Good Day BIO: Pandemic preparedness and food shortages

A new policy paper explains why we need more funding for pandemic preparedness. Food shortages are coming – but biotech could help mitigate future ones, if we deploy solutions now. (644 words, 3 minutes, 19 seconds)

We need to be more strategic about pandemic preparedness – here’s how

Pandemic preparedness requires adequate funding—and with more than half a million viruses out there with pandemic potential, we need to be more strategic, says a Research!America briefing sent to federal lawmakers this month.

Until now, we’ve responded to pandemics by addressing the specific pathogen causing the latest threat,says Research!America.

But: “Even the most robust predictive algorithms have failed to adequately predict the introduction and impact of such public health threats as Zika, SARS (2002), and COVID-19."

The threat is real: “One global study identified over 500,000 animal viruses with potential to spread to humans,” warns the briefing. Meanwhile, “the risk of intense outbreaks is growing rapidly,” says a Duke University study. “The probability of novel disease outbreaks will likely grow three-fold in the next few decades.”

One solution: look at families of viruses “to develop platform technologies that would empower rapidly deployable interventions,” says Research!America, echoing what BIO’s Phyllis Arthur said last week.

But preparedness requires funding: “The U.S. should treat the next pandemic as if it is a certainty and allocate the additional resources needed to fight against it now,” even as we fight COVID-19, says Research!America.

The context: President Biden’s 2023 budget, released yesterday, would provide $81.7 billion over five years for “pandemic preparedness and biodefense across HHS public health agencies,” per the White House—we’ll have a full analysis of the budget proposal and what it means for biotech soon.

More Health Care News:

Gilead Sciences: Gilead Sciences announces $24 million in grants to help end the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere
The grants aim to “reduce health disparities, improve access to quality healthcare, advance medical education and support local communities most impacted by the HIV epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic. The Zeroing In: Ending the HIV Epidemic program, will support 116 organizations in 41 countries.”

Food shortages are coming. Biotech can help.

We might not be able to stop the food shortages that are coming soon as a result of the war in Ukraine, but we can deploy biotech solutions to help mitigate future ones. 

ICYMI: Ukraine and Russia supply a significant amount of the world’s wheat, barley, and fertilizer, as we’ve reported—which is already “sending shock waves through the commodity markets and damaging the global food system,” reports Bloomberg.

“With regard to food shortage…it’s going to be real,”President Biden said during his press conference in Brussels last week. “The price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia; it’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well. And—because both Russia and Ukraine have been the breadbasket of Europe in terms of wheat, for example.” 

But thanks to biotech, it doesn’t have to be this way. Researchers are already working on solutions like gene-edited wheat that can grow in less-than-ideal conditions, allowing us to diversify supply chains, as well as next-gen pesticides made from peptides.

Europe should also lift its ban on GMOs—something they’re reportedly considering in response to the crisis. As a positive step, the EU announced it would join the U.S. Coalition for Sustainable Productivity Growth, which BIO joined last year.

P.S. Reminder: April 11 is the deadline to apply for the BBC StoryWorks project! We’re working with BBC StoryWorks to spotlight biotechnology solutions that are innovative, impactful and inclusive—demonstrating how biotech can help achieve vital climate targets, improve health, and foster a diverse culture of open science. Learn more about the project and how you can participate. 

President Biden’s Tuesday: Hosting Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore and discussing Indo-Pacific cooperation. Later, signing the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month. Meanwhile, the administration is gearing up to offer second boosters to adults 50+, per The New York Times.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: House hearings today include the Agriculture Committee on Farm Bill provisions on horticulture and urban agriculture, Budget Committee on President Biden’s 2023 budget proposal, and Oversight and Reform on pathways to Universal Health Coverage.