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California lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at restoring tax credits for life science companies. The "Golden State Innovation Act of 2021" seeks to bring back a research and development tax credit that was suspended in the 2019-2020 budget year when lawmakers were looking to close a budget deficit projected because of the pandemic. The bill, introduced as Assembly Bill 593, would also restore a net operating loss deduction for life sciences companies. Health care and life science-focused companies lined up in support of the new bill, including Davis-based Expanesthetics Inc.

Expanesthetics, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a research agreement with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. In order to maintain scientific integrity, the terms of the agreement are not being publicly disclosed by Expanesthetics.

Davis-based Expanesthetics Inc. is looking to raise funds to fuel its research into anesthetics. Expanesthetics develops new inhaled general anesthetics with fewer side effects and pain relievers that serve as alternatives to opioids.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article contains a few inaccuracies, including an implication that Expanesthetics' new general anesthetics are novel in their ability to be inhaled. Inhaled general anesthetics are already widely available—the agents Expanesthetics is developing are novel because of their more specific mechanisms of action compared to conventional agents, with the intent of causing fewer side effects.

Expanesthetics launched a new offering budgeted to power the company’s anesthetic screening program through first-in-human trials of a lead anesthetic candidate, as well as research in the company’s non-opiate pain reliever program. The company has previously raised over $7.5 million, primarily from nearly 100 anesthesia clinicians. The investment includes stock shares as well as warrants to buy more stock later at the current price. Expanesthetics’ anesthetic program aims to develop new inhaled general anesthetics with fewer side effects than agents available today. The company’s exclusive technology allows it to identify new anesthetic candidates that affect fewer receptors in the central nervous system. This more specific mechanism of action enables drug candidates with fewer side effects, which has been supported by the company’s proof-of-concept research. Click the headline to learn more about the investment offering

A study is underway at the Center for Equine Health to evaluate a promising new pain reliever in horses with chronic lameness due to joint pain. This effort, led by Dr. Robert Brosnan, a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, is supported by a grant from the Equine Tribute and Memorial Fund through the Center for Equine Health. Dr. Brosnan and his team in the Department of Veterinary Anesthesiology and the JD Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory are collaborating to evaluate a new painkiller that was discovered at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and compare its effectiveness with a standard treatment and a placebo in horses with chronic lameness.