Deep diving for COVID cures

June 15, 2020
We start a new week with an announcement about one of BIO’s own: Dr. Clint Nesbitt, BIO’s Senior Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs for Food and Agriculture, has been named to the Task Force on Gene Editing in Animal Agriculture. The 11-person panel will…
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We start a new week with an announcement about one of BIO’s own: Dr. Clint Nesbitt, BIO’s Senior Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs for Food and Agriculture, has been named to the Task Force on Gene Editing in Animal Agriculture. The 11-person panel will develop recommendations for regulating the use of gene editing in animal agriculture with appropriate safeguards and procedures. Congratulations, Dr. Nesbitt!

In other news, we have a new episode of the I AM BIO Podcast exploring the links between human health and the ocean, including a few COVID-19 breakthroughs discovered under the sea. We’ve also got the latest vaccine and Washington news. Here are 615 words, around 3 minutes.

Deep diving for COVID cures

In today’s episode of the I AM BIO Podcast, BIO’s host Jim Greenwood dives under the sea to take a look at the fascinating links between human health and the ocean—including some discoveries that could help treat COVID-19. 

Why study the links between human health and the ocean? Humans are about 2/3 saltwater and basically have “little oceans within,” explains Dr. Timothy Bouley, a surfer-turned-doctor who worked on One Health policy at the World Bank. (He actually got COVID-19 himself.)

He now runs two companies dedicated to exploring links between marine biotech and human health: Emergent Ocean, which invests in ocean biotech startups, and BioFeyn, which studies how we can apply human biomedical advances to aquaculture to improve fish health and the sustainability of the industry.

Enough small talk. How will the ocean help us treat COVID-19? For starters, Gilead’s promising antiviral remdesivir is made from nucleotide analogs, compounds that interfere with viral replication—which were first discovered in sea sponges off the coast of Florida in 1945.

The compounds helped the sea sponges defend themselves against viruses and bacteria in the ocean—and in addition to remdesivir, they’ve been used in medications for HIV, herpes, and cancer, too.

Sea worms might also help COVID-19 patients. The lug worm has adapted to breathe on land thanks to a specialized hemoglobin, which researchers think could be used to help patients in respiratory distress due to COVID-ridden lungs, explains Dr. Bouley. 

There’s also a marine enzyme that might make PCR (polymerase chain reaction) COVID testing more accurate—a breakthrough discovered in hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. 

This has medical implications beyond COVID, too. Thanks to sharks in particular, we’ve made big advances in the adaptive immune system as well as how to make bioengineered antibacterial material that’s similar to shark skin for use in medical instruments.

Why it matters: As Jim said in the episode, we can expect to see a lot more outbreaks like COVID-19 unless we implement health programs to monitor infectious disease hotspots and explore the links between humans, animals, and the environment. With One Health policies, we can be better prepared for the next outbreak and build resiliency—and this includes exploring the natural world to find compounds that could help treat zoonotic disease. 

Listen to the whole thing at www.bio.org/podcast or anywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, and Spotify.

 

More News: 

New York Times: Slowing the Coronavirus Is Speeding the Spread of Other Diseases
"Many mass immunization efforts worldwide were halted this spring to prevent spread of the virus at crowded inoculation sites. The consequences have been alarming."

Bloomberg: A conversation with J&J’s vaccine hunter
“Despite decades studying diseases like HIV, Ebola and tuberculosis, Dr. Paul Stoffels says the breakneck speed at which COVID-19 spread around the world was ‘completely unexpected.’” 

Reuters: Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appears to clear safety hurdle in mouse study
“A series of studies in mice of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 lent some assurance that it may not increase the risk of more severe disease, and that one dose may provide protection against the novel coronavirus, according to preliminary data released on Friday.” 

STAT News: FDA approves Gardasil 9, the HPV vaccine, to prevent head-and-neck cancer
“On Friday, the agency granted that approval, clearing the latest version of the vaccine, Gardasil 9, to prevent a cancer that affects 13,500 Americans annually. The decision was announced by Gardasil’s maker, Merck.”

 
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President Trump’s Monday: Lunch with the veep, then he’ll participate in a roundtable on “Fighting for America’s Seniors,” which seems like it might include updates on Medicare and drug pricing. Meanwhile, the second round of U.S.-U.K. trade negotiations begin today, according to POLITICO Morning Trade.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The Senate continues consideration of the Great American Outdoors Act. The House will mark up the Democrats’ police reform bill and hold hearings this week on the impact of COVID-19 on various sectors including education and energy.

 
 
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