arraignment for Fraser Michael Bohm, the 23-year-old man accused...