SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life Science Cares San Diego (LSC), a nonprofit organization activating the financial and human capital of the life sciences industry and partnering with local nonprofits to disrupt the cycle of poverty and inequity throughout its communities, and Avidity Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company committed to delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics called Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs™), today announced a $250,000 grant from Avidity to Life Science Cares San Diego to support LSC’s 2024 grantmaking portfolio and its volunteer programs.
“Avidity has been an impactful partner to Life Science Cares San Diego since our launch in 2020, hosting student interns through our Project Onramp program, engaging in multiple volunteer events and providing funds through direct giving,” said Alicia Kitagawa, Executive Director of Life Science Cares San Diego. “Their generous gift will help us expand our reach to provide access to education for under-resourced students and fund local nonprofits that are developing programs to help break the cycle of poverty for the next generation in our community. It will also support volunteer engagement activities, which are another avenue for people involved in the local life sciences industry to give back to San Diego.”
To mark Avidity’s pledge, the Life Science Cares San Diego team partnered with Avidity to host students from San Diego’s Monarch School, the only public community school that exclusively nurtures the development of unhoused students, at the company’s headquarters to learn more about Avidity, take a lab tour and explore career opportunities through a networking event with Avidity’s team. Students also had a chance to learn about opportunities through Project Onramp, which provides summer internships for college students who are under-resourced and underrepresented, helping to bridge the opportunity gap for these promising young people.
“We are grateful to companies like Avidity Biosciences for providing our students with the opportunity to learn about biotechnology, ask questions and learn about the diverse paths that members of the Avidity team followed to join the life sciences industry,” said Afira Arrastia-DeVries, President and CEO of Monarch School Project. “Partnerships such as this one with Avidity and Life Science Cares enable Monarch School students to challenge the conventional wisdom that their paths are limited, and their options are few. They also open doors and expand the possibilities for our students and serve as a reminder that their futures are limitless.”
As a result of recent successful financing events, Avidity pledged the contribution as a part of Life Science Cares’ Life Science Shares program, a future earnings pledge that allows companies and individuals to share their success with their local communities by contributing a portion of any funding event to help reduce the devastating impact of poverty and inequity. Companies or individuals pledge a portion of earnings from a financing event to help address three fundamental gaps in their local communities: basic needs, access to education and economic opportunity.
“We are excited to join hands with Life Science Cares San Diego to make a meaningful difference in our community with this important contribution,” said Sarah Boyce, President and Chief Executive Officer of Avidity. “It was a privilege to connect with the bright minds at the Monarch School, offering them a glimpse into the life sciences industry and the many career opportunities it holds. Through Project Onramp, we've been able to provide students with hands-on experience while gaining fresh insights from their unique perspectives. At Avidity, our culture thrives on collaboration and the celebration of individual strengths. We are passionate about fostering the next generation of leaders and building a diverse team that is united by a shared drive to transform the lives of people living with serious rare diseases.”
About Life Science Cares
Life Science Cares (LSC) activates the financial and human capital of the life sciences industry and partners with nonprofits to disrupt the cycle of poverty and inequality in our communities. Now operating in five US life science hubs (Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York), LSC has invested $16 million and tens of thousands of volunteer hours in community organizations providing access to basic needs, access to education or access to opportunity. Life Science Cares Switzerland, the first international LSC effort, launched in April 2024. Learn more at https://lifesciencecares.org/.
About Monarch School
Since 1987, Monarch School Project has been dedicated to providing a sense of belonging for thousands of unhoused youth and their families. Our trauma-informed and strength-based community empowers the youth we serve to overcome the challenges impacting their lives. Monarch provides comprehensive academic, social and emotional support to youth, alumni, and their families. Our tailored programs and wrap-around services empower youth to succeed and define their own path to achievement. Please visit our website to learn more including our scaling efforts underway this fall.
About Avidity Biosciences
Avidity Biosciences, Inc.'s mission is to profoundly improve people's lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics – Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs™). Avidity is revolutionizing the field of RNA with its proprietary AOCs, which are designed to combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies to address targets and diseases previously unreachable with existing RNA therapies. Utilizing its proprietary AOC platform, Avidity demonstrated the first-ever successful targeted delivery of RNA into muscle and is leading the field with clinical development programs for three rare muscle diseases: myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Avidity is broadening the reach of AOCs with its advancing and expanding pipeline including programs in cardiology and immunology through internal discovery efforts and key partnerships. Avidity is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information about our AOC platform, clinical development pipeline and people, please visit www.aviditybiosciences.com and engage with us on LinkedIn and X.
