Good Day BIO: GM corn does not damage non-target organisms, says USDA

A new study authored by a USDA researcher confirms what we already know: biotech improves farmers' ability to protect their crops against pests—and only pests. We have the details, plus why patient advocacy groups are calling on Congress to restore funding for COVID services for the uninsured. (587 words, 2 minutes, 56 seconds)

USDA: GM corn does not damage non-target organisms

Announcing a study yesterday on genetically modified corn, the USDA confirmed what scientists already knew.

The big news: “[G]enetically modified Bt corn has little impact on nontarget insects and other organisms, especially compared to growing conventional corn,” says a new study published by a USDA Agricultural Research Service scientist and his Swiss colleagues.

What’s Bt corn? It’s genetically modified to have “built-in insect protection” by producing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis—hence, Bt—which “selectively targets” corn borers.

Critics have suggested Bt corn could potentially destroy beneficial insects and non-targeted organisms—but after reviewing “hundreds of individual studies,” the researchers found this isn’t true.

What they’re saying: “After all the number crunching was done, what we found that, overall, Bt corn just does not have negative impacts on non-target organisms,” says Steve Naranjo, Director of the U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center.

Furthermore, authorship or financial support from biotech companies had no impact on the outcome: “when any negative effects by Bt corn on non-target organisms were found in the data, they were attributed more often in studies with private sector support than when no backing by biotech companies was declared,” says Michael Meissle with Switzerland’s Agroscope.

Why it matters: “Yield losses and the cost of controlling the European corn borer are staggering, estimated at more than $1 billion annually,” says USDA. Bt corn can help farmers and secure our food supply in the face of growing threats.   

Read: A brief history of biotech corn

125 patient groups: ‘restore access to COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines’

With COVID-19 funding stalled on Capitol Hill, funding for vaccinations and testing for the uninsured has stalled, too—just as we’re seeing an uptick in cases. More than 100 patient advocacy groups call on congressional leadership to do something.

The background: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program was established at the start of the pandemic to reimburse health care providers for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccine services for uninsured individuals.

The impact: The program has paid for more than 30,000 COVID-19 tests, treatment for 34,000 individuals, and administration of more than 18,000 vaccines—stopping vectors of transmission and saving lives.

But now: “[D]ue to insufficient funds, HRSA has been unable to process claims for testing or treatment since March 22 and stopped accepting claims for vaccinations on April 5,” said 125 national and state patient and health advocacy groups in a letter to congressional leadership in May.

What they’re saying: “Without the HRSA Uninsured Program, uninsured Americans have already begun losing access to testing, treatment, and vaccination services, placing themselves and other members of their communities at risk of infection. Unless Congress acts, this lack of funding will only exacerbate existing racial and ethnic disparities in access to health services for historically marginalized communities,” says the letter.

The context: The White House requested $22.5 billion in COVID-19 funding in March 2022, but the Senate is only considering a $10 billion package, which does not include COVID services for the uninsured, per POLITICO. This lack of funding will cause more Americans to “die needlessly,” said President Biden last month. 

Read: Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 cause increasing number of COVID-19 cases

President Biden’s Tuesday: Signing nine bipartisan bills focused on veterans’ care.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: We’re watching the House today, which is expected to vote on (and pass) its legislation reauthorizing the FDA user fee agreements—read more about the House bill. Meanwhile, the FDA’s Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Related Biological Products today will review Novavax’s application for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine.