AMR researcher brain drain

A new report from the AMR Industry Alliance warns of researchers leaving the field of AMR, and a European Parliament vote cleared the way for potential legislation to ease regulation of some crops altered through “new genomic techniques (NGTs).” (608 words, 3 minutes, 2 seconds)

Report finds brain drain in AMR researchers

Researchers are leaving the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as market dysfunction jeopardizes the investment needed to tackle this growing public health threat, finds a new report.

Why it matters: AMR was associated with 4.95 million deaths in 2019, more than HIV/AIDS and malaria. Without new antimicrobials, AMR could kill 10 million annually by 2050.

But: The AMR R&D workforce is limited and declining, with approximately 3,000 AMR researchers currently active in the world, compared to as many as 46,000 for cancer and 5,000 for HIV/AIDS, says the AMR Industry Alliance report released Thursday.

It’s already impacting the pipeline: In 2022, there were 2,195 clinical trials and RCT publications for cancer published—35 times the number for priority bacteria—and 20 times more patents awarded for cancer (2,388) than for antibiotics.

AMR’s market challenge: Because antimicrobials must be used sparingly, a volume-based sales model doesn’t work. Every small company behind the eight new antimicrobials approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the last decade either filed for bankruptcy, was acquired, or quit working in the antibiotics space.

What can we do? The report calls for government funding to incentivize AMR research. The PASTEUR Act would help stabilize a minimum return on investment for new antimicrobials.

What they’re saying: “The decline seen in this report adds urgency to the well-recognized need for increased investment in AMR,” says James Anderson, Board Chair of the AMR Industry Alliance. “Funding from groups such as CARB-X and the AMR Action Fund helps attract and retain scientific experts in antibiotic R&D, but the ecosystem will only be economically sustainable when governments introduce incentives such as the PASTEUR Act.”

EU Parliament takes step toward easing rules for genetically altered crops

A European Parliament vote last week cleared the way for legislation to ease regulation of some crops altered through “new genomic techniques (NGTs).”

Why it matters: Europe has some of the world’s strictest regulations on genetically modified organisms. If enacted, the new rules would exempt several types of crops from this regulation.

What are NGTs? NGT 1 and NGT 2 plants are developed with techniques invented since 2001: gene transfer—mutagenesis/cisgenesis/intragenesis—or gene editing, like CRISPR Cas9.

The new position: NGT 1 plants, “which differ from the recipient or parent plant by no more than 20 genetic modifications,” would be regulated like ordinary plants, says the Parliament’s announcement. NGT 2 plants would have a path to acceptance but would still be heavily regulated.

Patent problem: EU parliamentarians “want a full ban on patents for all NGT plants, plant material, parts thereof, genetic information and process features they contain, to avoid legal uncertainties, increased costs and new dependencies for farmers,” according to the statement.

What’s next: Parliament will start negotiations with EU member states on the final law. It could take months or years to achieve a “trilogue” agreement among the 27 EU member states, the European Council president, and the president of the European Commission.

BIO’s take: “BIO appreciates the pathway that this legislation opens up for cutting-edge gene-edited products. These are the products that will solve problems of food security and sustainability. However, we have some concerns about patentability, labeling & traceability, and the organic exemption process that we hope to resolve with EU leaders,” says Nancy Travis, BIO’s Vice President of International Affairs.

President Biden’s Monday: Meeting King Abdullah II of Jordan, the first Arab head of state to visit the White House since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel, to discuss ending the conflict in Gaza, Axios reports.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Tomorrow, Dr. Jason Kelly, CEO of BIO member Ginkgo Bioworks, will testify in a special hearing outside the Capitol, “Growing Stakes: The Bioeconomy and American National Security,” held by the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party at the Marriott Long Wharf in Boston. On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will testify before the House Agriculture Committee.