Good Day BIO: White House accelerates monkeypox vaccines, treatments

Another slow summer Friday in D.C.—but we have the details on what the White House is doing to accelerate access to monkeypox vaccines and treatments, as well as new research on how gene editing led to greater soybean yield. (601 words, 3 minutes)

White House accelerates distribution of monkeypox vaccines, treatments

With more than 14,000 confirmed monkeypox cases in the U.S.—up from 6,000 about two weeks ago—the White House announced new actions yesterday to accelerate distribution of monkeypox vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics at this critical moment.

More monkeypox vaccine doses will be available soon, including:

• 1.8 million additional doses available for ordering starting Monday, August 22—“ahead of schedule to encourage rapid distribution of vaccine to individuals at high risk of contracting the virus.”
• 50,000 doses from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) for jurisdictions hosting large LGBTQI+ events, on top of existing allocations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide help preparing vaccine and testing strategies as well as support for the new intradermal administration, which allows for even more doses. 

How they’re doing it: Health and Human Services (HHS) facilitated an agreement between BIO member Bavarian Nordic, which developed the JYNNEOS vaccine, and Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM) to establish the first “fill and finish line” for the vaccine in the U.S., which will deliver 2.5 million vials. 

In addition, 50,000 courses of the TPOXX therapeutic will become available next week—“nearly five times more courses than confirmed cases in the United States—to make the treatment more readily available for providers and patients,” says the White House. 

The big picture: These actions are good news—but they’re also a reminder of the need to fund medical preparedness before we have a pandemic. BIO continues to call for stable funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which helped realize these monkeypox innovations and other health preparedness initiatives.

Catch up on our monkeypox news.

Gene editing increased soybean yield, a promising sign for other crops

Gene editing improved photosynthesis in soybeans, leading to a 33% increase in yield—just the latest example of the need to accelerate biotechnology like gene editing crops to save our food supply in the face of climate change. 

The key finding: Gene editing can increase the efficiency of photosynthesis in soybeans, leading to greater crop yield, finds research released yesterday from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The details: “Crop leaves in full sunlight dissipate damaging excess absorbed light energy as heat. This protective dissipation continues after the leaf transitions to shade, reducing crop photosynthesis,” explain the researchers. However, by bioengineering the change in soybeans, the resulting higher “photosynthetic efficiency” led to a 33% increase in seed yield, without changes to “seed protein or oil content.”

The big picture: The research provides “a glimmer of potential that such methods could someday put more food on tables as climate change and other threats make it harder for vulnerable populations across the globe to feed their families,” explains The New York Times.

The next steps: The researchers said they only studied soy plants “grown in a single location during two crop seasons,” per The New York Times, so trials in different environments and weather conditions—and on different types of crops—are needed.

The bigger challenge: consumer acceptance.As we’ve reported, consumer acceptance of gene-edited foods is low, but when they’re educated about the science and the benefits, they’re more likely to try them. The problem? Only 37% of people in a recent survey had ever heard of gene-edited foods.  

Read More: GMO acceptance a main goal of FDA’s Feed Your Mind educational materials

More Agriculture and Environment News: 

Des Moines Register: Iowa farmers, ag leaders urge Tom Vilsack, Katherine Tai to lower tariffs to ease fertilizer costs
"Faced with skyrocketing expenses, Iowa farmers urged U.S. agriculture and trade leaders to ease tariffs on fertilizers in an effort to cut their costs to grow next year's corn, soybeans and other crops."

Wood Mackenzie: How biofuel circularity could unlock the energy transition
“For refiners, governments, and the public, creating biofuels from waste offers a viable pathway to a circular economy, with its many benefits, that is compatible with mitigating climate change.”

President Biden’s Friday: Continuing summer vacation.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess in the Senate and House.