Good Day BIO: BIO announces leadership update, interim CEO

Yesterday, BIO announced a leadership update and interim CEO – here's what you need to know, straight from the source. We also look at the risk of co-circulation of COVID and flu – and an easy solution – and resources for students to learn about biotech during Farm to School Month. (689 words, 3 minutes, 26 seconds)

BIO announces leadership update, interim CEO

Yesterday, BIO announced Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, BIO’s President and CEO since June 2020, is stepping down from her position. The Board appointed Rachel King, co-founder and former CEO of GlycoMimetics, Inc. the interim CEO.

Here’s what you need to know, straight from the source.

First, BIO thanks Dr. McMurry-Heath for her service. “Dr. McMurry-Heath has earned widespread admiration and recognition as a voice for the biotech industry, broadening awareness of key industry imperatives, such as supporting life-saving biotech innovation and overcoming the challenges of COVID-19, and advancing initiatives to increase diversity and inclusivity across the biotech industry,” said Ted W. Love, M.D., Vice-Chair of BIO’s Executive Committee and Board.

Second, BIO looks ahead to a strong future. A previous Chair of the BIO Board, Rachel King “is a highly experienced biotech executive who has served in large pharmaceutical organizations as well as an entrepreneur who co-founded her own biotech company. We look forward to working together with Rachel and the staff at BIO to continue important efforts that support innovation for people and patients in all aspects of biotechnology from food and agriculture to healthcare,” said Paul Hastings, Chair of BIO’s Executive Committee and Board.

The key takeaway: “The strategy of BIO remains on track,” said Rachel King.
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What's worse than getting COVID? Getting COVID – and the flu.

Health professionals are urging vaccination to prevent “co-circulation” of seasonal flu and COVID-19—we got the inside scoop from an expert.

“COVID-19 and influenza are both respiratory viruses that are highly transmissible,” Ashesh Gandhi, PharmD, Regional Head of Medical Affairs, Americas, at CSL Seqirus, told Bio.News.

While COVID variants are becoming less deadly, they are becoming more communicable,explains our Bio.News reporter. With people heading indoors as the weather gets colder, there’s an increased risk of catching COVID-19 and influenza simultaneously.

Why is co-circulation a problem? “If someone contracts both COVID-19 and influenza, then there is potentially increased risk of hospital visits, as well as increased outpatient visits, both of which could overwhelm an already strained healthcare system,” explained Gandhi.

But there’s an easy solution: vaccination. (Even better, you can get the flu vaccine and a COVID booster at the same time!)

The context: The southern hemisphere, including Australia, already had its flu season—and the highly contagious Influenza A strain was predominant, a sign of what could be coming soon. Meanwhile, as of last week, only 4% of eligible Americans had gotten their updated COVID booster.

Learn more about the risk of co-circulation.

Take your best shot. Visit www.vaccines.gov to find a vaccine near you.

Farm to School Month feeds students' brains and bellies

Schools are a vital source of nutrition for children’s bellies and brains, and the farm-to-school movement focuses on both.

The farm-to-school movement educates kids about where food comes from, builds an understanding of the importance of farming, and provides children and their families with information about nutrition and food safety.

October is Farm to School Month, supported by the USDA and organizations like the National Farm to School Network and Action for Healthy Kids offering educational materials. This week is also National School Lunch Week, which focuses on the importance of nutrition.

Biotech’s contribution to agriculture can be a part of the educational experience with materials including:

• The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture's Bringing Biotech to Life, a resource for grades 7-10
• The FDA’s Science and Our Food Supply: Exploring Food Agriculture and Biotechnology, for middle and high schoolers.
• GrownNextGen, which helps bring lessons about agricultural science into classrooms in Ohio.

Biotech’s role in nutrition and food safety has been recognizedwith biotech’s inclusion in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health –read more at Bio.News.

President Biden’s Tuesday: Virtual meeting with G7 leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Meanwhile, STAT News takes a closer look at Health and Human Services' new Office of Environmental Justice.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess.