It’s National Biotechnology Month—but there’s still some party planning to do

It’s National Biotechnology Month, the perfect time to think about the incredible science happening in labs across the country—and how misunderstandings in Washington have the potential to stifle it.

Tell me more. The White House says National Biotechnology Month is an opportunity to “recognize the enormous potential of biotechnology to improve people’s lives here in the United States and around the world,” by developing “new ways to treat cancer, manufacture medicines, generate plastics, and provide America’s farmers and ranchers the tools they need to help feed, fuel, and clothe the world’s growing population, which is expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050.” 

What are they doing about it? The statement plugs recent administration actions to “reduce unnecessary regulations, break down barriers to entry into the marketplace, and improve global competitiveness,” and the need to work together to “ensure this booming, innovative industry continues to foster economic growth and American innovation.” 

What’s the catch? As biotech companies across the country are researching new science with potential to cure diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer and combat the superbugs infecting millions, Congress and the Trump administration are considering policies that would put this progress at risk. 

The House passed H.R. 3, which includes an international price index that will stymie investment in new cures and make us miss out on potentially dozens of new ones over the next two decades.

More Health Care News: 

Forbes (Opinion): The epic folly of Trump’s drug importation crusade
“Drug importation will deliver minimal, if any, savings to patients. And it could jeopardize public health by increasing the risk of dangerous foreign counterfeits entering the U.S. market.” 

POLITICO Pulse: 10 health policy questions to answer in 2020
What will happen on drug pricing? Will Medicare for All resonate with primary voters? What’s really going on at CMS, anyway? POLITICO Pulse examines these questions, and more. 

The Wall Street Journal: Antibiotic makers struggle, hurting war on superbugs
“New antibiotics struggle to make headway in part because hospitals are incentivized to choose the lower-priced option. Insurers pay hospitals a fixed fee for treating a patient with an infection, regardless of which drugs are used. While new antibiotics cost much less than new drugs for cancer or heart disease—typically a few thousand dollars for a course of treatment—they compete with older antibiotics that cost just a few dollars per dose.”

But, National Biotechnology Month is about more than just new cures. This year, biotech innovations like gene editing will drive conversations about agriculture and food, says The Washington Post—which is why one of our priorities will be ensuring policymakers and consumers understand the benefits of the technology and its potential to feed the world and protect the environment.

Everyone will be talking about gene editing, says The Washington Post in its annual roundup of expected trends in the coming year—and specifically, “whether consumers will embrace these new foods” developed with CRISPR-Cas9 technology. 

I still have holiday brain. What’s CRISPR, again? CRISPR allows scientists to edit the DNA of an existing organism, “mimicking the kind of random mutations that breeders have historically depended on,” EatingWell said in this gene-editing explainer last year. 

And CRISPR-Cas9 is super cool, allowing scientists to “precisely change any of DNA’s four ‘letters’ into any other and insert or delete any stretch of DNA,” as STAT explained, with enormous potential for both agriculture and health innovation.  

So, what kind of food are we talking about? Scientists are using the technology to develop everything from avocado and lettuce that don’t turn brown, to a wide variety of crops able to withstand pests and other consequences of climate change, says Innovature. 

But remember, it’s not really “new” food. CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to engage in the same kind of crop breeding farmers have been doing for literally centuries—just more quickly and precisely. 

Why it matters: There’s a lot of misinformation about gene editing, so as the administration celebrates Biotechnology Month and looks at the approvals process and other regulations on gene-edited agriculture, we’ll be working beyond this month and year to ensure they understand the technology and don’t unnecessarily regulate it.