What's next for COVID vaccines?

Moderna announced exciting updates in its vaccine pipeline, and a recent USDA report explains how biomass can help us build a stronger bioeconomy. (616 words, 3 minutes, 4 seconds)

What’s next for COVID-19 vaccines?

Moderna announced promising results from the Phase 3 clinical trial of its next-generation COVID-19 vaccine—another step forward in addressing emerging variants and ensuring ongoing protection.

The data: Moderna’s new mRNA-1283 vaccine elicited higher immunity against Omicron BA.4/BA.5 and original SARS-CoV-2 strains than the company’s currently approved mRNA-1273.222 vaccine. The benefit was most acute in the high-risk 65-plus age group.

Why it matters: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that COVID-19 vaccines be updated to address coronavirus mutations and be given annually like a flu shot.

The next generation: Moderna said it can combine the new COVID vaccine with a flu vaccine, encouraging uptake by providing a single, annual shot. Pfizer indicated similar plans. Moderna said the updated vaccine also has a longer shelf life and is easier to store, aiding distribution.

More innovation: Future COVID-19 protection could include multivalent vaccines targeting a range of virus strains, use of nanoparticles or viral vectors to enhance stability and effectiveness, and universal vaccines offering broad protection against diverse immunoviruses, Bio.News reports.

More benefits: Research released earlier this month found that people vaccinated against COVID-19 had a 45%-81% reduction in risk of “thromboembolic and cardiac events” compared to the unvaccinated—apparently because the vaccine reduced risk and severity of COVID-19 infection.

The bottom line: COVID-19 vaccines helped us control the pandemic and updated vaccines continue to provide the best defense.

More Health News:

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USDA envisions stronger bioeconomy through better biomass supply chain

Domestic biomass could provide a dependable supply chain for cleaner energy and renewable materials, says a report released this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Why it matters:Biobased fuels and products that boost sustainability and the bioeconomy can be advanced through better use of biomass from crop residues, agricultural and food wastes, forest residuals, livestock, and crops grown as feedstocks.

The report:Building a Resilient Biomass Supply assesses availability and current use of domestic biomass, investigates the impact of various factors (like climate change) on supply, and explains how to build a resilient biomass supply chain.

The context: This is the latest output of President Biden’s Executive Order on the Bioeconomy, an ambitious, government-wide initiative to increase sustainability and build the economy by supporting biomanufacturing. The U.S. bioeconomy is valued at $950 billion and growing.

The key recommendations: The U.S. can convert its abundance of biomass into biobased products through improved biomass logistics and materials-handling technology, and more incentives for farmers to obtain new income streams by producing biomass.

What they’re saying: “Strengthening research and development, capacity building, and biomass market development will help bolster existing markets and catalyze new markets,” says Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

Join the conversation: Federal officials will discuss current and proposed policies to enhance the bioeconomy at the 2024 BIO Agriculture & Environment Summit on April 17-18.

President Biden’s Wednesday: No official events scheduled.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Congress is in recess this week and next.