San Diego's biotech sector experiences a sharp slowdown, with increased lab vacancies and difficulty in securing new roles, as detailed by interviews with displaced workers such as former Illumina engineer Vince Kato. Adding to the turbulence, FDA's top cancer regulator, Richard Pazdur, directly intervened in rejecting Replimmune’s melanoma drug RP1, causing stock declines and intra-agency discord. Sarepta’s Elevidys gene therapy also faces scrutiny following related patient deaths and regulatory holds, contributing to broader uncertainty in the regional biotech ecosystem.