Good Day BIO: Cargill and Genomatica team up

Two BIO members are part of a groundbreaking joint venture to produce biobased manufacturing intermediates that could reduce the emissions of many household products by as much as 93%—here’s the scoop. 

Cargill (BIO member) announced a joint venture with chemical manufacturer HELM to build “the first commercial-scale, renewable BDO [1, 4- butanediol] facility in the U.S.,”which will be located at Cargill’s biotechnology campus and corn-refining operation in Eddyville, Iowa.

They'll use technology from Genomatica (another BIO member) to process the BDO, or 1,4- butanediol, a compound made from the fermentation of plant-based sugars. 

Biobased BDO can replace fossil-based intermediates used in manufacturing nylon and spandex, plastic alternatives, coatings, and sealants, saving up to 93% of GHG emissions “without sacrificing product performance or altering their existing downstream manufacturing processes.” 

What they’re saying: “This new venture combines Cargill’s end-to-end supply chain and long-standing, successful product commercialization in several bioindustrial markets with HELM’s expertise in effectively bringing unique chemical applications and other creative solutions to life and to the market,” says Jill Zullo, VP of Biointermediates/Bioindustrial at Cargill and BIO Board member. 

What else they’re saying: “With consumers on the side of sustainability and renewably-sourced options for common apparel materials like nylon becoming available, the choice for brands should become easy,” says Christophe Schilling, CEO of Genomatica (also a BIO Board member). 

Read: Genomatica study finds consumers want more sustainable clothing 

In other news...

Yesterday, the Senate passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, formerly known as the Endless Frontier Act. BIO supported this bill, which would strengthen biotech R&D and the bioeconomy. 

Quote of the Day: “It is no longer called the Endless Frontiers Act. Now, I loved that name but some people thought it had to do with covered wagons or something. So, we changed it to USICA,” said Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

CNBC has more on the bill.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing yesterday on two key Health and Human Services (HHS) nominees: Dawn O’Connell for Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Miriam Delphin-Rittmon for Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use. 

The two candidates are well qualified to serve as effective leaders, said Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA)—watch starting around 21:32:00. 

Dawn O’Connell is senior counselor to the HHS secretary for COVID-19, where she coordinates the department-wide pandemic response. Previously, she was director of the U.S. office of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and senior counselor to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell under President Obama. 

“She has experience in both domestic and international preparedness,and that background will help ensure the US has capabilities and capacity to be a global leader in pandemic response,” said Phyllis Arthur, BIO’s VP of Infectious Diseases and Emerging Science in a letter to the committee leadership expressing support for the nominee.

Dr. Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon is the commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services,a position she’s held since 2015. She’s had a long career designing and administring mental health and addiction programs, and previously was an advisor to the administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at HHS. 

During the hearing, Republicans and Democrats agreed: We need to increase domestic manufacturing of medical countermeasures and pandemic medical supplies, as well as respond to worsening rates of mental health crises, substance misuse, and overdose deaths.

Other topics discussed: antibiotics, mental health parity, telehealth, and alternatives to opioids. (All BIO priorities.) 

But what WILL we do to get better prepared? Chair Murray said the committee will hold hearings within the next few months on public health preparedness and infrastructure, adding that she will work with Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) to craft bipartisan legislation. (They’ve worked together on this issue previously.)

More Health Care News:

RealClearHealth (Opinion): Health equity requires diversity in clinical trials
“Being able to point to diverse representation also helps reassure communities that may be skeptical about receiving the vaccine, which is essential to reaching herd immunity and ending this pandemic,” write BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath and Rahul Dhanda, President and CEO of Sherlock Biosciences. 

FiercePharma: Biden unveils plan to resurrect U.S. drug manufacturing
“[T]he White House is establishing a public-private partnership to select 50 to 100 essential medicines ‘to be the focus of an enhanced onshoring effort,’ the plan says.”

President Biden’s Wednesday: Heading to Europe. The first stop: meeting with U.S. Air Force personnel and their families stationed in Mildenhall, England, before traveling to Cornwall for the G7. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Washington’s buzzing about Congress’s January 6 report, which provides more details on security failures, reports POLITICO. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra continues his rounds on the Hill, testifying before Senate Appropriations at 10 AM ET today.