La Jolla News Nuggets: Toy drive, home project, scuba study, medical news, more

Local Rotary’s toy drive collects over 4,300 stuffed animals at fair

The Care ‘n Share Toy Drive — an initiative launched by the La Jolla-based Torrey Pines Rotary Club — collected 4,349 stuffed animals for children in need during the 2025 San Diego County Fair, thanks to fair-goers who donated prizes at collection boxes at the fairgrounds’ gates.

The toys now are in the hands of children on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, continuing a tradition that began in 2009. Since then, a total of 122,000 toys that were won at the fair have been donated and distributed to children.

This year’s beneficiaries included the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club, which received 120 stuffed animals for its projects.

Continued donations of new and gently used stuffed animals can be arranged through carensharetoydrive.com.

Application filed for street vacation and homebuilding project

An application has been filed with the city of San Diego for a coastal development permit and vacation of public right of way originally intended for street purposes.

In a street vacation, the city relinquishes the right of way or public service easement to an adjacent property owner or owners.

The application proposes building a new 4,494-square-foot two-story house, a 1,205-square-foot basement and an attached 780-square-foot two-story accessory dwelling unit on a vacant lot east of Cowrie Avenue and Soledad Avenue in La Jolla.

The project is undergoing environmental review, and the decision to approve or deny it will be made at a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled.

SIO study looks at scuba diving’s global economic impact

An international study co-authored by researchers from the La Jolla-based Scripps Institution of Oceanography estimates that scuba diving contributes $8.5 billion to  $20.4 billion to the global economy each year, supporting up to 124,000 jobs across 170 countries.

Though ocean-based tourism is recognized as an economic force, the specific contribution of scuba diving on a global scale has remained unknown. The absence of economic data made it challenging for ocean advocates to concretely cite scuba’s economic benefits to argue for conservation policies.

Previous research suggested increased ocean conservation could boost dive revenue by attracting more divers willing to pay higher prices to encounter the more diverse and numerous sea life afforded by added protections.

Data show that roughly 70% of all marine dives occur within marine protected areas, or MPAs.

The study indicated that direct spending on diving activities generates $900 million to $3.2 billion annually and between $8.5 billion and $20.4 billion when including indirect spending on accommodations and local services.

Murals of La Jolla Parking Lot Party coming Oct. 19

Murals of La Jolla announced that its annual Parking Lot Party, typically held the first Sunday in October, this year will be Sunday, Oct. 19, at a location to be determined.

The party is intended to thank donors who have helped Murals of La Jolla maintain its presence in The Village, The Shores and Bird Rock. The program was created in 2010 by the La Jolla Community Foundation and subsequently was relinquished to the oversight of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library.

Currently the program has 17 murals around town, funded by private donations and installed and removed on a rotation. Each work is on view for a minimum of two years.

La Jolla scientist gets $1M to advance pancreatic cancer study

Professor Diana Hargreaves of the La Jolla-based Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been named a 2025 All-Star Translational Award Program grantee by the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

She and collaborator Gregory Botta, an associate professor at the La Jolla-based UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, will receive $1 million to advance Hargreaves’ new project intended to improve immunotherapy — a treatment that uses the body’s immune cells to fight cancer — in patients with pancreatic cancer.

The V Foundation was founded by ESPN and national basketball champion coach Jim Valvano to fund “game-changing” cancer research grants in North America. The foundation’s selection process identifies scientists who are using cutting-edge approaches to tackle cancer, according to the Salk Institute.

Pancreatic cancer is set to become the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States by 2030. Its mortality rate is roughly 90% of patients.

La Jolla researchers look to create personalized probiotics

Scientists at the La Jolla-based Sanford Burnham Prebys medical research institute are seeking to use probiotics to help infants suffering from malnutrition.

Probiotics are emerging tools used by neonatal intensive care units to promote healthy outcomes and prevent intestinal diseases. About one in 10 of the youngest preterm infants in the United States are treated with probiotics, and studies indicate the therapy can reduce causes of mortality.

Probiotic treatment often includes administration of bacterial strains that belong to the Bifidobacterium genus. Bifidobacterium strains are especially abundant in the guts of children — particularly those who are breastfed — and are considered beneficial to human health.

Now, Sanford Burnham Prebys scientists are seeking to use probiotics to deliver the benefits of Bifidobacterium to malnourished babies.

Studies show that probiotic treatment in Bangladeshi infants suffering from severe acute malnutrition promoted weight gain, but the beneficial bacteria did not carve out a permanent home in the infants’ microbiomes, as expected from testing in the United States.

“We wondered if the strain was less effective because it was not adapted to the local diets of Bangladeshi children,” said Sanford Burnham Prebys professor Andrei Osterman. “And we thought we may be able to predict which strains will thrive in different conditions, allowing us to match probiotics to children based on where they live and what they eat.”

The work provided a resource for future research and development of personalized probiotics.

‘Tides of Creativity’ financial report expected soon

La Jolla Shores Association President John Pierce says a financial report on the group’s inaugural “Tides of Creativity” event is expected soon and likely will appear on next month’s board agenda.

“Tides of Creativity” debuted at Avenida de la Playa on June 21. The event highlighted local artists, authors and businesses and included painting, bounce houses, face painting, pony rides and more.

The event was made possible through a $7,500 grant initiated by state Sen. Toni Atkins before she left office last fall and administered by the city of San Diego in partnership with the area Business Improvement District Alliance.

LJSA is seeking volunteers for a recently formed ad hoc committee focused on event planning. The group was approved by the board in March.