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Precision health, made better by San Diego

Nov 29, 2018 - Bree Burris

San Diego is home to more than 350 precision health companies that hold 3,610 patents, according to San Diego Regional EDC’s 2018 study, “San Diego’s Precision Health Ecosystem.” That’s a pretty big deal, since precision health literally impacts everyone.

Using a person’s unique genes, medical history, and environment, the field of precision health seeks to customize effective therapies and disease treatment. More than genomics and pharmaceuticals, precision health also encompasses a wide range of related fields that allow for the collection, storage, analysis, and use of health data for more precise diagnosis of individual conditions and risk factors. And it’s large San Diego companies like Illumina and Thermo Fisher Scientific, growing startups and small businesses like LunaDNA, and hospitals and research institutes that are helping lead the charge in precision health and enabling people to live longer, healthier lives.

San Diego is now home to more than 350 precision health companies

“From personalized cancer vaccines to record-breaking DNA sequencing of newborns, San Diego companies and research institutes are revolutionizing healthcare as we know it,” said Kirby Brady, research director, San Diego Regional EDC. “Consistently ranked among the top five cities for startups and life sciences, as well as the #1 region for genomics patents in the U.S., San Diego brings more to the table than its beaches – we are changing lives and curing disease from the offices and labs throughout the region.”

KEY FINDINGS

  • San Diego precision health companies secured $1.3 billion in venture capital in 2018, to date.
  • San Diego precision health companies hold 825 registered trademarks, and 3,610 patents.
  • San Diego is home to more than 350 precision health companies, 80 research institutions, 30 hospitals, and five universities.
  • Economic impact of precision health in California (2017):
    • 29,000 direct jobs
    • 99,000 total impacted jobs
    • $17 billion direct economic impact

Read the full study. For more data on San Diego, visit sandiegobusiness.org/research.