Good Day BIO: Cancer deaths are down—but inequity remains

A new report has good news regarding cancer death rates—with an important caveat. 

Overall cancer death rates are down in both men and women among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States,according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.

Declining lung cancer and melanoma diagnoses were key, finds the report, which is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

“The declines in lung cancer and melanoma death rates are the result of progress across the entire cancer continuum—from reduced smoking rates to prevent cancer to discoveries such as targeted drug therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors,” says American Cancer Society CEO Dr. Karen E. Knudsen. 

Oncology-related programs make up 43% of the clinical therapeutic development pipeline,according to BIO’s pipeline tracker. And in spite of COVID-19, 2020 was “a very strong year” in deal-making, which provides the critical funding for groundbreaking research for cancer and other diseases, according to BIO’s VP for Industry Research David Thomas. 

“However, the report finds that for several other major cancers, including prostate, colorectal, and female breast cancers, previous declining trends in death rates slowed or disappeared,” the report continues. 

And major inequities remain: For example, Black Americans have lower cancer incidence rates than white Americans, but higher death rates. Similarly, while Black and white women are diagnosed with breast cancer at similar rates, the mortality for Black women is 40% higher, reports STAT News. 

The big picture: While the report shows certain battles are being won against cancer—thanks in part to groundbreaking new therapies—it’s important to not lose sight of the war on the disease as a whole and ensure all Americans are served by advances in science. 

Read the whole report.

Promoting health equity and access to science is a key pillar of the BIOEquality Agenda—learn more.

The gene editing technology CRISPR can make our food more sustainable and nutritious—and can work wonders for the ingredients of a good curry, says Innovature. 

To refresh: CRISPR is a simple yet powerful tool for editing genomes, allowing scientists to make tiny, precise changes to an organism’s own DNA to more quickly achieve the results of traditional breeding methods. 

Read: Gene Editing 101 

“The method is capable of producing more hardy, nutritious, flavorful ingredients—with less resource depletion, greater pest resistance, and enhanced climate adaptability,” says Innovature. 

Watch: CRISPR pioneer Dr. Jennifer Doudna discussed what’s next for the technology at BIO Digital 2021 

Every cook has their own version of biryani, a rice-based curry dish originating from the Indian subcontinent and beloved worldwide. 

Here’s how CRISPR can help make the dish even more delicious and sustainable…

• A key ingredient of the dish and a worldwide food staple, rice is benefiting from myriad projects that tackle common rice diseases and make the crop more resistant to climate change.
• Biryani also calls for meat—typically beef, goat, or lamb. CRISPR is being used to produce healthier animals by making them more resistant to disease.
• Don’t forget the spices, which can be “tastier, easier to grow, and more resilient” with biotechnology. Cardamom, for example, is being improved through gene-specific editing to help the plant survive cardamom mosaic virus.

And that’s not all…CRISPR is being used to improve a range of crops, including summer staples corn and blueberries.

Listen: The banana is an interesting case study in how climate is affecting our food supply—and how biotechnology like gene editing can help improve it. We talked about it with agriculture and biotech leaders—including a leading banana expert—in a recent episode of the I am BIO Podcast.


More Agriculture & Environment News:

New York Times:Learning to Love G.M.O.s
Overblown fears have turned the public against genetically modified food. But the potential benefits have never been greater.

On Wednesday, July 28 at 1:00 PM ET, BIO will hold a webinar, Trade Secrets: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure. 

Sponsored by Venable LLP, the panel of experts will provide information on preventative measures to protect trade secrets and to minimize allegations of trade secret misappropriation, including: identifying and managing trade secrets; employee agreements, policies, training and separation procedures; disclosure of trade secrets to others; and managing third-party trade secrets. 

This webinar is free for BIO members—register today!

President Biden’s Tuesday: Honoring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Super Bowl LV victory, then holding a Cabinet meeting with the vice president to mark six months in office. See Biden’s remarks about the economy after his first six months. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock, NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci, and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky will testify before the Senate HELP Committee on the federal COVID-19 response (10 AM ET). This is Dr. Woodcock’s first appearance before the committee this year, and it may give an indication of how Senators—who could eventually vote on her full nomination—interact with her, POLITICO says.  In the House, a Natural Resources Subcommittee will hold a hearing on a potential Civilian Climate Corps. ICYMI, yesterday, Democrats proposed a “tax on imports from China and other countries that are not significantly reducing the planet-warming pollution that they produce,” The New York Times reports.