Good Day BIO: Blunting the mosquito’s bite

Hotter weather helps mosquitoes proliferate—but biotech researchers have discovered a number of ways to ensure these pests aren’t quite so deadly.

It’s no secret mosquitoes carry a lot of disease—“malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and at least a dozen more,” explained Popular Science. 

And as the planet gets hotter, “these insects will survive winter and proliferate, causing an estimated billion or more new infections by the end of the century, according to new research.”

But thanks to biotech, we’re finding ways to ensure these pests aren’t quite so dangerous to humans. 

Scientists announced this week they’ve used CRISPR to make humans “effectively invisible” to Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which can carry dengue, yellow fever, and Zika, reports The New York Times.   

“By eliminating two of that mosquito’s light-sensing receptors, the researchers knocked out its ability to visually target hosts,”—without harming the mosquitoes, says the report.  

Similarly, scientists have also used CRISPR to develop malaria-resistant mosquitoes,as Innovature explained, theoretically making them incapable of transmitting the disease to humans.  

And they’re also using gene editing to control mosquito populations,altering a gene to limit the reproduction capacity of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is responsible for virtually all the mosquito-borne diseases transmitted to humans in the Florida Keys.    

Read more about how biotech is helping us solve our biggest climate-related problems.

We caught up with our friends at the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) to check in on BIO’s state affiliates—here’s a roundup of some of the latest news.

ICYMI: A proposed waiver of the WTO TRIPS agreement would have a ripple effect on the U.S. biotech sector, we explained yesterday.

“Waiving IP protections for COVID-19 vaccines that showcase the very best of the biopharmaceutical sector—including the companies that call New Jersey home—not only doesn’t guarantee faster rollout for vaccines abroad but could undermine the standards for these drugs and the supply chain that has demonstrated efficacy throughout the pandemic,” wrote BioNJ President and CEO Debbie Hart in USA Today.

Meanwhile, with drug price controls back on the agenda in the U.S., it’s a good time to revisit CSBA’s recent study on what would’ve happened if H.R. 3 had been in place from 2009-2019:

• A basket of 68 drugs developed by small and emerging biotechs would have been reduced to 7.
• New medicines for rare diseases, oncology, and neurology would have been disproportionately impacted.
• Biopharmaceutical job losses alone would total nearly 191,000—and 950,000 when you include indirect effects. 

The study press release and corresponding op-eds by state biotech leaders were published nationwide, including in Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, North Carolina, and New York, to name a few.

“There is plenty of room for improvement in our healthcare system, including overdue insurance and copayment reforms and striking the right balance between pricing innovative new technologies and treatments fairly while providing sufficient incentives for scientists and investors to take the significant risks necessary to develop them,” said Delaware BioScience Association President Michael Fleming. “Yet looking to Europe and other countries to enhance our world-leading model would be a terrible mistake with dire consequences for patients and the economy.”

Several CSBA CEOs have been recognized for their work recently, including…

• Biocom California CEO Joe Panetta,who received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Diego Business Journal.
• BioNJ President and CEO Debbie Hart,who received a PharmaVOICE Red Jacket Award honoring 100 “inspirational, motivational, and transformational individuals” in life sciences.

And finally, we've welcomed two new leaders into the fold:

• Laura Gunter, President and CEO of NCBIO. Laura joined the organization in 2013 and has worked at the N.C. Biotech Center.
• Eddie Pauline, President and CEO of BioOhio. Eddie previously served as the Director for Economic Development for The Ohio State University within its Enterprise for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge.

BIO has 48 state affiliates—and we’re sure we missed some headlines! If you have major news, an op-ed, or something else you’d like to share in a future edition, send it to Berrett Stradford, Director of External Relations at BIO, at bstradford@bio.org. (We may not be able to publish everything—but we’ll try!)

Learn more about CSBA and biotech associations in the states.

Mark Dant’s son, Ryan, was diagnosed with a rare disease and given 10-12 years to live. Luckily, the Dant family found Dr. Emil Kakkis, who developed an enzyme replacement therapy that’s allowed Ryan to life a full life. Now, Mark works with the EveryLife Foundation to ensure other patients living with rare diseases can access lifesaving therapies, too.

Watch Mark tell his—and Ryan’s—story.

President Biden’s Friday: Meeting with his national security team to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan. At 1:00 PM ET, he’ll deliver remarks on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, and vulnerable Afghans. President Biden will then travel to Wilmington, Delaware.  

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess.